Draft take-aways

Originally posted by Karma:
My favorite weekend on the NFL calendar has come and gone. The last 12 months or so have been the hardest on me as a fan in the 25+ years I have followed this team. I have had to take a step back while the storm subsided. Well, the storm is still raging but I think the sunlight is on its way. Time will tell if this draft class is a success, but the story it tells is interesting:

1. Chip Kelly feels ok about the current wide receivers

-> Waiting until the 6th to take a WR tells me Kelly is at least intriguiged by what he has. Torrey Smith still has elite speed, Smelter has possession receiver written all over his gigantic hands, And Ellington always seemed like a guy who wasn't being used properly. I think they are really high on Rogers, considering how quiet they have otherwise been in free agency, and Patton is still around. Add a hand full of young guys with something to prove and Kelly might be able to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

2. There were too many needs to address them all this time

-> Guard, Tackle, CB, ILB, OLB, DE, QB... There was just no way they were going to bring in an impact player everywhere. So, they looked at the board and they decided to load up on a few. I thought Baalke did ok. Not great, not sexy, but ok. He focused on the interior of both sides of the ball and we should be much better there. The CBs have a TON of potential, but they are also bust prone.

3. The team is going to let most of or all of its free agents walk in the next few years

-> Chip Kelly looked the roster and didn't see much worth keeping in the long term. The team resigned Dial, Celek, and Ian Williams as solid rotational guys and would have spent more but no one else was worth it. Guys like Brock, Brooks, Wilhoite, TJE, Dorsey, Lemonier, Pears, etc will not be around in a year or two. Either they walk or they will be cut. The next big contracts will be for guys like Hyde and Lynch.

4. Free agency was never going to be big for us

-> We all know Baalke has never been big on free agency, but he has used it to supplement stronger rosters. This is not a strong roster. There was never a point to spending money on big names just to do it. He'll put some of that money to use when other teams trim down, but plenty of it will just go unspent for now. I'm ok with that. Josh Norman wasn't going to get us over the hump.

5. We are going to suck again

-> This roster is still pretty bad. The QB situation is a mess, we did not upgrade any of the offensive skill positions, and learning a new and rather complicated offense is going to be tough. The good news is, we will have less holes to fill in next year's draft.,

6. This team is far from done making roster moves

-> As teams all over the league received an infusion of young talent this weekend, vets will find themselves replaced or cut for salary cap reasons. Now the Niners can fill some voids. They probably won't find any superstars, but a solid ILB to compete with Hodges or a swing tackle aren't far fetched. They have the money and the roster versatility to do it.

First off I want to say that this is an excellent post. Good and fair points made throughout. I will reiterate, we cannot address all positions with quality players in a single draft.

1. With that said, I think Trent Baalke made a priority to solidify our lines on both sides. At the end of this draft, I have no major concerns about the defensive line going forward. If Ian Williams can come back healthy, I think we may see our defensive line look dominant in spots, yet inconsistent (because of the youth). But we should see flashes of their potential greatness this season. I also do not expect us to be destroyed by the running game as we were last season. Remember when teams COULDN'T run on the 49ers? That will return in the seasons to come. I feel that our offensive line will certainly be better at running the ball will actually be a strength of ours once again. I will wait and see with our ability to pass protect.

2. I am not as down on our linebacking group as others are. I think we already have a gamer in Aaron Lynch. Having that defensive line in front of him is only going to make him even more dangerous. If he stays healthy all season, we should see some pass rush generated by him and 8 to 12 sacks. And then there's Ahmad Brooks, who should receive the Arnaz Battle award for refusing to be pushed off the roster lol. With more attention on stopping the D-line, our LBs should have an easier path to the QB in 2016. The table has been set for our starters and two promising backups in Eli Harold and Tank Carradine. There really are no excuses for them this coming season. Inside linebacker is an area of concern because the guys aren't really going to get any better. I think the pick we used on Rashard Robinson should've been used on an ILB, but what's done is done. Maybe they plan on bring Tartt in on passing downs?

3. I wouldn't say we were deep at corner before, but we definitely had a young, promising group with Tramaine Brock, Kenneth Acker, Dontae Johnnson, Keith Reaser, and Marcus Cromartie. Now three more guys are being added to the mix. There are only two of them that I expect to push the guys we already have and only one IMO has the potential to actually shake things up, and that is Will Redmond. I think Prince Charles Iworah is either a special teams standout and may even get some work as a returner. Nevertheless, at least one talented, young corner will be cut from this team. From the rumors I hear, we attempted to make a move for Jalen Ramsey, which I can understand, but our DBs was the one group that I had the least concerns about. I think they will look A LOT better this year given that QBs won't have 15 seconds and a clean pocket to find open receivers.

4. The kicker we signed is training camp fodder. I do not expect him to push Dawson off the roster . From what I read, he has a strong leg, but is erratic. It's almost like he's the Bradley Pinion of kickers.

5. Looking to next year, we can address the QB position, OT of the future, ILB, and WR if necessary. I think for now, we went into the draft with certain needs and those needs decreased and on paper we actually have some strengths (running the ball, defending the run, defensive depth to keep up with Chip Kelly's offense). There isn't more that you can ask for from a draft. With eleven picks to only have one pick in my opinion that is a true head scratcher is pretty good.

My Take away is that Trent Baalke thought they need alot of CB and another guy coming off an ACL injury, and that he didn't thing they need 1 inside linebacker. They expected Redmond to play this year but you never no for sure with an ACL and they say it take 1 to 2 year to come back full. Look at Bowman he was one of the best if not the best LB and last year he looked a step slow. I guess there where no valve at ILB or OL in the 3rd or 4th. They need help everywhere so i guess i'm ok with draft.

Lol @ #5

Good thoughts so far. My contributions:

1. If this draft has allowed us to fix our DL, OL, and CB, they it was a huge success. I feel pretty good about DL and OL, but CB is still a question. We certainly will have a lot of competition and hopefully settle on a strong group. Even if we have to cut a lot of the numbers we have at these positions, including some prior promising looking players (Martin, Thomas, Reaser, Acker, Carradine, etc), it is worth it to have these position groups settled on going forward.
2. Chip clearly didn't think that any of the QBs outside of the top two were any better than what we already had. He took a project with a skill set that he can potentially develop, but guys like Presscot, Cook, etc just didn't excite him (I tend to agree). As we've all said, if we crap the bed this year, a top QB prospect will be our main goal in next year's draft. As several other teams have done recently, I think we are also trying to not bring our future QB into a situation where he's doomed to fail because the team around him is so terrible.
3. Disagreeing a bit with one of the earlier posts, Baalke did what he seems to always do by doing his new coach some favors in the draft. Buckner and Garnett were obviously Kelly favorites. I think Chip felt that his skill players were good enough for him to work with. He wanted to shore up the OL and then invest in the defense.

I don't think we will be good this year, but it will be a season for Chip to find out what he has, and hopefully see some growth out of our younger guys. We need to figure out for sure who is a keeper in some of these groups that have numbers and potential but no clear cut keepers (CB, OL, DL, WR, TE). Really, I would just like to go into next years draft knowing for sure what our needs are. I think with Kelly having a clearly vision for what he wants in his players, we should be able to sort a lot of that out this year.

Great topic and I agree pretty much to everyone. I like the theme of fixing both sides of the line. I also didn't mind that we load up on CB. I think fixing these areas on year 1 of 2 of rebuilding is a good idea. I also think Kelly wants to see what kind of potential our WR core has. Let's see who steps up this year and add accordingly next draft. That goes to OLB and ILB. As far as Driskell selection, I like it. Has the size and production after he left Florida.Kelly will allow him to sit and just develop him. Just a low risk high reward pick.

I am worried, because this team never does what I think they should, and this time for the most part they did. We gave up more sacks than just about any other team, and we sacked opposing QB's less then just about every other team. Our running game disappeared, our QB's were mauled, and passing suffered. By contrast our opponents threw with impunity, and ran hard with a lead all season. Typically,the media, and we the fans blamed the QB, the receivers, for these failures, and the LBs, and DBs on defense were deemed wanting.

The real boring truth of football is this, as talented as the "skill" players are, with out big angry sweaty guys kicking ass in the trenches, nothing else matters. We addressed the lines, I am stoked to see the competition in camp. I have said this before, Trent is not great at picking offensive players, but could probably find 11 guys tailgating in the parking lot, that could play defense, Chip can seemingly do the same on offense. This duo could be a perfect fit. I think Chip can and will produce points with this roster, and I have always said, a 14 point lead is the best run defense. I think the plan is fresh legs on defense, especially in the back field. If all goes to plan, we will be in nickel or dime, and rushing the passer.

This draft might only have netted us 1-2 starters, and a few roll players, that fine, that all we needed. Now I expect we will add a few veterans at the final cuts, probably a linebacker, and a few more role players. I am surprised we did not take speedy running back, and a project QB, but these guys can be found at the final cuts. As for a change of pace receiving back, perhaps Hayne has shown Chip enough on film.

Gabbert most likely starts, he is accurate, and athletic, and can hold down the fort. Kaepernick, will be an over payed back up, but I would not be surprised if he finds his groove, and rests the starting job from Gabberet. If Chip can bring out the potential in either one of these guys, we are more than set at QB, for now, and this draft was not QB heavy, it was deep in defensive linemen, and we took advantage of the drafts strengths, well done. As with most offseason, last season being a exception, I am confident in and pleased with what I am seeing so far. No panic, adding player where we need them, and focusing on the rebuild.


Go Niners, opening day, can't get here soon enough!

Great posts, very articulate. I agree with so much of what has been posted. Last year was just horrific. I've watched our team for nearly 40 years and I can't remember a season in which our pass protection and pass rush has ever been worse. It was depressing to watch the struggles unfold. I'm hopeful that we have rectified our drastic issues at RG and RT. I think that either Gabbert or Kap could thrive in this system if the blocking holds up. I'm always an optimist, so I would have been disappointed if we would have traded Kap before seeing him have an opportunity under Kelly, even with his egregious fall off the past two years.

As a fan of the CFL, I have great faith in the talent of Eric Rogers. I believe he is legit and will have a big impact in our passing game.

I'm also drinking the Kool-Aid on the CB's that Baalke drafted this weekend. I love their skill sets. I see Robinson making a big splash for us this year even with his limited playing time the past couple years.

Can't wait until we see all these players on the field.

So many interesting players to watch this offseason:

Smelter
Carradine
Robinson
Buckner
Tartt
Redmond
Brown

Why is nobody talking about Blaine Gabbert? Anybody who watched every game last season saw that he easily outperformed Kaepernick. He was more accurate and his quicker release made the OLs job a bit easier. He's probably not a franchise QB, but with a good roster around him we could go all the way.

The draft confirms to me that the team feels the same way. Gabbert is still young and has all the physical tools. Build up the OL and the defense in the draft, let skill players taken in previous drafts continue to develop, and let's see how far Gabbert can take us.

I completeley disagree on the QB situation. I bellieve kelly wants Kaepernick all along, and he will be the starter going into the season. Jed York and Kaep have an issue, but Chip kelly wants to win and he has a qb who

1. Has been to a super bowl
2. Has been to multiple NFC championships
3. Knows how to win.
4. He is a great fit for kellys ofense which is run heavy and simple.

Even Jarryd Hayne is excited as he is alreayd up to speed.

Driskel the qb they drafted was the fasted qb in the draft coming in at 4.5 second 40. Do you think that is a coincidence?

Kelly knows what he is doing, trust me the Niners are going to be more fun to watch this year than last.

Originally posted by 9erred:

I completeley disagree on the QB situation. I bellieve kelly wants Kaepernick all along, and he will be the starter going into the season. Jed York and Kaep have an issue, but Chip kelly wants to win and he has a qb who

1. Has been to a super bowl
2. Has been to multiple NFC championships
3. Knows how to win.
4. He is a great fit for kellys ofense which is run heavy and simple.

Even Jarryd Hayne is excited as he is alreayd up to speed.

Driskel the qb they drafted was the fasted qb in the draft coming in at 4.5 second 40. Do you think that is a coincidence?

Kelly knows what he is doing, trust me the Niners are going to be more fun to watch this year than last.

This. 😎👍

Been mentioned a few times about Kelly having/not having a hand in this draft. To what degree he had "a hand" is irrelevant to me, what matters to me is that this draft had the appearance of a GM and coach working together. Anything to quiet the noise about our front office/GM/coach relationship that has plagued then since the JH debacle is a good thing, and quite possibly the most vaulable thing for us moving forward.

As for the players. Typical Baalke draft, looking for BPA and projects/depth to implement 2 seasons down the road. Love the Buckner pick, and trading up for Garnett. Like all the OL we added, depth and completion are desperately needed in that unit. The CB's, you can't ever have enough talent there, especially the way league is now. Interested to see how & where they use Blair. Burbridge may step in an contribute immediately. Driskell, can't complain about getting a project QB that late in the draft.

This was a foundation/depth draft. Next year, I expect to be more of a sexy draft in the first 3 rounds, but as always, he's picking guys in the 3rd-6th who are project/BPA. I'm giving it a B+, and looking forward to putting the last two years behind us.

Nice post. Draft weekend is a lot of fun.

I don't agree that they will necessarily "suck" this coming year. There are a lot of variables to that. I am not saying that the are going to be good but with better coaching and the development of some of the players on the roster they could potentially improve. Or they could get even worse. There is no way of knowing until the games are played.

Every year you see teams that defy expectations in both directions.

Originally posted by English:

I think we will pick up a couple come roster cut-down time. But I think the thing is, thanks to the last 2 head coaches and some of the coordinators, I don't think we really know what we already have on the roster. I am hoping that we have finally brought together a coaching team which can develop these young players and if we have, it could be a very interesting season.

Two to three starters out of this draft. The O line transformed and a D line to brag about. It may take time to bring it all together, but we do appear to be going in the right direction and despite the schedule strength I think this will show during the season. Looking for breakout years from various players. Tartt and Smelter for starters with others not far behind. Interested to see if Carradine can finally click.

One thing I think gets overlooked by many if the trolls you touch on here. All a GM can do is bring in talent. It's the coaching staffs job to develop that talent and integrate it into the scheme. I think Harbaugh & offensive staff and Tomsula really sucked at this. Hoping that Kelly can change this trend and get some of the picks from prior drafts to shine.

Yeah, the GM is there to bring in talent, which he did with Buckner and Garnnett, after that he choked. he could have easily managed to fill every position with the following picks.

1st 7 DeForest Buckner Oregon
1st 28 Joshua Garnnett Stanford

3rd 68 Joshua Perry ILB OSU
4th 133 Devontae Booker RB Utah
5th 142 Ronald Blair OLB West Virginia
5th 145 Kevin Hogan QB Stanford (backup)
5th 174 Fahn Cooper OT OLe MIss
6th 207 Maurice Canady CB Virginia
6th Charone Peake WR Clemson
6th 213 Kevon Seymour CB USC
7th 249 Joe Walker ILB Oregon

He would have addressed every position with better talent except Edge rusher, what with Buckner would have would have improved our pass rush from the outside by default. I give him a D on rounds 3-7.