MadDog49er 2016 Draft Review

Originally posted by sacniner:
Didn't know that Fred Taylor was Kelvin's pops.

Good read MadDog! I agree, we need talent badly. Baalke selected 2 CBs with relatively high picks when we have a young secondary and SO many needs.

We have a LOT of corners. LOT of DB's period

Originally posted by LasVegasWally:
Excellent!!

I especially agree on not taking Robinson in the 4th and getting RB Ken Dixon.

Dixon is the real deal. I had him 31st on my best board. Team needs sometimes push players down, but he is a three down player

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Another year came and went quickly, and to wrap up this 2016 NFL draft, I am scribing my yearly review of the team's draft.

Let's go pick by pick, and I will list who I would have selected:
1. DeForest Buckner- A+ grade- The board knows my affinity for Buckner, who I ranked as the 3rd best player in the draft. Equally adept at getting after the passer and playing run support, he is an all-around stud 34 DE. Lining up as a RDE at Oregon, he went through a Murderer's Row of tough competition, with the likes of Stanford's Garnett, Michigan St LT Jack Conklin, ASU's Christian Westerman, Colorado's Nembot, Oregon State's Seumalo, and many other superb college OL. He held up well, posted unreal numbers for a 34 DE, and scored extremely well with Pro Football Focus. An absolute steal at 7.
MadDog pick- DE Buckner

1. Joshua Garnett- B- grade- The Garnett pick nets a decent grade because the kid is a very good football player. A very strong run blocker and adequate pass protector, he played a huge role in Christian McCaffrey having a monster season in 2015. Garnett was my number one pure offensive guard (non-transition) in the draft. The only downgrade is the moving up of 9 slots to gain the pick, and the transition he will supposedly be making to RG because of Z. Beadles. The Niners did not do much in free agency, but one action they did take was securing a RG. How that impacts Garnett's development by playing in a new position for him (he was a RT and LG in college) waits to be seen.
MadDog pick- WR Sterling Shepard

3. Will Redmond- C+ grade- The first of the defensive backs the Niners picked up, Redmond was a good college football player. Plays taller than he is, has good read and react skills, seems to have enough football smarts to get on the field. Slightly thinner than what you want at 182, and coming off an ACL, and with only 7 college starts to his credit, there are a lot of question marks about him, especially since he was unable to work out. To me, there were simply better corners out there, and better players with less question marks on the board.
MadDog pick- CB KeiVarae Russell

4. Rashard Robinson- D grade- Back-to-back secondary players for Baalke, Robinson fits the length that the Niners have drafted recently. Tall with long arms, Robinson is razor thin at 171 pounds. This showed when he was only able to bench 5 times at his Pro Day, so strength is an issue he will have to address. Has been out of playing for nearly a year and a half, and showed little athleticism in his testing, ranking in the 3rd percentile. I just don't see much commitment to football, and that spells trouble in the hyper competitive NFL.
MadDog pick- RB Kenneth Dixon

5. Ronald Blair- A- grade- Blair was a superb small school DL for Appalachian St. My second to last player to complete an evaluation before the draft, Blair is a high motor, hard working, quick defensive lineman that can play across the line. Super low pad level, so he is a challenge to block. Very strong spin move. At 6'2", 284, with 34 " arms, and strong, he seems destined to be a rotational 34 DE, rushing the passer inside on passing downs. I believe he was ill at the combine and did not post good numbers, but rebounded very well at his Pro Day. His SPARQ numbers were outstanding, in the 89th percentile. He will make an impact on this league, and just needs to fit a creative coordinator to put him in the right spot.
MadDog pick- TE Jerell Adams

5. John Theus- C+ grade- I like that Theus is experienced, and has played multiple positions across the OL. He was an award winning SEC lineman. And, yet, at the Senior Bowl week, he was thrashed pretty badly, exposing some severe athletic limitations. His SPARQ score ranked him in the 23rd percentile. So, he is limited to the right tackle position and maybe have to kick inside to guard. Some players have maxed out their abilities in college. I think that matches Theus. I just don't see much upside.
MadDog pick- G/C Christian Westerman

5. Fahn Cooper- B- grade- In my opinion, this was the better of the two picks of the 5th round OL. Cooper played well in relief of Laremy Tunsil at LT in the beginning of 2015, and then slide over effectively as a RT after. Very solid East-West week where he really stood out. Smooth player with pretty good footwork. A swing tackle who is best at RT. I think will be a solid backup in the NFL, but he tested very poorly, ranking 8th percentile in SPARQ, which concerns me at the next level. His All-Star week work against better competition is encouraging.
MadDog pick- ILB/OLB Jatavis Brown

6. Jeff Driskel- A grade- Count me in on Driskell as an excellent value pick here. I believe I graded him as the 5th or 6th best QB in this draft, and see plenty of upside. Very athletic, with a solid arm, and rebounded well at Louisiana Tech after playing at Florida. One of few QBs in this draft I believe have a shot to be an NFL starter. I thought he had a really solid Senior Bowl week, and has regained some momentum. Very good selection in the 6th round.
MadDog pick- WR Keyarris Garrett

6. Kelvin Taylor- D grade- Count me out on Taylor. Great bloodlines, played in the SEC, and scores a lot of TDs (13 in 2015). However, somebody has to explain why he entered the draft. Maybe it is the mileage of three years of running the ball, maybe he is sick of Florida, or maybe he is flunking out. I don't know the reason, but is 4.0 yards per carry should be a big concern for fans. Tested poorly for a 207 pound back- SPARQ 4th percentile, short arms, and small hands. If his name was not Taylor, I doubt he would be drafted. Special teamer
MadDog pick- CB Jonathan Jones

6. Aaron Burbridge- C grade- I have mixed feeling on Burbridge. He played pretty well this year against Big Ten corners, especially making big catches against Eli Apple of OSU and drawing flags. Good football intelligence. Hard-working. No problems motivating to block. Like many of the other draftees of the Niners, scored very low in SPARQ, with a 9th percentile. Add in tiny hands, and a few dropsies along the way, I see a try-hard kid who has wringed out about every ounce of ceiling in his game, but simply can't compete at the next level. Special teamer for sure.
MadDog pick- S Jalen Mills

7. Prince Charles Iworah- B- grade- Straight-line burner who will be a slot corner at the next level. Strong, fiesty, and will compete. Fast riser toward the end of the evaluation process as he had a terrific Pro-Day. Will be a gunner on special teams, and a player to stash on the practice squad. Very good SPARQ score of 70th percentile. Just needs to some time to develop.
MadDog pick- C Jack Allen

In the end, the Niners picked up 6 offensive players: 1 QB, 2 OT's, 1 G, 1 RB, 1 WR; and 5 defensive players: 2 DEs, 3 CBs. While I love the Buckner, Blair and Driskell selection, and am happy to pick up Garnett, I feel that the team lost some real opportunities to pick up some better pieces to improve their roster. This team needs talent, and I just don't think they hit enough to satisfy fans down the road.

Count me in for a B-/C+ grade.

Thanks to all who participated this year in the draft conversation. It was fun to link up to talk about our love of football and the 49ers.

Cheers- MD

Buckner - I think in a deep draft class, he is a mid 1st rounder. This year he was a solid pick. But I keep looking at Tunsil being there... I mean let say Buckner is a great player, you still have the risk that you passed up on Tunsil who could be a career starting Tackle and IMO great OT > DE that isn't generating double digit sacks. To me, comparing Buckner will always be looking at how well Tunsil does.

Garnett - Its tough to judge the pick if you are factoring in trades. For example, if you don't do the trade we could have drafted Sterling Sheppard and Christian Westerman (or another guard I liked was Joe Dahl). Looking at the pick right now and factoring in the trade, I think it is pretty mediocre pick, but obviously they see Garnett as the key to inside-zone blocking to drive Kelly's offense. IMO a very need based pick.

Dixon v. Howard -
I thought Howard actually looked like a great fit for Chip's offense scheme and would operate similar to how Blount did for Chip at Oregon

Originally posted by amosmac28:
MadDog - any idea why Bullard slid to the Bears in the 3rd? If I remember correctly, you really liked him in your pre-draft analysis. I was hoping we would have picked him up for depth in the 3rd. Or even Kwiatkowski in the 4th.

Love Bullard. He is a tweener in size for many teams at 285 pounds. He doesn't fit everyone's system, so they probably think. I think he is a terrific terror on the field. Kwiatkoski is a really good football player who can run and cover the field. Both are great players who should have excellent careers.

Originally posted by Hysterikal:
A lot of questionable picks in this draft. Don't know how we pick a fast corner over Keyarris Garrett and pass on Scooby Wright. I'm just gonna trust the guys who have forgotten more knowledge about football then I will ever know.

As much as I cheer for Scooby to have a successful career, I am highly skeptical of his skills at the next level. I believe he has pulled every rabbit out of the hat in his college career, and has very little upside. Short arms and limited range. He was undraftable to me. I hope I am wrong.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by sacniner:
Didn't know that Fred Taylor was Kelvin's pops.

Good read MadDog! I agree, we need talent badly. Baalke selected 2 CBs with relatively high picks when we have a young secondary and SO many needs.

We have a LOT of corners. LOT of DB's period

Wonder why. Just the BPA philosophy? Or is Kelly's offense going to shock the world and we're gonna force teams to throw on us because they're going to be constantly behind 2-3 tds :)

Originally posted by boast:

Originally posted by sacniner:
Didn't know that Fred Taylor was Kelvin's pops.

Good read MadDog! I agree, we need talent badly. Baalke selected 2 CBs with relatively high picks when we have a young secondary and SO many needs.

reportedly Baalke and O'neil dont believe some of those young corners we already have are a fit for Oneil's scheme.

I think that may be a big part of it.

Also, none of our CBs graded all that well last season. Yes, they were young (except Brock) and inexperienced at the beginning of the season but they wound up in the lower tier of starting CBs.

Originally posted by boast:

Originally posted by sacniner:

Didn't know that Fred Taylor was Kelvin's pops.

Good read MadDog! I agree, we need talent badly. Baalke selected 2 CBs with relatively high picks when we have a young secondary and SO many needs.

reportedly Baalke and O'neil dont believe some of those young corners we already have are a fit for Oneil's scheme.

Well great idea bringing him in as the DC then

Originally posted by Hoovtrain:

Originally posted by boast:

Originally posted by sacniner:
Didn't know that Fred Taylor was Kelvin's pops.

Good read MadDog! I agree, we need talent badly. Baalke selected 2 CBs with relatively high picks when we have a young secondary and SO many needs.

reportedly Baalke and O'neil dont believe some of those young corners we already have are a fit for Oneil's scheme.

Well great idea bringing him in as the DC then

Some of the current cornerbacks might not fit in any professional team's defensive scheme. None of them are very good at press, for one thing. And a couple may only be fit to play in a Tampa 2, which is a recipe for disaster given the Niners' weak pass rush and horrendous run defense, that makes them weak against play action passes.

Originally posted by Wu-5Rings:
Nice.. Agree. Robinson pick was dumb in the 4th, with his problems

Did you ever consider that his problems were the only reason the Niners got him that low?

Whom would you have rather had in the 4th than Robinson? Bear in mind, they couldn't trade that pick.

Originally posted by 49erThrowback:

Originally posted by Hoovtrain:

Originally posted by boast:

Originally posted by sacniner:

Didn't know that Fred Taylor was Kelvin's pops.

Good read MadDog! I agree, we need talent badly. Baalke selected 2 CBs with relatively high picks when we have a young secondary and SO many needs.

reportedly Baalke and O'neil dont believe some of those young corners we already have are a fit for Oneil's scheme.

Well great idea bringing him in as the DC then

Some of the current cornerbacks might not fit in any professional team's defensive scheme. None of them are very good at press, for one thing. And a couple may only be fit to play in a Tampa 2, which is a recipe for disaster given the Niners' weak pass rush and horrendous run defense, that makes them weak against play action passes.

Then that speaks to poor drafting at the DB position if they don't fit any scheme. I may be wrong but neither of the 2 they just drafted are press corners either so not sure how that helps the overall CB cores ability to play press

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
As much as I cheer for Scooby to have a successful career, I am highly skeptical of his skills at the next level. I believe he has pulled every rabbit out of the hat in his college career, and has very little upside. Short arms and limited range. He was undraftable to me. I hope I am wrong.

Agreed. I was saying he's not a good prospect all year. He's just not fast enough to be more than a goal-line type of player in the NFL IMO.

College greatness =/= pro' greatness (see Michael Sam, Tim Tebow).

MD, Garnett said they ran a lot of zone blocking last season, which I don't see when watching him. I see mostly gap blocking with some zone blocking mixed in - I do see outside zone runs. What did you see? I'm not asking whether he will fit into a zone scheme, just whether or not you saw him executing more zone or gap scheme runs. On other words, did Stanford run mostly zone or gap blocking?

Originally posted by thl408:

MD, Garnett said they ran a lot of zone blocking last season, which I don't see when watching him. I see mostly gap blocking with some zone blocking mixed in - I do see outside zone runs. What did you see? I'm not asking whether he will fit into a zone scheme, just whether or not you saw him executing more zone or gap scheme runs. On other words, did Stanford run mostly zone or gap blocking?

Not MD, I saw mostly gap blocking, as they have for a long time. I think Garnett was trying to impress upon the idea that yes they ran some zone concepts as most teams do.

I still see him as the best fit in a man blocking scheme but dont see any reason why he wont work in Kelly's scheme which is mot the same zone blocking scheme as say....a guy like Shanahan or Kubiak where they have a larger emphasis on the outside zone.


Looking back at games in Kelly's first two seasons with the Eagles, I dont see anything that Garnett would be incapable of, especially as he goes through a recomp of his body which is still pretty soft.

Originally posted by Hoovtrain:
Then that speaks to poor drafting at the DB position if they don't fit any scheme. I may be wrong but neither of the 2 they just drafted are press corners either so not sure how that helps the overall CB cores ability to play press

I believe poor drafting is mostly a matter of poor luck (unless you're the Browns, in which case it seems either by design or divine malevolence). Like thoroughbreds, CBs and WRs are notoriously difficult to predict in terms of professional success (except for rare specimens like Calvin Johnson or Deion Sanders). The Niners corners all have good measurables and college production, but they range from quite good (Brock) to underachieving (Reaser). The only serious and obvious recent mistake the Niners made in the defensive backfield was not a CB, but a SS, Taylor Mays, who was drafted on Mike Singletary's insistence over Baalke's resistance. But other than Mays, even MadDog would be hard pressed to predict eactly how the various CBs' careers have progressed thus far.

If I have a problem with many of the players the Niners have drafted, it's that too many of them are quitters. This goes back to Glen Coffee and perhaps further, and extends through Anthony Davis and Chris Borland, most recently. But that may not be the result of bad drafting either, but bad luck. Or perhaps it's the prevailing zeitgeist of the San Francisco Bay Area that accounts for it. Just no way to tell.