MadDog49er Draft Analysis for the Class of 2017

Solomon Thomas - I can't complain about this pick. I liked Lattimore sightly more, but perfectly fine with Thomas. A+

Foster - Although I prefer Cunningham over Foster, I think overall the draft was great. I had Foster as a late 1st or early 2nd round pick, so he was certainly worth the pick in the 1st. B

Witherspoon - I love the pick, I expect him to be starting at some point this year. Perfect fit for our Defense. A+

Beathard - Uhhh...what? Not only an odd pick, but trading up for him is really odd as well. I only watched a little bit of him and then turned the game off because I thought he didn't look like a draft prospect, maybe my mind would have changed if I invested more time into watching him. I guess last year's film was much better? F, but I'm perfectly happy for KS to prove me completely wrong and this guy kills it!

Joe Williams - So apparently our scouting department took him off our draft board, didn't want to take him. Its KS's pick (per MMQB article). Talent wise a great fit for KS offense. However, I would have preferred McNichols. C+

Kittle - I mocked him to us because I thought he was perfect fit for KS offense. A+

Trent Taylor - Well I can't really complain about this pick, because the guy I wanted us to pick (KD Cannon) ended up on our roster anyway, lol. But I think Stacey Coley is a better slot prospect. B-

Overall, I think our F/O did an excellent job on their first draft.

While it wasn't one of your criteria for draft grades, I loved the extra second and third round picks for next year.
Those two picks should allow us maneuvering room in next years QB richer draft.

Thanks for all your hard work as always.
Same time next year!

I don't comment a lot here but I have followed your posts(and Phoenix/OTC's as well) for years now.I can say unequivocally that the draft process is much more thoughtful and enjoyable than it would be without your hard work and labor of love.Thank you!

This draft is better than most of Baalke's draft. Man, i still hate that idiot.

I'll admit, I was one of the people campaigning against Solomon due to not wanting to draft anothe dlinemen. But he already has the makings of being another leader on this team that we badly need. I really think he will be the reason we might party ways with AA sooner rather than later depending on AAs health.

Foster will be another leader for this defense. He isn't perfect, but he has a personality that will light up the room like Lynch said and he will pick up guys when we are down during halftime.

Witherspoon can be our best corner in a year or 2 if he lives up to his potential. Fantastic length and speed and physicality that this defense wants in a CB. I really love our corner group as a whole.

Beathard is the true head scratcher and I think this shows that we have our on value chart regardless of what the talking heads on TV say. If he becomes the the top backup qb in the league I will be happy with this pick, but for now ill chalk this up as shanahans cocky personality showing up.

Joe Williams could end up being our starting back by the end of the season. I love el guapo, but if he can't stay healthy he will be relegated to a backup role an Joe Williams will be the first rb steal of the almost trademarked late round rbs that shanahans are known for.

I feel like every year we claim that Baalkes draft is good, even if we don't truly believe it. I mean, he had a phenomenal first draft considering we almost had our FQB and premier pass rusher and won executive of the year so we had to give him the benefit of the doubt until probably tomsulas draft. But Lynchs draft has a much different feel to it. for one, you know that all the offensive players were handpicked by Kyle, which I bet Kelly is frustrated with. second, no ACL picks!! One funny one is that we have no South Carolina picks! lol. I am excited for next season regardless of the outcome because its been a while since i felt hope for the future.

Foster's shoulder should be a concern for fans but not at the top of my list for concerns. It still was another red flag on the list of issues I chronicled in this thread and others.

Hopefully for the teams sake, the 49ers ducts and staff are accurate and it will be alright and he stays out of trouble off the field. This was a big investment for the team

Originally posted by Wu-5Rings:

Another myth debunked.. All that b******t talk, Harbaugh worked these guys too much.. I never heard anything more stupid in my entire life..

In life, you work hard for what you want, not less and try to get the same results.

Sorta weird that the NFL disagrees with you since they've been reducing mini camps, training camp, and practice times for years.

Hopefully Foster's shoulders check out and he stays focused on and off the field. Whether he pans out or not will significantly alter people's perceptions of this draft class. Its a homerrun if he does.

Thomas was a great pick, and Witherspoon should start as a rookie. Love the first 3 picks.

Beathard was the first "huh!?" moment of the draft for me. I watched some of his games and thought he was being underrated, but didn't think he'd go as high as he did. But this is the guy Shanahan zeroed in on. He was the only QB he coveted, so I have to defer to his expertise on this one. I'm glad Lynch went and got Shanahan his guy.

Same story with Joe Williams. Lynch had him off his board, and so did I. Shanahan wanted him, and Lynch got him after doing a little more HW. I like the collaboration there between HC and GM. It should bode well for the future.

Overall I think this draft will be a huge success. The top picks were very good, and you can see potential roles for guys like Kittle, Taylor, Jones, and Pita T. I also like the dynamics between Shanahan, Lynch, and the rest of the management structure. Very good start to the era.

Originally posted by theduke85:

Originally posted by AB81Rules:

No disrespect but saying Williams quit because of his sisters death is a red flag is a bit harsh IMO.

I don't think it's tasteless to discuss it. His sister died a long time ago. If he really has been battling those demons for a decade, are we really supposed to believe his problems just disappeared during a 30-day break? That sounds like wishful thinking.

Mental illness is a very serious thing. Many people have recurring bouts and highs and lows. If, 10 years after his sisters death, the pain hit him so hard that he walked away from football entirely, who's to say it won't happen again 6 months ,1 year, or 3 years down the line?

I think it's a perfectly valid concern that absolutely should be considered and can be discussed respectfully.

Just to pick up on this point, I believe that these demons that he was battling were going to stay with him until he confronted them. I used to share a flat with a bunch of medical students who were mostly beer swilling, skirt chasing party types. One of them was different, though. He was extremely bright and was training to become a neurosurgeon or neurologist or something of that kind. One night over a couple of beers he gave his opinion that whatever they did for their patients in the hospital, one of the leading hospitals in the country, was a waste of time until the light came on and the patient accepted that he had a problem. Everything after that was a lot easier.

It isn't my specialty, nowhere near it. But until the guy was ready to deal with it, it was going to hang there in the back of his mind making life tough. Once confronted, it's dealt with. There is nothing to come back, nothing to happen again. Imo.

Originally posted by StOnEy333:

Originally posted by Wu-5Rings:

Another myth debunked.. All that b******t talk, Harbaugh worked these guys too much.. I never heard anything more stupid in my entire life..

In life, you work hard for what you want, not less and try to get the same results.

Sorta weird that the NFL disagrees with you since they've been reducing mini camps, training camp, and practice times for years.

Since the lockout

Originally posted by StOnEy333:
Sorta weird that the NFL disagrees with you since they've been reducing mini camps, training camp, and practice times for years.

There's good and bad in that. The good is that with the athletes you have nowadays you can't be running s**t like its 1978, these guys are too big, too fast and the end result is going to be injuries. Its too stupid to do that Mike Singletary type stuff. On the other hand, the lack of practice time with players has really hurt key positions such as QB and the OL. Coaches have less hands on time than ever before with these guys and it shows in some of the poor fundamentals on display on Sundays that simply aren't being corrected.

I don't know if Steve Young would have made his transformation as successfully nowadays since back then Walsh and Holmgren had far more time to have him running drills and working on his footwork....etc. Now QB's have to depend on these so-called "QB guru's" which provide varying degrees of return.

Originally posted by theduke85:

Originally posted by AB81Rules:
No disrespect but saying Williams quit because of his sisters death is a red flag is a bit harsh IMO.

I don't think it's tasteless to discuss it. His sister died a long time ago. If he really has been battling those demons for a decade, are we really supposed to believe his problems just disappeared during a 30-day break? That sounds like wishful thinking.

Mental illness is a very serious thing. Many people have recurring bouts and highs and lows. If, 10 years after his sisters death, the pain hit him so hard that he walked away from football entirely, who's to say it won't happen again 6 months ,1 year, or 3 years down the line?

I think it's a perfectly valid concern that absolutely should be considered and can be discussed respectfully.

I understand what you're saying, and I respect your opinion, but as someone who's gone through similar things, losing my grandfather when I was only in 4th grade, I still have a hard time till this day, I'm 32 now. I also suffer from mental health issues, Depression, Anxiety, and Bi Polar, also OCD.

I don't believe when evaluating a prospect you should look at him taking time off from the team because of this type of issue as a red flag, but I'm different, I refuse to try and be like Mayock, Kiper, McShay, Jeremiah, etc... I hate them, cause they nitpick at every thing. The fact that people want to write Williams off as a quitter irks me. It's one thing for Anthony Davis to quit, come back, only to quit again, and then for Williams to take time off to deal with demons.

I respect MD, but I disagree with that assessment that he is similar to Anthony Davis, he's not, Davis quit because he didn't like the front office, plus he refused to play Guard. Williams came in, and is excited to work, and play. No guarantee he stays, but at least give the kid a chance.

Originally posted by SunDevilNiner79:
Solomon Thomas - I can't complain about this pick. I liked Lattimore sightly more, but perfectly fine with Thomas. A+

Foster - Although I prefer Cunningham over Foster, I think overall the draft was great. I had Foster as a late 1st or early 2nd round pick, so he was certainly worth the pick in the 1st. B

Witherspoon - I love the pick, I expect him to be starting at some point this year. Perfect fit for our Defense. A+

Beathard - Uhhh...what? Not only an odd pick, but trading up for him is really odd as well. I only watched a little bit of him and then turned the game off because I thought he didn't look like a draft prospect, maybe my mind would have changed if I invested more time into watching him. I guess last year's film was much better? F, but I'm perfectly happy for KS to prove me completely wrong and this guy kills it!

Joe Williams - So apparently our scouting department took him off our draft board, didn't want to take him. Its KS's pick (per MMQB article). Talent wise a great fit for KS offense. However, I would have preferred McNichols. C+

Kittle - I mocked him to us because I thought he was perfect fit for KS offense. A+

Trent Taylor - Well I can't really complain about this pick, because the guy I wanted us to pick (KD Cannon) ended up on our roster anyway, lol. But I think Stacey Coley is a better slot prospect. B-

Overall, I think our F/O did an excellent job on their first draft.

I also was like HUH? with Beathard, but I get it, Pro Style QB, KS loves him, so I'm good with it.

I love all the other picks, haven't seen Colbert, didn't know of him. Big fan of Kittle and Taylor being added to the offense, as well as Williams, the first 3 picks upgrade the defense, and I think DJ Jones is a sleeper, and could be a real good player, I preferred Alabama State NT Roderick Henderson, but I like Jones too.

Originally posted by jreff22:

Originally posted by StOnEy333:

Originally posted by Wu-5Rings:

Another myth debunked.. All that b******t talk, Harbaugh worked these guys too much.. I never heard anything more stupid in my entire life..

In life, you work hard for what you want, not less and try to get the same results.

Sorta weird that the NFL disagrees with you since they've been reducing mini camps, training camp, and practice times for years.

Since the lockout

That's the player's union. NFL probably doesn't care either way.

Originally posted by strickac:

Originally posted by jreff22:

Originally posted by StOnEy333:

Originally posted by Wu-5Rings:
Another myth debunked.. All that b******t talk, Harbaugh worked these guys too much.. I never heard anything more stupid in my entire life..

In life, you work hard for what you want, not less and try to get the same results.

Sorta weird that the NFL disagrees with you since they've been reducing mini camps, training camp, and practice times for years.

Since the lockout

That's the player's union. NFL probably doesn't care either way.

The players union the players are in is hurting their development. Teams only can spend certain amount of time with their players and as an example these college spread QBs aren't developing like they should because there is no time.

If the union was worth anything, instead of focusing on the amount of time players "work' maybe they should focus more on guaranteed contracts which benefits players a lot more.