An in-depth look at McCloughan's draft/trade/free agency moves (2005-2010) | Page 4

GEEK · 2010-03-21T03:42:56-07:00

Summary: McCloughan, paired with Nolan in the early years of their tenure, was very strong at finding good value players in free agency like Walt Harris, Aubrayo Franklin, and Michael Lewis. He was also strong at finding a few starters - Frank Gore, DaShon Goldson, and Parys Haralson - and many role players - Michael Robinson, Delanie Walker, and Ray McDonald - in the draft. Nolan and McCloughan weren't afraid to splurge at need positions in free agency such as Clements and Jennings - although it remains to be seen if they got their ROI on Clements. After McCloughan assumed the General Manager role, that's when the s**t really hit the fan. While it should be noted that draft picks do take some time to develop, many of McCloughan's draft picks have failed to show ANY promise such as Kentwan Balmer, Reggie Smith, and Cody Wallace. The ones that McCloughan "hit" on seem to be destined to be average NFL starters that may not be starters on other teams. The Patrick Willis type pick of his tenure as GM - Michael Crabtree - will be dependent on the production of the QB position. McCloughan's strength as a general manager really came to his defensive free agent additions. Ahmad Brooks and Justin Smith are posed to be solid 49ers for the next decade. Takeo Spikes is a good and productive stop gap at the TED position, and the rest are role players. McCloughan's tenure eventually ended in the same manner as Nolan's departure of three areas: (1)The failure to identify and develop a quarterback that is capable of leading a team down the field for the winning touchdown. Instead, the focus was around a QB that can "manage" a game. It may have worked with Brad Johnson of the Bucs and Trent Dilfer of the Ravens, but not so much anymore. (2)The failure to establish weapons at the wide receiver position for the QB to utilize. Taylor Jacobs, Johnnie Morton, Darrell Jackson, Bryant Johnson, Antonio Bryant, Isaac Bruce, and now perhaps Brandon Jones have all yet help Alex Smith or even Shaun Hill elevate their game to the next level. Crabtree could change that, as well as Morgan...but we shall see... (3)The inability to correctly evaluate, sign, and retain valuable offensive line players to develop a consistent and unified offensive line. The idea of playing money ball at the offensive guard position to protect a 5+ million dollar QB and RB is insane. The inability to proactively address one of the OTs is insane. Analyze the playoff teams for this year. The Cardinals, Colts, Saints, and Vikings had QBs that provide consistent ability to win games. Their offensive lines were in good shape - although the Cards was serviceable enough in this area. And all of them had lethal threats at wide receivers. Even the Jets had 2 out of the 3 areas fulfilled as Sanchez acclimated to the NFL and helped his team win a few games. --- 2005 Draft: R1: Alex Smith - QB - This pick defines McCloughan's run as a General Manager and 49ers front office employee. The mindset of an ideal QB as a game manager for a franchise quarterback has doomed this team for 5 consecutive years in his tenure. You draft a QB #1 overall to win games, not to manage a game. Grade: F R2: David Baas - OG/C - Another weakness of McCloughan is identifying tangible offensive line as long-term starters. Baas has shown flashes of brilliance, and flashes of being a bust. The fact that we are looking for a new starter with Pitts means that the Baas bandwagon has officially come to an end. Grade: D+ R3: Frank Gore - RB - The best 3rd round pick the 49ers have had under McCloughan's tenure with the 49ers. McCloughan and Nolan brilliantly observed the fact that Kevan Barlow was not a long term answer at RB, and that Gore performed very well in his rookie year. The rest is history. Grade: A+ R3: Adam Snyder - OT/OG - If I am not mistaken, the 49ers traded up to snag Adam Snyder. With a team lacking of depth along the offensive line, it seemed like a good option. Snyder was a solid prospect. While he struggles at the OT position, he's fairly average at OG. Good utility player that is well respected in the locker room. For a mid-late 3rd round pick, I think that is acceptable. Grade: B Other notable players drafted that provided some value to the 49ers: Billy Bajema and Ronald Fields. 2005 Main Free Agent Additions: Jonas Jennings - OT - I can accept the premise for the signing at the time. The 49ers lacked an ideal LT, Jennings was the best prospect on the market, and the market was short on good players. Jennings was pretty good when he was able to start, but too many injuries caused him to get filtered out by Nolan and the 49ers. Grade: D Marques Douglas - DT/DE - A surprisingly effective addition to the squad. Douglas preformed his role well during his tenure with the 49ers. He was a consistent performer, and it still boggles my mind why the 49ers didn't show more effort to retain his services. Grade: A Joe Nedney - K - Another surprisingly effective addition to the squad. Low risk, high reward. We've had the same K and P for half a decade now. Not many teams can say that. Grade: A --- 2006 Draft: R1: Vernon Davis - TE - While it took a couple years to find the right way to utilize Davis, we finally saw the reason why McCloughan was willing to take a TE in the top 10 in the draft. The offensive badly needed a playmaker, and Davis fit the bill in that area of the draft. I am not a proponent of taking TEs early, but if you look at the TEs taken between rounds one to three of that year, Davis is clearly the most effective TE in that area. Grade: A R1: Manny Lawson - DE/OLB - I don't question the draft pick. At the time, we needed replacements since Peterson and Carter were gone. Lawson was a well regarded, but raw prospect and fit naturally in the 3-4 D. He finally had a "break out" year in 2009 under a consistent pure 3-4 D, and should continue to improve. Grade: B R3: Brandon Williams - WR/KR/PR - McCloughan reached for Williams in the third round, and Williams provided little value for offensive production as well as special teams production. Grade: F R4: Michael Robinson - RB/WR/FB/QB - Robinson was selected not solely as a backup to Gore, but more in terms of his flexibility to play multiple positions (aka gadget guy and mis-matches). Sadly, Robinson never got to acclimate himself as a RB, but has good value as a special teams player. In the fourth round, I can accept that. Grade: B R5: Parys Haralson - DE/OLB - Who would have thought that Haralson would be more effective as a pass rusher than Lawson during their first years of their career? For a fifth rounder, Haralson was quite the surprise. While he is a starter that shouldn't be starter, Haralson is an ideal rotational player for any 3-4 based team. Grade: A R6: Delanie Walker - TE/WR/KR - For a late round pick, Walker was an interesting prospect in terms of special teams value and flexibility. Again, good teams have players like Walker that can contribute and player in multiple areas and positions. Grade: A Other Notables: Marcus Hudson, Melvin Oliver 2006 Free Agency: Moran Norris - FB - Norris performed well under Turner's offense, but fell out of favor in Hostler and Martz. Back again for another tenure with Raye's and performed decent. Too much of a one dimensional player though. Grade: C Antonio Bryant - WR - If Bryant wasn't bat s**t crazy, he could have stuck around and have been a productive #2 WR for the 49ers. Low risk, high reward signing that didn't pan out. It was a good try by McCloughan. Grade: B Larry Allen - OG - Given his age, Allen preformed very well with the 49ers. McCloughan did a good job by acquiring his services. Grade: A Walt Harris - CB - Harris was a huge surprise for the 49ers. HUGE bang for buck deal. Grade: A Mark Roman - S - Serviceable player. Roman should have been a stop-gap solution, but the 49ers waited a year too long to address the position. Grade: C Tony Wragge - OG/C - Again, good teams are able to have backups that can play at a decent level at multiple positions. Grade: B --- 2007 Draft R1: Patrick Willis - ILB - You are an idiot if you want me to explain this pick. Grade: A+ R1: Joe Staley - OT - While we were able to regain a draft pick from the Colts the next year, Staley provided some stability along the offensive line. It was a need pick, and perhaps BPA as the next few guys after him aren't exactly lighting up the NFL. The 49ers envision him as the long-term starter at LT until he proves otherwise. Grade: B+ R3: Jason Hill - WR - Good pick at the time as Hill was a good prospect with an outstanding 40 time. Besides Mike Sims-Walker with his most recent year, barely any of the WR picks in the third round have made an impact in the NFL as starters. Hill has shown flashes of potential in games, but has failed to prove it to coaches on the practice field. The fact that he isn't really being utilize puts the blame on McCloughan and company. Grade: C R3: Ray McDonald - DT/DE - Good teams have role players that are able to excel at a certain role. McDonald is a fantastic pass rusher on 3rd downs. As a late 3rd round pick with injury concerns, McDonald could not have faired any better with the 49ers. Grade: A R4: Jay Moore - DE/OLB - An absolute bust of a player who couldn't stay healthy or make the conversion to linebacker. Grade: F R4: DaShon Goldson - S - While it took some time for Goldson to develop and remain healthy, Goldson had an outstanding year in 2009. Assuming he performs on the same level in 2010 and remains healthy, McCloughan stuck gold in the mid-fourth rounds. Goldson does lack ideal coverage skills for a free safety though. Grade: B+ (needs more starts to accurately grade) R4: Joe Cohen - NT - The 49ers should have gone for a Steve Breston here, but instead McCloughan wanted to take a developmental prospect for the NT position that had no business playing the NT position in the 3-4 defense. Grade: F R5: Tarell Brown - CB - A talented, but troubled prospect that made him fall to the fifth round, McCloughan found good value in Brown. Solid #3 CB that could eventually start. Grade: A- 2007 Free Agency or Trades: Darrell Jackson - WR - A interesting trade when it occurred, but Jackson had injury concerns and attitude problems with the 49ers. This was known when McCloughan acquired him, and it backfield. Grade: F Trent Dilfer - QB - Acquired from the Browns, Dilfer was fulfilling the mentoring duties and saw a couple starts here and there. The fact was that Dilfer was just not that good as a QB in the NFL. Another game manager. Grade: C Shaun Hill - QB - Sadly, Hill was prob the best QB to play for the 49ers for the past five years. Great bang for buck, and led the 49ers to a positive winning percentage during his tenure. Philosophy commitment lead to him being traded to the Lions in 2010. Grade: A Nate Clements - CB - Clements performed well for most of his tenure with the 49ers. He had a good 2007 year, and the declined a bit in 2008 and got benched in 2009. Some of that had to due with schemes and coaching changes, and the other part related to his overall performance. Clements still has potential to come back strong in 2010. Grade: B- Michael Lewis - S - Ignoring the injuries (and he's really been healthy for most of his 49ers career), Lewis has met all expectations during his time with the 49ers. He's a hard hitting safety that isn't really a ball hawk or a turnover generator. Grade: A Aubrayo Franklin - NT - Once we went to a pure 3-4 defense, Franklin really began to shine. He is now considered to be one of the best NTs in the league. Grade: A+ Tully Banta-Cain - DE/OLB - f**k you, you spinning fat f**k. Grade: F Other notables: Donald Strickland, Mike Lewis (KR) --- 2008 Draft: McCloughan gets promoted to General Manager R1: Kentwan Balmer - DT/DE - To this day, this draft pick still boggles my mind. We didn't need another defensive linemen, especially from the first round. He has made more of an impact on kick returns than he has on defense. Grade: F Potential: D+ R2: Chilo Rachal - OG/OT - You let Justin Smiley, a proven commodity, walk, and replace him with a raw guard? Rachal has talent and potential, but I don't think he'll ever rival Smiley's ability. Let's see what Solari can do for him, as well as Ray Brown. Grade: C Potential: B- R3: Reggie Smith - CB/S - I think there's a disconnect here between Mike Nolan and Scot McCloughan. Nolan played Smith at CB - which was clearly not an ideal position for him - and then slowly moved him to safety. Smith has yet to make a noticeable impact in the NFL. Grade: D Potential: C R4: Cody Wallace - OG/C - It took Cody the last week or two of his second season to even play a snap in the NFL. It was a critical pick by McCloughan in the 4th round, especially with the success of other centers in that draft. Grade: D Potential: D R5: Josh Morgan - WR - McCloughan finally hit on a WR prospect so far in the draft. Morgan is a good, not great receiver. #2 or #3 at best in the NFL. Nice find in the late rounds. Grade: A Potential: B 2008 Free Agency: Justin Smith - DT/DE - BEAST. Best free agent move for the 49ers under McCloughan's tenure with the 49ers. Grade: A+ Potential: A Takeo Spikes - ILB - Another solid move by McCloughan to secure the TED spot. Mentored Willis and other LBs during his time so far. Grade: A Potential: D Isaac Bruce - WR - Fulfilled his role with grace and mentored some of the young receivers. Grade: B Barry Sims - OT - Failed to make an impact on 2008, but preformed very well at RT in 2009. Grade: B Other Notables: J.T. O'Sullivan, DeShaun Foster, Bryant Johnson --- 2009 Draft: R1: Michael Crabtree - WR - BPA and need pick fulfilled. No brainer. Great outlook for 2010 and beyond. Grade: A Potential: A R3: Glen Coffee - RB - He was supposed to be a different type of back to Frank Gore, but eventually became a similar back...just much less effective. He should be more effective with a year under his belt. Right now, not a good looking pick, but that may change with time. Grade: C Potential: C R5: Scott McKillop - ILB - Good special teams player and spot starter. Replaces Ulbrich's role. Grade: A Potential: B Other Notables: Nate Davis, RJF, Curtis Taylor 2009 Free Agency: DeMetric Evans - DT/DE - Evans was a stop-gap role player as Balmer continued to acclimate to the NFL. While at the time I wrote that it was a good signing, I just don't see the value Evans will have for the future of the 49ers. Grade: C Potential: F Brandon Jones - WR - Injuries hurt his 2009 season. 2010 will be a big year to answer the doubts by the fans. Grade: F Potential: C Matt Wilhem - LB - Depth at ILB for Spikes's injury. Grade: C Potential: D Ahmad Brooks - LB - Brooks is a real up and coming gem for the 49ers. He could be our long-term solution as a pass rusher. Grade: A Potential: A

Mar 22, 2010 at 9:25 AM

#46

Ceadderman
Member
Posts: 8,271

Gah! This is pathetic.

McCloughan was GM in '08. So his drafts begin THEN not '05. Please fix this GEEK, you're better than this.

~Ceadder

Mar 22, 2010 at 9:42 AM

#47

Mr.Mcgibblets
Veteran
Posts: 15,079

The only real judgements that should be made of McC's success or failure is this... No matter who was acquired to play football, the big failure from management was not being able to put these players in the best situation to succeed. The coaching carousel... the awful OL blocking... and injuries that have stunted so much progress. It's easy to place grades on player performance, but you'd be better served looking deeper into WHY the players performed poorly.

As was somewhat mentioned in this very thread... TBC leaves SF and goes to NE for double digit sacks. Doesn't take a genius to see that our scheme was to blame here. Giving the WRs 10 yard cushions isn't doing our pass rush any favors. We can blindly point to our sack totals to make ourselves feel better... but we'd just be kidding ourselves. We managed nice sack numbers, but in many games and crucial times, opposing QBs had all day to pick us apart.

On offense, you couldn't find a bigger mess than the likes of Nolan + Hostler... and then yet another change... and then another. It's no wonder that our offense looks like they don't belong. Our players don't suck... they are just confused and poorly developed thanks to all of the... say it with me... CHANGE.

I'm not saying all of our players are blameless... but without consistent and well crafted scheme... management failed to put the players in the best situations to succeed. Our boys would have had to overcome amazing amounts of incompetence... and that was apparently asking too much... at least early on from a development standpoint.

"to better days ahead!"

Mar 22, 2010 at 10:01 AM

#48

mcbaes72
Veteran
Posts: 9,679

Darrell Jackson - WR
- A interesting trade when it occurred, but Jackson had injury concerns and attitude problems with the 49ers. This was known when McCloughan acquired him, and it backfield.

I believe you mean "backfired".

Anyway, good reading and detailed, too.

Mar 22, 2010 at 10:04 AM

#49

lamontb
Veteran
Posts: 33,144

Originally posted by NinerGM:
Originally posted by lamontb:
Originally posted by NinerGM:
Originally posted by GEEK:
Originally posted by NinerGM:
Good post and I'll just quickly summarize some reactions:

1) No GM should get an A for selecting a contributor in the 1st round, especially within the top 10 picks. If you can't evaluate talent enough to know if someone isn't a bust in the first 10 picks, you shouldn't be a GM in the NFL.

2) Snyder to me isn't a B, he's more like a C-. If you're drafting a OL guy in the 4th round, he's contributing more than just depth.

Just my initial reaction.

Fair points. I don't agree with your first, but I think you are right about Snyder.

I would like to know your opinion on this - and no worries this won't become a flame-out discussion. I'm just curious as to why people think a GM in the NFL should get an A on a pick in the top 10 who becomes a contributor.

IMHO, the grading curve should reward GMs for finding contributors/starters in rounds 3 through 5 versus 1 through 2.

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but if GM's can get F's for not taking the right guy in the top 10 then he should be able to get an A also. For example you have to give somebody an A for taking Manning over Ryan Leaf. Conversely, somebody on Arizona should get a F for drafting Levi Brown, over Adrian Peterson. Just like Scot should get an A for taking Willis over Carriker. i do think GM's should be graded on a curve like you mentioned. But selected teh correct player in the top 10 shouldn't be diminished. In terms of Scot he has done a horrible job with 2nd and 3rd picks minus Gore. He pretty much flushes 3rd picks down the drain.

That's a great response! I get the logic - and that's true, the examples you gave are definitely within reason. You're right - it's not always an easy selection - many didn't know Leaf was a head case. Carricker is a very good example also....however when someone finds a gem in the 3rd or 4th I think that counts a bit more because that takes more skill no?

No doubt. You have to find those diamond in the rough picks b/c they are out there every year. In today's NFL you need to be drafting starters with your 1st, 2nd, and to a lesser extent 3rd round picks. That's why the Balmer pick was so puzzling. You don't draft "project players" when you are a team with only one 1st round draft pick and you are a losing team. You need to be drafting starters or at leas guys that can contribute on special teams or something. And folks are so upset about passing on Desean Jackson, but Eddie Royal was sitting right there also and I believe the team was high on him and scouted him out heavily(how they found Josh Morgan). But then again the former GM was about about size therefore some of these guys were never considered as it was mentioned they had Limas Sweed rated higher then those players just b/c of his size.

Mar 22, 2010 at 10:36 AM

#50

NineFourNiner
Hall of Fame
Posts: 78,218

Thanks for taking the time to do this, Geek!

Mar 22, 2010 at 11:02 AM

#51

GEEK
Veteran
Posts: 19,417

Originally posted by mcbaes72:
Darrell Jackson - WR
- A interesting trade when it occurred, but Jackson had injury concerns and attitude problems with the 49ers. This was known when McCloughan acquired him, and it backfield.

I believe you mean "backfired".

Anyway, good reading and detailed, too.

That's what I get for writing the post at 4-5 am CST

Mar 22, 2010 at 1:01 PM

#52

grizzlyadams
Veteran
Posts: 5,674

Hilarious comment on TBC!

Mar 22, 2010 at 1:08 PM

#53

GEEK
Veteran
Posts: 19,417

Originally posted by Ceadderman:
Gah! This is pathetic.

McCloughan was GM in '08. So his drafts begin THEN not '05. Please fix this GEEK, you're better than this.

~Ceadder

I analyzed McCloughan's ENTIRE tenure with the 49ers, and indicated in my original post that in 2008 McCloughan was promoted to General Manager. I also credited Nolan as a factor to why the 49ers may have drafted better before McCloughan was promoted to GM.

Reading is fundamental.