Trent Baalke / GM of the weekend per Peter King

genz22 · 2012-04-30T07:43:06-07:00

Per Peter King in todays MMQB... GM of the weekend (tie): Trent Baalke, San Francisco; Buddy Nix, Buffalo. I detailed Baalke's multiple moves to set up the Niners as a power player in the 2013 draft. And getting LaMichael James late in the second round gives Jim Harbaugh the home-run back he hasn't had in an offense that needs a threat like that. As for Nix, who rebuilt his defensive end position in free agency (Mario Williams, Mark Anderson), he bought a new secondary over the weekend, with first- and fourth-round corners (Stephon Gilmore and Ron Brooks) who will become starting and nickel corners, respectively. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I love what the 49ers did late Friday night and Saturday. To become a great general manager, you have to be willing to take some chances. You have to be willing, on draft day, to make decisions that can impact your team for the next few years, positively or negatively. You have to have the courage of your convictions that if you trade down and lose the player you wanted in the first place, you'll be OK with that; the risk was worth it. That happened to San Francisco general manager Trent Baalke late Friday night, as the third round was winding down. The 49ers had the 29th pick in the round, the 92nd pick overall. They liked a guard from Wake Forest named Joe Looney. Baalke knew the Niners liked Looney better than a lot of teams. He knew he might be able to get Looney in the fourth round. Might. No guarantees. And if he lost him, Baalke felt fine going with the next man on the board. So when the Colts called looking for a late-third-round pick, Baalke traded 92 to the Colts for the 97th pick and Indy's fifth-round pick in 2013. On Saturday, at the start of round four, Baalke still thought he could wait for Looney. He dealt 97 to Miami for the Dolphins' fourth-round pick, 103 overall, plus the 196th pick and a sixth-round pick in 2013. At 103, Looney was still there. San Francisco was picking 125th. Dare Baalke wait? Carolina came calling for the 103rd pick, and Baalke dealt that pick for the 180th in this draft and a third-round pick in 2013. Tick. Tick. Tick. No guards went from 103 to 111, and Chicago was a candidate, but the Bears passed on the line, as did Arizona at 112, and now Baalke was pressing the outer limits, and he picked up the phone and made a deal with Detroit, trading up eight spots from 125 to 117 and throwing in the Miami pick acquired an hour earlier (196) in order to draft Looney ... 25 picks after the Niners were going to take him at 92. So at the end of the dealing, the Niners got their man. And they got this: • The 180th pick in 2012 -- Michigan State free safety Trenton Robinson. • Carolina's third-round pick in 2013. • Indianapolis' fifth-round pick in 2013. • Miami's sixth-round pick in 2013. Along with a seventh-round pick in 2013 from Cincinnati in the Taylor Mays trade, and likely compensatory picks for losing guard Adam Snyder and wide receiver Josh Morgan in free agency, San Francisco now sits with a projected 13 picks in the 2013 draft, the most of any team in the league. "I'd be lying to suggest building up that many picks was our intention at the start of it,'' Baalke told me Saturday night. "But we were able to turn the pick over three times and get our guy, plus five picks [four, after the deal with Detroit]. So it worked out. We're not trying to win in the court of public opinion, or win in the media. We're trying to win games over the long haul and build a team for sustained success.'' That's precisely the kind of deal that helps a team win over the long haul.

Apr 30, 2012 at 7:44 AM

valrod33
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Posts: 138,115

We will win at least 1 super bowl with Baalke as our GM

#FACT

Apr 30, 2012 at 7:44 AM

genz22
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Posts: 634

I personally love the fact that the Niners front office is so strong. They have a plan and stick to it. Best young GM in the league!

[ Edited by genz22 on Apr 30, 2012 at 7:47 AM ]

Apr 30, 2012 at 7:46 AM

DaDivaRecieva15
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Posts: 37,964

Originally posted by valrod33:
We will win at least 1 super bowl with Baalke as our GM

#FACT

Apr 30, 2012 at 7:50 AM

mayo49
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Posts: 65,216

Originally posted by valrod33:
We will win at least 1 super bowl with Baalke as our GM

#FACT

Championship.

Apr 30, 2012 at 7:50 AM

mayo49
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Posts: 65,216

Originally posted by genz22:
I personally love the fact that the Niners front office is so strong. They have a plan and stick to it. Best young GM in the league!

Apr 30, 2012 at 7:56 AM

ads_2006
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Posts: 64,425

Don't curr lol

Apr 30, 2012 at 7:59 AM

danimal
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Posts: 14,705

Originally posted by genz22:
I personally love the fact that the Niners front office is so strong. They have a plan and stick to it. Best young GM in the league!

He just said it was not their original intention. I think this shows he is flexible and is willing to flow with the draft, not stick to a plan. I agree with the rest though

Apr 30, 2012 at 8:00 AM

teeohh
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Posts: 11,874

13 picks is a lot! Will definitely be trading up next year

Apr 30, 2012 at 8:16 AM

LasVegasWally
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Posts: 24,838

Great post, thanks!

Apr 30, 2012 at 8:16 AM

#10

RedWaltz24
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Posts: 4,121

Don't tell Maddog this.

Executive of the Year.

Apr 30, 2012 at 8:18 AM

#11

OldJoe
Veteran
Posts: 885

What does one want out of their Front Office during draft time?

Someone who can work the draft and feel comfortable trading up or down (don't just pick where we are - work the draft). We got this.
Have the courage and conviction to use your scouting research, regardless of what anyone else thinks. This is tough to do, especially in the face of conventional wisdom (I may trust my scouts more than the beat writers but the voices of the beat writers is very loud). We got this. Our FO has brass balls. Two years running we have gotten awful post draft grades because we didn't make the "popular" picks.
Good working relationship. Baalke seems to get the coach's player, if he insists. Yet one gets a sense that HarBaake is evolving into "You find the talent and I will coach it". I do see James as a player the coach wanted (but he let Baalke make the call on former Stanford players in the draft).

Apr 30, 2012 at 8:20 AM

#12

sfout
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Posts: 6,443

13 projected picks next year, I thought this year would be the year to sell the farm from someone we believe in but oh man next year we have 2 barnes to sell lol.

Players who are currently listed as 2013 FA
dont care what happens to these guys
Randy Moss - Might not even make the 2012 team
Brandon Jacobs - Might not make the 2012 team
Rock Cartwright - ST only, easily replaceable

Guys that matter in some form
Ted Ginn - Elite returner but marginal WR - we could probably re-sign him but I wont bat an eyelash if we let him walk
RJF - Currently the #1 DL backup, but we found him in the 7th round Comp pick range, IMHO he is replaceable but easy to re-sign
Andy Lee - I think we lock up Lee for the long term during the season or shortly thereafter
Isaac Sopoaga - I think Sopoaga is a bit underrated but I bet we re-sign him next year
Delanie Walker - He might attract a lot of attention but we've got Reuland developing but we could still re-sign

Imagine if we re-signed RJF, Lee, Sopoaga, Walker, and lost Ginn. Our biggest need next year would be WR, RB(I think Gore is done after this season

). Even if we pick 32nd

I'd bet we could trade up into the late teens and snap up Marquess Wilson from WSU.

The pats traded up from 31 to 25 for nothing more then a 4th round pick, hell throw in that extra 3rd rounder we got from Carolina and it would be done deal IMHO.

[ Edited by sfout on Apr 30, 2012 at 8:20 AM ]

Apr 30, 2012 at 8:27 AM

#13

Joecool
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Posts: 70,984

Originally posted by RedWaltz24:
Don't tell Maddog this.

Executive of the Year.

MD gave high praise for the moving around and piling up picks for 2013.

McCloughan would have just stayed at the spots because it's too much thinking and taken the biggest player.

Apr 30, 2012 at 8:32 AM

#14

ads_2006
Veteran
Posts: 64,425

Originally posted by Joecool:

Originally posted by RedWaltz24:
Don't tell Maddog this.

Executive of the Year.

MD gave high praise for the moving around and piling up picks for 2013.

McCloughan would have just stayed at the spots because it's too much thinking and taken the biggest player.

Anthony Davis and Mike Iuapti

Patrick Willis and Joe Staley

Kentwan Balmer

McCloughan made moves, scotty acquired the picks. Just bad talent evaluator

[ Edited by ads_2006 on Apr 30, 2012 at 8:37 AM ]