Baalke clearly does not like BPA... Especially in 1st round

Baalke does not purely draft BPA.... I've often read that drafting for need over BPA was the quickest way to mess up a roster. Granted, Baalke is a genius so he's right more often than the normal GM is right. This is not a post to trash Baalke. I love him. BUT.....

2011 ----- Aldon over JJ Watt, who was a known commodity
2012 ----- AJ Jenkins over Doug Martin and everyone else in round 2 who was rated higher
2013 ----- E Reid over Eifert, Rhodes, Sly Williams etc in a deep safety draft (webzone faves Cyprien, swearinger, Thomas can be had later)

We should have Watt, Doug Martin and Eifert on our roster. 3 guys I'm sure will be tops in their positions in the next 3 years. We seem to draft conservatively, to grab good to very good prospects. Yes, Aldon was a home run but Watt on this defense... Good god!!!

I'm not drinking the kool-aid on Reid. He's fast, can jump high, and is a good person. But to trade up and forgo BPA, especially when Safety is considered deep, was a waste of pick #74 IMO.
The best GM in football didn't panic... He waited patiently and grabbed Elam at #32. For all you doubters, see me next year when the short Elam is still making plays like he did in college, while we're busy trying to teach football "angles" to the #18th pick. Let me tell you something about angles in football. You either have it or you don't. Gore had it, Barlow didn't, so we kept Gore. Just cause Reid is fast and can jump high does not make him a natural football player. I think he can be solid. But you don't swing for solid in the 1st round.

DISCLAIMER: Baalke is so good rounds 2-7 and in getting extra picks that he makes up for not picking 3 blue chip players in 3 years when it was staring him in the face

Fail post

That's a well structured response to the trade and I respect your opinion. I don't necessarily agree with it mind, especially the Watt part, because I think you are trying to fit a player into our scheme. Aldon Smith has done all we can ask of him since he came here. He still has more to give.

I believe in Baalke because he doesn't get swayed by trends or hype. People often go on about BPA but what happens when you have a good roster? Surely if you only have 3 hole to fill then you should fill them? Or do we ignore holes and draft the BPA and then spend the whole season trying to work out how he fits in?

BPA is, in my opinion, for teams with losing records. Teams with winning records and more importantly NFC titles should be worrying about what they lack and not about what they can get.

Holy Cow.

Overreact much?

Yeah...we should have Watt...its too bad we took that Aldon Smith bum instead.

Baalke said it last night...you DO draft for need when all the players sitting there are of similar grade. YOU rank Eifert, Rhodes, and Sly ahead of Reid, but clearly the 49ers did not. Ya know how I know that? They traded UP to get him.

Every year we see these ridiculous posts.

They took Aldon over Watt. I have no issue with that.
They took AJ over Martin. We'll have to see, but they were NEVER going to take a RB in round 1. LaMichael James aint half bad either.
You can't count ANYONE as blue-chip over Reid because none of them have played a down yet.

Elam? I like the guy, but he's a Whitner clone. We don't need 2 Whitners.

Bottom line? CHILL OUT.

The sky is falling

Please reread the above. Pure Marvin and spot on.

Updated fan list

Big_Daddy - Ravens/ Florida Fan

Blah blah blah 6months frm now I bet u will be on Reid nuts when he's making plays N knocking out WRs.. who would u rather see start dahl ???

Guarantee the texans would've taken aldon if we passed and they would've hit. It was said wade Phillips and the staff were very high on aldon and bellichick wanted to trade up for aldon. Bellichick then takes the dude from Syracuse almost in the mold of aldon the next yr

Baalke doesn't have to make up anything for taking Aldon over Watt.

No one in the history of the NFL has had more sacks in his first two years than Aldon. Watt included.

Your title is true though....

In 2011 we needed pass rusher above all else and that's what he picked
In 2012 we got killed by lack of receivers in the Championship game so that's what he drafted
This year safety was the biggest need position so that's what he took

He's drafting for need in round one not strictly best player available. Which is fine.

Who says taking best player available is the only way to go? Take the best player available every single year and you end up pulling a Matt Millen and taking the same position 3 years in a row because that's what your board says.

How do you know those guys weren't BPA according to the 49ers draft board? As you well know, there isn't ONE master draft board that says "this" player or "that" player is BPA at any given draft slot. Each team creates their own board based on their evaluation methods, scheme fit, character/injury issues, potential, etc., etc., etc. So they could very well be going BPA, but just not according to how you or others see it.

Originally posted by Envy:
That's a well structured response to the trade and I respect your opinion. I don't necessarily agree with it mind, especially the Watt part, because I think you are trying to fit a player into our scheme. Aldon Smith has done all we can ask of him since he came here. He still has more to give.

I believe in Baalke because he doesn't get swayed by trends or hype. People often go on about BPA but what happens when you have a good roster? Surely if you only have 3 hole to fill then you should fill them? Or do we ignore holes and draft the BPA and then spend the whole season trying to work out how he fits in?

BPA is, in my opinion, for teams with losing records. Teams with winning records and more importantly NFC titles should be worrying about what they lack and not about what they can get.

You are both partly correct, but you are little more correct in this case.

Yes "BPA" is ideal for a rebuilding team, and "Fill Needs" is best for a winning team with few holes. That is all true. But the problem with the latter is you also increase your chances of becoming a window type of team as opposed to an all decade type of team.

I am ok with the GM approach up until this point, but starting very soon, hopefully in a couple of hourse, we do need to get back to BPA mode. Or else be ready for another bad stretch if this team continues to lose the Championship games.

Armchair GM's... . Last I checked Baalke has an executive of the year award on his mantle...

Originally posted by ChipDouglas510:
Armchair GM's... . Last I checked Baalke has an executive of the year award on his mantle...

if you are not an Armchair GM, then what the hell are you doing here in April

That goes for all you critics of critics. WHy are you even posting here in April if all you ever are going to post is things like

Trust Baalke
If Baalke Harbaugh made the pick I love the pick
etc etc etc

What are you guys contributing to this board exactly? Except for the obvious which is Harbaalke is an awesome GM-HC combo.

EVERYBODY ALREADY KNOWS THIS