Offseason Post: Thoughts on the Draft...

Was this draft not so good at WR or have depth at the position? I notice WR needy teams like 49ers and the Chiefs that signed a FA receiver, didn't seemed to go after a WR beyond the 1st or 2nd round.

Originally posted by Marvin49:
Just a note on something you touched on with Tartt...I recall reading somewhere that they planned to stick with the same defense in terms of the front 7 but that they wanted to revamp the way the secondary played.

For what it's worth...

Yeah, if Ward is a "starter" on the field 60% of the time in the slot according to Fangio, wouldn't Tartt be on the same amount swapping out Wilhoite or Bowman for better coverage?

Originally posted by qnnhan7:
Was this draft not so good at WR or have depth at the position? I notice WR needy teams like 49ers and the Chiefs that signed a FA receiver, didn't seemed to go after a WR beyond the 1st or 2nd round.

It was actually another great draft for WRs.

Originally posted by qnnhan7:
Was this draft not so good at WR or have depth at the position? I notice WR needy teams like 49ers and the Chiefs that signed a FA receiver, didn't seemed to go after a WR beyond the 1st or 2nd round.

Very deep...but my guess is Niners knew whomever they selected wouldn't start (Boldin and Smith are your starters) and would compete in 3 or 4 WR sets with Simpson, Patton, and Ellington anyway.

I guess the way I see it is if there isn't a home run type guy sitting there at that pick (and my guess is they'd have taken Parker if he'd been there at 15), why just add a guy to a position where you have a 2 starters and some young guys who need a chance already.

Probably also had their eye on Smelter from the start.

Those 3rd or 4th round comp picks seems to be pigeon holed for Red Shirt players. Lattimore (4th), Thomas (3rd), and Smelter (4th) have all been the teams first comp pick.

Marvin, thanks for the level headed response. I think that we get caught up in the sales pitch of the "NFL DRAFT". We buy into this guy and that guy. It's really just an excellent marketing scheme brought to you by the league. The rating of college players is like the auto industry rolling out the new models, we fall in love with this one or that one, until next years models come out. Same with the draft. We get a man crush on some players and we MUST GET THEM. When we don't it's a disaster. It's damn near impossible to console those that are crushed after "their guy" was by passed. My Dad once told me that "there are two things you can't talk a man out of, buying a car and getting married". I think he could add "draft crush" to that list...

I thought overall it was a solid draft....like you said some WTF moments, but after letting the dust settle I'm excited to see not just what these players will be doing in a year or two, but the 2013/2014 draft prospects as well.

Like you stated Baalke addressed a lot of this "holes" they currently have with players drafted a year or two ago (and haven't had a chance for serious snaps until now). Good GMs plan ahead and don't just draft for present needs.

I love the Tartt,Harold,Smelter,Davis picks the most and you're only as good as your backups we should know from last year that injuries happen.

Also he grabbed two picks in 2016, plus we should be getting 3 comp picks...good working Baalke! Our team just got bigger/faster/cheaper/and a whole lot younger.

You spelled out exactly how I feel, Marvin. The so called "experts" (national media types), never seem to take into account the players who were either lost before the year, during the year, or the "red-shirts". This team, albeit losing quality players, does have it's share of talent. Some of it is unproven, but still might just suprise the webscouts out there.

Originally posted by Marvin49:
Very deep...but my guess is Niners knew whomever they selected wouldn't start (Boldin and Smith are your starters) and would compete in 3 or 4 WR sets with Simpson, Patton, and Ellington anyway.

I guess the way I see it is if there isn't a home run type guy sitting there at that pick (and my guess is they'd have taken Parker if he'd been there at 15), why just add a guy to a position where you have a 2 starters and some young guys who need a chance already.

Probably also had their eye on Smelter from the start.

Those 3rd or 4th round comp picks seems to be pigeon holed for Red Shirt players. Lattimore (4th), Thomas (3rd), and Smelter (4th) have all been the teams first comp pick.

Three things you can guarantee in a Baalke draft;
1) He'll draft an injured player with a comp pick
2) He'll draft a runningback
3) He'll draft a player(s) from South Carolina

I get the impression that this draft may have been a draft for the future and there's not a great deal of confidence in Kaepernick going forward. Of course we don't know if the 49ers would have taken Parker over Armstead had he been available at 15.

It seemed like the 49ers were aiming for picks that had large upside but wouldn't be ready for 1-3 years, which would tend to suggest subtle tank.

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by Marvin49:
Just a note on something you touched on with Tartt...I recall reading somewhere that they planned to stick with the same defense in terms of the front 7 but that they wanted to revamp the way the secondary played.

For what it's worth...

If you can link me to where you read that I'd like to read that. Mangini comes from the school of pattern matching so I'd be very surprised if he didn't continue what Fangio and Donatell had going.

thl, here is Baalke's presser: http://blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers/2015/05/01/gm-trent-baalke-we-wanted-to-stay-big-get-faster-and-guys-that-could-contribute-on-four-downs/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+49ersHotRead+%2849ers+Hot+Read%29

Here is a comment re: how he'd like to use Tartt:

How are Ward and Tartt's job descriptions different?

"That's up to the coaching staff. There are different things we can do schematically. Obviously with (Tartt's) size and speed, there's some things we can do with him in different packages that we couldn't do with Jimmie. But there's things we can do with Jimmie that we potentially couldn't do with Jaquiski. It's a good combination to have and we're high on both guys."

Can Tartt be a linebacker?

"No, he's not a linebacker. Could he be in some of the dime looks? Yes. But down in, down out, no, he's a safety."

Originally posted by GoForGold:
You spelled out exactly how I feel, Marvin. The so called "experts" (national media types), never seem to take into account the players who were either lost before the year, during the year, or the "red-shirts". This team, albeit losing quality players, does have it's share of talent. Some of it is unproven, but still might just suprise the webscouts out there.

This. The fact is, the national media isn't really familiar with our team. I for one wanted one of the top receivers, but I wanted one with the full knowledge that they would be playing only sparingly this year if at all. I am as excited about Quinton Patton now as I was two years ago as I am with Bruce Ellington. Finally, we will get a chance to see what these kids can do. I am also hoping that both Patton and Ellington can beat out Jerome Simpson. It would be a great sign if they earned that 3rd and 4th spot, which would also guarantee more playing time.

I stated in another thread, it seems like we have damn near 20 guys that will be drafted rookies on this team. I am counting players from the 2013 and 2014 draft classes because many of them have barely played in their limited NFL experience. The youth movement is on for the 49ers.

Originally posted by The411:

I get the impression that this draft may have been a draft for the future and there's not a great deal of confidence in Kaepernick going forward. Of course we don't know if the 49ers would have taken Parker over Armstead had he been available at 15.

It seemed like the 49ers were aiming for picks that had large upside but wouldn't be ready for 1-3 years, which would tend to suggest subtle tank.

Subtle tank? Sorry but that is BS. It tends to suggest what the rest of this thread has been saying. Read it.

Originally posted by Marvin49:

OBTW....

Another thought I forgot to add...

The drafting of Tartt makes me wonder if Wards move to CB may be a permanent one...so add that to Johnson, Acker, and Reaser drafted last year.

More likely Bethea is gone in a year and Reid/Ward become starters with Tartt as nickel lb. Then decision is made in 2016 offseason on Reid and his contract demands.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by Marvin49:
Just a note on something you touched on with Tartt...I recall reading somewhere that they planned to stick with the same defense in terms of the front 7 but that they wanted to revamp the way the secondary played.

For what it's worth...

If you can link me to where you read that I'd like to read that. Mangini comes from the school of pattern matching so I'd be very surprised if he didn't continue what Fangio and Donatell had going.

thl, here is Baalke's presser: http://blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers/2015/05/01/gm-trent-baalke-we-wanted-to-stay-big-get-faster-and-guys-that-could-contribute-on-four-downs/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+49ersHotRead+%2849ers+Hot+Read%29

Here is a comment re: how he'd like to use Tartt:

How are Ward and Tartt's job descriptions different?

"That's up to the coaching staff. There are different things we can do schematically. Obviously with (Tartt's) size and speed, there's some things we can do with him in different packages that we couldn't do with Jimmie. But there's things we can do with Jimmie that we potentially couldn't do with Jaquiski. It's a good combination to have and we're high on both guys."

Can Tartt be a linebacker?

"No, he's not a linebacker. Could he be in some of the dime looks? Yes. But down in, down out, no, he's a safety."

Thanks NC. I'm surprised Baalke said that about Tartt being a dime LB. That means he's replacing Bow and that's a pretty bold statement. When an offense goes 4 WR, which is when a defense usually counters with their Dime package, there is still a RB on the field. This means Bow is still needed on the field. Also, it's not like Bow is a liability in pass coverage.

Originally posted by The411:
I get the impression that this draft may have been a draft for the future and there's not a great deal of confidence in Kaepernick going forward. Of course we don't know if the 49ers would have taken Parker over Armstead had he been available at 15.

It seemed like the 49ers were aiming for picks that had large upside but wouldn't be ready for 1-3 years, which would tend to suggest subtle tank.

How does this draft have anything to do with not having confidence in Kap? if anything not taking a play maker high leads me top believe the do have confidence in him...please don't forget that they signed Torrey Smith in FA.

Baalke's past three drafts have been based around talent for the future, we should be focusing on the players from 2013-2014 because a lot of them will be making huge strides this year. I love how Baalke approaches the draft....people tend to have short-term memories and forget he draft 23 players the past two years and not a lot of them have had a real chance to play because of our older vets with big salaries....this team has gotten bigger/faster/and younger the past couple years