So many unknown draft picks.

I'll tell you what, if the 49ers win this year and make the playoffs, I personally will endorse Balke for North America Execitive of the year.

every draft pick as unknown until they produce.
everyone is afraid of change but i trust baalke to change before the bottom falls out on players.
there hasn't been 1 ex niner so far that he let go you can say wow i wish we would have kept him but we didn't.
not 1.

Can't believe Joe Looney is the best player of our 2012 draft class well I can believe it but still. . .

Originally posted by jonesadrian:
every draft pick as unknown until they produce.
everyone is afraid of change but i trust baalke to change before the bottom falls out on players.
there hasn't been 1 ex niner so far that he let go you can say wow i wish we would have kept him but we didn't.
not 1.

Delanie Walker says HELLO

Originally posted by ElephantHaley:

Originally posted by jonesadrian:
every draft pick as unknown until they produce.
everyone is afraid of change but i trust baalke to change before the bottom falls out on players.
there hasn't been 1 ex niner so far that he let go you can say wow i wish we would have kept him but we didn't.
not 1.

Delanie Walker says HELLO

nope. not even delanie. the last regime didn't attempt to use the 2nd tight end like they did delanie.
that's not on baalke. its especially noticeable on the defense.
vic plugged the guys the same way he used them baalke got him pieces that fit and it was seamless.
the other side didn't operate like that...

Completely agree, OP. It's impossible to know what to expect with this team, good or bad. More than anything else, they are unproven. Many players getting their first big opportunities. I'm optimistic because many of these guys were recent draft picks that spent some time developing. This is definitely the year we find out the quality of Baalke's drafts. We better hope he hit a few homeruns.

Originally posted by SofaKing:
Completely agree, OP. It's impossible to know what to expect with this team, good or bad. More than anything else, they are unproven. Many players getting their first big opportunities. I'm optimistic because many of these guys were recent draft picks that spent some time developing. This is definitely the year we find out the quality of Baalke's drafts. We better hope he hit a few homeruns.

This is the reason I am so intrigued by this team. There are so many unknowns but the talent is there. I've never been so unable to predict how a team would perform. This Niners team is almost a complete unknown which is why I think so many pundits are down on the Niners.

Originally posted by ElephantHaley:
I'll tell you what, if the 49ers win this year and make the playoffs, I personally will endorse Balke for North America Execitive of the year.

Will you learn to spell his name?

The law of averages say some of these young players being counted on will play better than expected and some will need more time. It's up to the established players to carry the slack if the 49ers are to compete.

I'm not saying I'm not optimistic because I am. Lynch, Reaser, Hyde especially have me pretty excited. Kenneth Acker as well. But man he's got to be damn near perfect for this to work out. To me this season represents the 49ers going all in on Baalke the scout. Even the coach he chose is the dude on the staff who used Baalkes draftees. The thing is, though, that if his "investment" picks - the ones where he got late round value on injured guys- turn out as they are supposed to, then this team will be loaded.

Originally posted by theninermind:

I'm not saying I'm not optimistic because I am. Lynch, Reaser, Hyde especially have me pretty excited. Kenneth Acker as well. But man he's got to be damn near perfect for this to work out. To me this season represents the 49ers going all in on Baalke the scout. Even the coach he chose is the dude on the staff who used Baalkes draftees. The thing is, though, that if his "investment" picks - the ones where he got late round value on injured guys- turn out as they are supposed to, then this team will be loaded.

Wtf does thread even mean, all teams go all in on their gm, it's the GM's job

And only reaser will probably be the only start with no nfl experience

Originally posted by theninermind:
This season hinges on so many unknown draft picks that this is clearly Trent Baalke's magnum opus. If we win this year it means that Trent hit on the following draft picks: Joe Looney, Marcus Martin, Brandon Thomas, Carlos Hyde, Quentin Dial, Tank Carradine, Aaron Lynch, Nick Moody, and Keith Keaser. That's EIGHT unknown draft pick starters that have to hit in order for us to win. Otherwise known as a third of the starters. If they win, how is he not executive if the year? I didn't even mention the coach, an unknown.

Great topic...let's take a look at how much we're REALLY going to rely on young players:

Offensive Personnel:
QB: Colin Kaepernick; Blaine Gabbert - No young guys here we need to rely on and Gabbert continues to grow/improve which is great news for us worried fans.
RB1: Carlos Hyde; Mike Davis - Mild concerns here but let's be honest too...Hyde's worked his tail off at learning to be a patient runner and on blitz pickup from Gore. He's ready. And now with a returned emphasis to runs inside as well as off tackle in the ZBS (Hyde's strength), I don't think too many fans are worried about the youth here. Davis already looks like some serious depth here as well. And Rathman coaches them...enough said!
RB2: Reggie Bush; Kendall Hunter & Jarryd Hayne - Tons of experience here and lots of upside for Hayne as well (as a pass catching back, short yardage and goal line and ST ace).
H-Back: Trey Millard - Here's a young one who adds tons of athleticism and security in case Miller were ever to go down again. But he's a package back so we won't lean on him too much at all.
TE: Vernon Davis; Vance McDonald & Blake Bell - You have the full package here...experience, speed, proven play making ability, catching, blocking and upside and Sporano coaching them all on their weaknesses (note catching reports on McDonald). No youth to rely on here.
FB: Bruce Miller; (Trey Millard) - Best veteran FB in the game with real depth now (first time ever).
X WR: Torrey Smith; Quinton Patton (Jerome Simpson) - zero youth here; lots of proven veteran experience.
Y WR (SLOT): Bruce Ellington; DeAndrew White - here is some youth but not inexperience with Ellington; White could also be electric in the slot as added depth. But again, we aren't relying too much on 3rd and 4th WR's given we'll stay centered around the short passing game, timely deep shots and running the ball and TOP.
Z WR: Anquan Boldin; Dres Anderson (DeAndre Smelter) - Big bro coaching up these two (esp. Baby Boldin) along with Henry? This could only be an issue if Boldin goes down with an injury and we have to rely on the young kids but most likely, Patton would slide over.
LOT: Joe Staley; (Alex Boone) - No youth here.
LG: Alex Boone; Jordan Devey - No youth here.
C: Joe Looney; (Marcus Martin & Daniel Kilgore) - Looney's settled in as the starter (looking good too) and certainly has some proven experience behind him in Kilgore and Martin (versatility).
RG: Brandon Thomas; Marcus Martin - Here we go! Here is a projected starter who is young and unproven and Thomas and Martin are going to battle this out until the end and perhaps against Tiller and Devey (proven starting veteran).
ROT: Erik Pears; Trenton Brown - No youth here we need to rely on unless Pears goes down. But even then, we most likely slide Boone over to RT and insert another proven veteran in Jordan Devey at LG.

Defensive Personnel:
RDE: Quinton Dial; Tank Carradine & Arik Armstead - Dial IMHO is already 'proven.' And now he's playing his natural end spot. Carradine shined the final 4 games he got to start. While both are younger player, they've been with us for a while now and year 3 and 4 is when DL players typically make a big jump esp. with more playing time and opportunities (see Okoye/Purcell this year as well). Anyone really worried about the DL, depth, rotation and specialty players?
NT: Ian Williams; (Glenn Dorsey & Quinton Dial) - No youth here.
LDE: Glenn Dorsey; Darnell Dockett - Certainly no youth here.
WILL: Ahmad Brooks; Eli Harold - All-pro but if Brooks does go down, We're going to be very young here very quickly (despite Eli's upside).
TED: Michael Wilhoite; Nick Moody - Veterans here as well.
MIKE: Navarro Bowman; Nick Bellore - No youth here either.
SAM: Aaron Lynch; Corey Lemonier - Lynch is another player I consider "proven" as well and Lemonier is decent depth at the SAM (no-pass rushing OLB).
RCB: Shareece Wright; Dontae Johnson & Kenneth Acker - Veteran + another "proven" young player in Johnson with tons of upside in Reaser and Acker. Again, not relying on youth here unless we choose to go that route with Reaser/Acker.
SLOT (S/CB): Jimmie Ward; Keith Reaser - Ward didn't get to fully establish himself in this role d/t injuries and Fangio playing to his weaknesses. But now Brock is sliding over and Wright also is a proven slot CB as well (maybe his best spot). In short, lots of competition here and we may end up having veterans here as well.
LCB: Tramaine Brock; (Dontae Johnson) - No youth here
FS: Eric Reid; L.J. McCray (Jimmie Ward) - No youth here unless Reid goes down but McCray and Ward have been developing for 2+ years and FS is a more ideal spot for Ward anyhow (playing to his strengths).
SS: Antoine Bethea; (Jaquiski Tartt) - No youth here unless Bethea goes down.
HYBRID (SS/ILB Robber on NICKEL/DIME): JaquiskiTartt - Youth reliant package NICKEL/DIME player. I get the impression McCray may also be learning this package position as well in case needed. McCray is an underrated stud IMHO. This position, at most, will be on the field in place of an ILB 60% of the time.

Special Teams:
LS: Kyle Nelson - No youth here
PK: Phil Dawson; (Bradley Pinion) - Certainly no youth here. LOL
P: Bradley Pinion - Rookie!

PR/KOR: Jarryd Hayne + Reggie Bush (Bruce Ellington & DeAndrew White) - Youth + Veteran

So in short, let's review the players you tabbed:
Joe Looney - Currently our starting C and looking great. Paved the way for 158 and 144 yards for Gore last year and looked very good against the Texans. I wouldn't label him as an unknown but I know what you mean.
Marcus Martin - I don't even think this guy starts anywhere on the OL but he got a lot of snaps last year and is in great shape and has worked really hard.
Brandon Thomas - Agreed, this one really is an unknown coming off the ACL and just starting to round into football shape again.
Carlos Hyde - We all know this one well; he's ready to be the workhorse.
Quentin Dial - Stud (not an unknown)
Tank Carradine - Rising stud and package interior pass rusher who can also be an every down RDE if needed
Aaron Lynch - proven (not an unknown) but needs avoid the sophomore slump
Nick Moody - backup
Keith Keaser - backup most likely

So really, only Brandon Thomas is an unknown and unproven talent. The rest are all backups pushing starters or knowns who are finally getting FT reps with plenty of depth and rotational players behind them.

Thoughts?

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by theninermind:
This season hinges on so many unknown draft picks that this is clearly Trent Baalke's magnum opus. If we win this year it means that Trent hit on the following draft picks: Joe Looney, Marcus Martin, Brandon Thomas, Carlos Hyde, Quentin Dial, Tank Carradine, Aaron Lynch, Nick Moody, and Keith Keaser. That's EIGHT unknown draft pick starters that have to hit in order for us to win. Otherwise known as a third of the starters. If they win, how is he not executive if the year? I didn't even mention the coach, an unknown.

Great topic...let's take a look at how much we're REALLY going to rely on young players:

Offensive Personnel:
QB: Colin Kaepernick; Blaine Gabbert - No young guys here we need to rely on and Gabbert continues to grow/improve
RB1: Carlos Hyde; Mike Davis - Mild concerns here but let's be honest too...Hyde's worked his tail off at learning to be a patient runner and on blitz pickup from Gore. He's ready. And now with a returned emphasis to run inside as well as off tackle in the ZBS, I don't think too many fans are worried about the youth here. Davis already looks like some serious depth here as well. And Rathman coaches them...enough said!
RB2: Reggie Bush; Kendall Hunter & Jarryd Hayne - Tons of experience here and lots of upside for Hayne as well.
H-Back: Trey Millard - Here's a young one who adds tons of athleticism and security in case Miller were ever to go down again. But he's a package back so we won't lean on him too much at all.
TE: Vernon Davis; Vance McDonald & Blake Bell - You have the full package here...speed, play making ability, catching, blocking and upside and Sporano coaching them all on their weaknesses. No youth to rely on here.
FB: Bruce Miller; (Trey Millard) - Best veteran FB in the game with real depth now (first time ever).
X WR: Torrey Smith; Quinton Patton (Jerome Simpson) - zero youth here; lots of proven veteran experience
Y WR (SLOT): Bruce Ellington; DeAndrew White - here is some youth but not inexperience with Ellington; White could also be electric in the slot as depth. But again, we aren't relying on 3rd and 4th WR's much as we stay centered around the short passing game and running the ball and TOP.
Z WR: Anquan Boldin; Dres Anderson(DeAndre Smelter) - Big bro coaching up these two along with Henry? This could only be an issue if Boldin goes down with an injury and we have to rely on the young kids.
LOT: Joe Staley; (Alex Boone) - No youth here
LG: Alex Boone; Jordan Devey - No youth here
C: Joe Looney; (Marcus Martin & Daniel Kilgore) - Looney's settled in as the starter (looking good) and certainly has diverse experience behind him in Kilgore and Martin
RG: Brandon Thomas; Marcus Martin - Here we go! Here is a projected starter who is young and Thomas and Martin are going to battle this out until the end against Tiller and Devey.
ROT: Erik Pears; Trenton Brown- No youth we need to rely on here either unless Pears goes down. But even then, we most likely slide Boone over and insert another proven veteran in Jordan Devey at LG.

Defensive Personnel:
RDE: Quinton Dial; Tank Carradine & Arik Armstead - Dial IMHO is already 'proven.' And now he's playing his natural end spot. Carradine shined the final 4 games he got to start. While both are younger player, they've been with us for a while now and year 3 and 4 is when DL players typically make a big jump (see Okoye/Purcell this year as well)
NT: Ian Williams; (Glenn Dorsey & Quinton Dial) - No youth here
LDE: Glenn Dorsey; Darnell Dockett - Certainly no youth here
WILL: Ahmad Brooks; Eli Harold - All-pro but if Brooks does go down, We're going to be very young here very quickly (despite Eli's upside).
TED: Michael Wilhoite; Nick Moody - Veterans here as well
MIKE: Navarro Bowman; Nick Bellore - No youth here either
SAM: Aaron Lynch; Corey Lemonier - Lynch is another player I consider "proven" as well.
RCB: Shareece Wright; Dontae Johnson & Kenneth Acker - Veteran + another "proven" young player in Johnson with tons of upside in Reaser and Acker.
SLOT (S/CB): Jimmie Ward; Keith Reaser - Ward didn't get to fully establish himself in this role d/t injuries and Fangio playing to his weaknesses. But now Brock is sliding over and Wright also is a proven slot CB as well. In short, lots of competition here and we may end up having veterans here as well
LCB: Tramaine Brock; (Dontae Johnson) - No youth here
FS: Eric Reid; L.J. McCray (Jimmie Ward) - No youth here
SS: Antoine Bethea; (Jaquiski Tartt) - No youth here
HYBRID (SS/ILB Robber on NICKEL/DIME): JaquiskiTartt - Youth package NICKEL/DIME player

Special Teams:
LS: Kyle Nelson - No youth here
PK: Phil Dawson; (Bradley Pinion) - Certainly no youth here
P: Bradley Pinion - Rookie!

PR/KOR: Jarryd Hayne + Reggie Bush (Bruce Ellington & DeAndrew White) - Youth + Veteran

So in short, let's review the players you tabbed:
Joe Looney - Currently our starting C and looking great. Paved the way for 158 and 144 yards for Gore last year and looked very good against the Texans. I wouldn't label him as an unknown but I know what you mean.
Marcus Martin - I don't even think this guy starts anywhere on the OL but he got a lot of snaps last year and is in great shape and has worked really hard.
Brandon Thomas - Agreed, this one really is an unknown coming off the ACL and just starting to round into football shape again.
Carlos Hyde - We all know this one well; he's ready to be the workhorse.
Quentin Dial - Stud (not an unknown)
Tank Carradine - Rising stud and package interior pass rusher who can also be an every down RDE if needed
Aaron Lynch - proven (not an unknown) but needs avoid the sophomore slump
Nick Moody - backup
Keith Keaser - backup most likely

So really, only Brandon Thomas is an unknown and unproven talent. The rest are all backups pushing starters or knowns who are finally getting FT reps with plenty of depth and rotational players behind them.

Thoughts?

Very accurate and its just a matter of gelling together and the coaches coaching them up

Originally posted by ElephantHaley:

Originally posted by jonesadrian:

every draft pick as unknown until they produce.
everyone is afraid of change but i trust baalke to change before the bottom falls out on players.
there hasn't been 1 ex niner so far that he let go you can say wow i wish we would have kept him but we didn't.
not 1.

Delanie Walker says HELLO

So we should have dropped Davis for walker? He wanted more cash and wanted to be a starter, he was always gonna be our #2...I like to PT out how everyone loves walker but he had stone hands for yrs with us...then everyone judges Vance as having poor hands lol.