2017 Team Information (Needs)

Originally posted by longterm9erfan:

Great breakdown NC... I agree that center will be a priority position to fill in FA. If the team signs a good OG too, then Tomlinson and Garnett can compete for the other spot and Fusco, if resigned, can back up. That would be great.

Pass rusher, IMHO, is the number one priority however, because a team can't rely on rookies to provide consistent pressure. So....even if they have to overpay to some degree, I say the team needs to get a really good pass rusher, either in FA or by trade. I don't know if many of you were alive then, but in 1981, the Niners traded for Fred Dean, an absolute stud pass rusher, shortly after the season began and that was the piece that put their young defense over the top. They ended up winning the Super Bowl that year after finishing the previous season 6-10.

CB is also a real position of need right now too, even though the team has solid starters on one side and in the slot with Witherspoon and K Williams respectively. They will probably need to sign 1-2 FAs and draft a CB or vice versa.

Many of you are stressing the importance of filling out the team with solid depth and I think you are absolutely on target with that approach. I would estimate the team has 14-15 pretty solid starters at the moment (6-7 on offense and 7-8 on defense). They have solid depth at QB, TE, and seemingly WR on offense. Clearly they still have needs across the OL and at RB. On defense, their DL is fine, especially in the interior. However, they need a lot of help at LB, in the secondary, and as stated, at pass rusher. No team is perfect but I would estimate that the Niners are still 3-4 stud players and perhaps 10-12 depth players away from being really good. Can that be done in one off season? Maybe... It sure is going to fun to see how this plays out.

Cheers!

Great post on the needs. No question ER is the single biggest need on defense, if not overall. Unless Lawrence shakes loose, there aren't many on the FA market so I'm assuming we'd try to address that need in the draft, even if that ER starts out only on 3rd downs.



That said, there might be a couple gems in this group. We already locked up Marsh. Saleh, for now, seems to like bigger bodies on early downs which means you're looking at a LEO/SAM rushing off both edges mostly on 3rd downs which would be around 400-500 total snaps. As you can see in the graph, only Lawrence cracked the 700 snap mark.

We probably won't get in a bidding war over Ansah and I doubt the Cowboys let Lawrence walk.

Therefore, look to the next wave: Kony, Ealy, Mingo & my dark horse, Galette.

Originally posted by pasodoc9er:

realistically, what were the odds on all 3? I would bet it would be astronomical against. But we pulled it off. This yr has yet to start and we are on top of world. Anyone doesn't think that is an amazing move is crazy. The odds just compute for all 3. And when you get right down to it look at the caliber of guy of all 3. I mean this is a team that has featured such guys as Drunkenmiller, tomsul, chipster, harbaw, Erickson, noln, Donohue...why keep going. But our big 3 are all sterling. True sterling.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by pasodoc9er:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Agreed. This team needs a premier CB and there are a couple on the market indeed and a whole slew of second tier CB's with upside (less than half the price of Butler/ Johnson). It would not surprise me if we grabbed a couple.

There's no excuse not to shore up the OL and CB's. Then target the draft for ER, WR and RB.

Man we are soooo close. A talent draft like lynch's First one, would be more than i wculd hope for...yet i think he pulls it off. And i am not averse to FAing a starting ER, should an Ansah be available. Same for WR and RB. WRs, however really are of the Jimmy graham prototype, tall, big , huge hands, good jumper, etc. But it sure would be nice to have our own and develop him. If we don't get an experienced Goal line WR, it won't hurt us that much. Great time to be looking for one of these in draft. We have a very nice coterie of WRs at present, tho no true studs. They do get the job done, however, and we can't forget that Garçon has yet to see one pass from JimmyG. We are in good shape at WRs, but that big body, good leaper, big handed WR would be very welcome. With JG that would be one huge weapon. He has the deft touch on his "touch" passes. CBs can be either FA or draft, and we may use both. But we will nail at least one. RBs, probably see a rd 4 or 5 guy as Kyle is famous for finding. The ER, cripes we take a top flite ER no matter where we find him. #1 pick if there? Heck yeah. But we still will need a 2nd starting OG most likely. We get one in FA for sure along with a starting Center. The second OG will probably come early in draft.

Here here.

We have $77M for 2018 thanks to a nice big front load of Jimmy G Spot's contract this year (2018: $37M). With 9 picks, we'll need about $11.5M for rookie salaries.

In addition, we need Ward to pass his physical which will be easy since he just broke his forearm. Then we cut his ass if he's unwilling to restructure down a ton...$8.5M off the books. Cut Beadles and Robinson and that's another $5.5M.

$79.5M to start FA with:

My early strategy now is to shore up the OL.

The highest paid C will be paid, at most, $10.3M but a guy like Jensen will probably command the tier just under that...$8-9.4M.

The highest paid G will be paid, at most, $12M and a premier G like Norwell should get that or just under it. The next tier is just under that...$8-11.2M.

Combined: $79.5 - ($9+$12) = $58.5 left

Next up, CB.

The highest paid CB will be paid, at most, $16.7M but a guy like T.Johnson, Fuller and Butler will probably command the tier just under that...$12-15M. I'd go after one of them plus a 3rd tier CB like Melvin at $9M.

Combined: $58.5 - ($9+$12) = $37.5 left. That would still be the 13th most cap space.

PS: Seriously consider resigning Tank, Fusco, Gilliam and Coyle. Fusco is the only one who has any leverage due to a small FA guard market and he played pretty well.

Draft: Target ER, LB and WR (potential starters) and depth for CB, FS and OL.

Carry over $20-30M next year when JG only has a $20M cap hit and we can extend Brown and Tartt easily. We'd have plenty of $ to make a couple big FA signings.

NC, just read this again for about the 8th time, and it wouldn't be a surprise if you are really close to what actually goes down, and about what we spend. This was really a well thot out post, which looks like a centerpiece or template for whatever we do. The hooker of course, is what other teams actually do. Take Ansah for example....how do we know someone doesn't come in and offer him $18 mil? Something crazy like that always seems to happen...like Malik Jackson last yr. Don't remember the number but it was large. Not one we were going to contest. So barring some stupidity offered up by other teams, this looks just about how it would/could go down. Really nice job. The only difference i can think of is burning a high draft on a 3rd interior OL, OG. I still think we go C and OG in FA and then OG with #1 or #2 pick . I think John wants to protect that FR QB guy, Whatshisname, with 3 steriling inter OLs. And they had problems last yr with the OLs they picked (Zuttah, Barnes, et al) , so the 2nd OG would also be insurance against a bad pick as happened to them 3 or 4 times last yr in the OL. Fsco,,,,Laken, not Kilgore, could then fight it our wth Garnett for back up slots. And we should have at least 3. If they carried 4,, it wouldn't be a surprise. It was where shanlyn did least well last yr.

Originally posted by pasodoc9er:

NC, just read this again for about the 8th time, and it wouldn't be a surprise if you are really close to what actually goes down, and about what we spend. This was really a well thot out post, which looks like a centerpiece or template for whatever we do. The hooker of course, is what other teams actually do. Take Ansah for example....how do we know someone doesn't come in and offer him $18 mil? Something crazy like that always seems to happen...like Malik Jackson last yr. Don't remember the number but it was large. Not one we were going to contest. So barring some stupidity offered up by other teams, this looks just about how it would/could go down. Really nice job. The only difference i can think of is burning a high draft on a 3rd interior OL, OG. I still think we go C and OG in FA and then OG with #1 or #2 pick . I think John wants to protect that FR QB guy, Whatshisname, with 3 steriling inter OLs. And they had problems last yr with the OLs they picked (Zuttah, Barnes, et al) , so the 2nd OG would also be insurance against a bad pick as happened to them 3 or 4 times last yr in the OL. Fsco,,,,Laken, not Kilgore, could then fight it our wth Garnett for back up slots. And we should have at least 3. If they carried 4,, it wouldn't be a surprise. It was where shanlyn did least well last yr.

Thanks doc...I've always been big on locking up the OL with younger, developed veterans. Let someone else develop them for 4 years! And do we really want to go into the draft hoping we get Nelson or the best C or quality G in the 2nd or 3rd rounds? Risky! Fusco was the best of the 3 and like Kilgore, he too is a FA. Even if you have to pay the max for both Jensen and Norwell, it'll be worth it because of the peace of mind, security and freedom it now allows you going into the draft.

Sure, they can resign Kilgore and hope to draft a developmental C in the draft but in this system, it's going to take a couple/few years for a rookie to truly master. That means Kilgore is your guy at the C of your entire offense for the foreseeable future. If he gets hurt, it's a rookie starting. Both scenarios are no bueno!

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by pasodoc9er:

NC, just read this again for about the 8th time, and it wouldn't be a surprise if you are really close to what actually goes down, and about what we spend. This was really a well thot out post, which looks like a centerpiece or template for whatever we do. The hooker of course, is what other teams actually do. Take Ansah for example....how do we know someone doesn't come in and offer him $18 mil? Something crazy like that always seems to happen...like Malik Jackson last yr. Don't remember the number but it was large. Not one we were going to contest. So barring some stupidity offered up by other teams, this looks just about how it would/could go down. Really nice job. The only difference i can think of is burning a high draft on a 3rd interior OL, OG. I still think we go C and OG in FA and then OG with #1 or #2 pick . I think John wants to protect that FR QB guy, Whatshisname, with 3 steriling inter OLs. And they had problems last yr with the OLs they picked (Zuttah, Barnes, et al) , so the 2nd OG would also be insurance against a bad pick as happened to them 3 or 4 times last yr in the OL. Fsco,,,,Laken, not Kilgore, could then fight it our wth Garnett for back up slots. And we should have at least 3. If they carried 4,, it wouldn't be a surprise. It was where shanlyn did least well last yr.

Thanks doc...I've always been big on locking up the OL with younger, developed veterans. Let someone else develop them for 4 years! And do we really want to go into the draft hoping we get Nelson or the best C or quality G in the 2nd or 3rd rounds? Risky! Fusco was the best of the 3 and like Kilgore, he too is a FA. Even if you have to pay the max for both Jensen and Norwell, it'll be worth it because of the peace of mind, security and freedom it now allows you going into the draft.

Sure, they can resign Kilgore and hope to draft a developmental C in the draft but in this system, it's going to take a couple/few years for a rookie to truly master. That means Kilgore is your guy at the C of your entire offense for the foreseeable future. If he gets hurt, it's a rookie starting. Both scenarios are no bueno!

Something tells me you won't be mad if we address everything but OL in FA cause Shanny wants to groom his for the long hall in the draft due to value. Let's not get it twisted and act every OL needs more than a year to learn. If we gotta wait till mid season is that necessarily bad? If you got to call shorter drops for a lil time so be it. Jimmy seems to know how to take a hit too in terms not getting killed or putting his shoulder in jeopardy.

Originally posted by SmokeCrabtrees:

Something tells me you won't be mad if we address everything but OL in FA cause Shanny wants to groom his for the long hall in the draft due to value. Let's not get it twisted and act every OL needs more than a year to learn. If we gotta wait till mid season is that necessarily bad? If you got to call shorter drops for a lil time so be it. Jimmy seems to know how to take a hit too in terms not getting killed or putting his shoulder in jeopardy.

Yeah, there are other ways to attack the middle of the OL and backup T. It could be a mix of rookies and veterans, veterans or rookies only, etc. I just can't wait to get this party started!

Two yrs ago Cowboys had best OL in the league. Then last yr they lost two starters , injury and FA I think, and Big Jer continued to tell the faithful they had the best OL in the league. They didn't. They were 40% shy of the best OL in the league. Result? Zak looked like he had a bad yr. Big joke. One game he gets sacked 7 times. Seven. And that was just with one guy plus 1. Also, even tho Zeke had legal troubles and missed half the season, when he played he had no OL and got clobbered.

Why does this have significance? Because we just signed a way better QB than Zak and we are missing not 40% of our OL but 60%. There is no way shanalyn aren't keenly aware of that and they are not about to make the cowboys mistake of having this great QB and then not protecting him. And they didn't need the jerryjones fcku up to know that. They KNOW. So whether we nail OG and C in FA and OG in draft(high), or we end up with only 1 interior OL in FA and 2 in draft....we are getting our OL. But unfortunately/ or fortunately....we have our FR QB now. So we gotta protect him starting...well...right NOW. And I am sure john and kyle plan to do so. Overspend in FA on OL? yes it is likely. But if it is only a mil or two over the next best bid, we still gotta do it . We cannot go into draft needing still two starting OLs. JimmyG is what this team is all about and we best take care of 'biddness' right now....and that doesn't mean drafting some 2nd or 3rd rd OG and C and hoping they round up into form. We gotta have for sure/certain FR QB protection. Otherwise that $137 mil just goes down the drain. Shanalynn are way smarter than that.

One man's suggestion: [Nothing earth shattering here]

For NCommand - http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/BarnwellxFiveNFCMoves2018/five-moves-nfc-team-make-2018-nfl-offseason-trades-free-agency-cuts-bill-barnwell

Originally posted by FL9er:

One man's suggestion: [Nothing earth shattering here]

For NCommand - http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/BarnwellxFiveNFCMoves2018/five-moves-nfc-team-make-2018-nfl-offseason-trades-free-agency-cuts-bill-barnwell

I agree with his points besides picking up AAs option. Unless the 5th year option is cheap and think it's better if we decide to trade him.

Originally posted by FL9er:

One man's suggestion: [Nothing earth shattering here]

For NCommand - http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/BarnwellxFiveNFCMoves2018/five-moves-nfc-team-make-2018-nfl-offseason-trades-free-agency-cuts-bill-barnwell

Thanks man! Seems like one of the better plans I've seen.

San Francisco 49ers
1. Pick up the fifth-year option on Arik Armstead. The 49ers have invested heavily in their defensive line over the past three drafts, using consecutive first-round picks on Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Solomon Thomas. Buckner is quietly emerging as a superstar, and Thomas showed promise as a rookie, but the 49ers are still waiting to see the best from Armstead, who dieted down to play the Leo pass-rush role but racked up only 1.5 sacks in six games before going down with a broken hand.

Armstead should be healthy for 2018, and with the 49ers likely in line to have more than $100 million in cap room waiting for them in 2019, picking up Armstead's fifth-year option to see whether he can emerge as an every-down defensive lineman is a no-brainer.

2. Re-sign Trent Brown and upgrade the offensive line. As great as Jimmy Garoppolo appears to be, dismal offensive line can sink any quarterback's chances. John Lynch can set his tackles and forget them by re-signing Brown, who has developed into one of the league's better right tackles and is about to enter the final year of his rookie deal. Brown's recovering from labrum surgery, but he should be in line to get a deal which tops the extension Washington right tackle Morgan Moses signed before the 2017 season.

Lynch then needs to improve the interior. Former first-round pick Joshua Garnett and Daniel Kilgore, who signed a three-year extension to stick with the 49ers at center, will be back. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the 49ers take a look at Spencer Long of Washington, who has the versatility to both help out at center and play as a full-time guard. Alternately, the 49ers seem like a logical fit for Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson, who might still be on the board for them with the ninth overall pick.

Joshua Garnett, a first-round pick in 2016, didn't play at all in 2017 but should return next season and take one of the guard spots.

3. Sign Dion Lewis and Trey Burton. Let's finish San Francisco's offensive rebuilding by adding a couple more weapons for Garoppolo. Lewis was a wildly efficient back during his time with the Patriots, and while he probably doesn't have the physical frame to hold up as the primary back in a Shanahan offense, he could serve as the Tevin Coleman half of a rotation at running back alongside another addition. (The 49ers might also just wait to get the actual Coleman next year in free agency.)

Burton would be a logical investment in a well-rounded tight end who is stuck behind Zach Ertz in Philadelphia. George Kittle had a promising rookie season and finished with his first 100-yard game against the Rams in Week 17, but Shanahan should be able to find plenty of snaps for Burton, Kittle and expensive fullback Kyle Juszczyk throughout the season. Burton is going to have a surprisingly big market, and he should be able to top the three-year, $18 million deal the Bears gave Dion Sims last year.

4. Add a No. 1 cornerback. Cornerback has been a problem for the 49ers dating back to the final season of the Jim Harbaugh era in 2014, and despite throwing plenty of draft picks at the problem, the Niners aren't much closer to a solution. Ahkello Witherspoon, a third-round pick last year, flashed promise during the second half of his rookie season, but the 49ers can't realistically rely on him to be their top cornerback overnight.

Let's assume that the 49ers work with Witherspoon on one side and K'Waun Williams in the slot. They still need a viable top cornerback in a division with Jared Goff and Russell Wilson throwing the ball around. The good news? There are plenty of cornerbacks available in free agency, and the 49ers can outspend just about every team with approximately $80.6 million in cap space.

Pierre Garcon has already started to recruit Malcolm Butler, and while the former Super Bowl hero had a wildly inconsistent 2017 season before infamously sitting out the Super Bowl loss to Philadelphia, Butler would be an enormous upgrade on Dontae Johnson. Trumaine Johnson would simultaneously shore up one side of the field while taking a key player away from a division rival. Kyle Fuller broke out with the Bears in 2017 and could be this year's A.J. Bouye.

5. Sign insurance for Reuben Foster. While the 49ers were excited to get a player who was near the top of their draft board with the 31st pick of the first round in 2017, the Alabama star struggled through a difficult rookie season. Injuries cost Foster six games, and after failing a drug test at the combine, Foster was arrested for marijuana possession in January, which likely sets him up for a suspension in 2018. He was then arrested last weekend on charges related to domestic violence, threats and possession of an assault weapon.

Foster looked promising when he was on the field, but the 49ers should prepare like he'll be missing for a chunk of the 2018 season. The inside linebacker market is perennially flooded with talent, which is one of the reasons Foster fell in the draft. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was previously the linebackers coach in Jacksonville under Gus Bradley, so it wouldn't be a shock to see the 49ers look toward veteran Paul Posluszny, who is a free agent and won't be an every-down linebacker for the Jags with Myles Jack and Telvin Smith in the lineup.

Originally posted by SmokeCrabtrees:

Originally posted by FL9er:
One man's suggestion: [Nothing earth shattering here]

For NCommand - http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/BarnwellxFiveNFCMoves2018/five-moves-nfc-team-make-2018-nfl-offseason-trades-free-agency-cuts-bill-barnwell

I agree with his points besides picking up AAs option. Unless the 5th year option is cheap and think it's better if we decide to trade him.

I've never understood using AA at the Leo spot. Armstead is not a quicktwich DL, but is a better strong run defender holding up against double teams. Buckner is much quicker and athletic, gets down field on chase plays, can catch people by pursuing through the backfield. AA is a stop and hold type DL. If they can turn him into a Leo? Great, but it just seems like a stretch to me. But then...I like DL moving around, stunting and being unpredictable.

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by SmokeCrabtrees:

Originally posted by FL9er:

One man's suggestion: [Nothing earth shattering here]

For NCommand - http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/BarnwellxFiveNFCMoves2018/five-moves-nfc-team-make-2018-nfl-offseason-trades-free-agency-cuts-bill-barnwell

I agree with his points besides picking up AAs option. Unless the 5th year option is cheap and think it's better if we decide to trade him.

I've never understood using AA at the Leo spot. Armstead is not a quicktwich DL, but is a better strong run defender holding up against double teams. Buckner is much quicker and athletic, gets down field on chase plays, can catch people by pursuing through the backfield. AA is a stop and hold type DL. If they can turn him into a Leo? Great, but it just seems like a stretch to me. But then...I like DL moving around, stunting and being unpredictable.

Hes not bad IMO at base Leo. No business being on edge in nickel.

Originally posted by SmokeCrabtrees:
Hes not bad IMO at base Leo. No business being on edge in nickel.

I prefer him as a DT not DE. But with the ability to stunt, which this line hasn't had time to develop. It took Justin and Aldon Smith some time to work together and they were both special players. Thomas is bright, Buckner is quick and tenacious, AA is strong...an interesting group. With Mitchell and DJ in the middle they really should get much more pressure than they have so far. Maybe with a healthy AA? Hope so! Don't see them being able to trade him after last year.

Day, marsh, the Douze, DJ, Mitchell, DeFo, AA, Solomon, Dooms..that is 9 guys who could play 5 downs and then rotate. I bet we improve on 3 of those guys at least, but probably won't get our ER this yr.

alternatively we could get 2 hot shot LBs and improve our pass rush that way. Still , you never know what Lynch will come up with, and we could end up with 2 starter LBs and a starter CB. I expect he is going to do something like that....plus improve the two D lines as noted above. Man it is nice to be fixed at safety. If however, it works out that we make a run on Ansah, well, that would be something interesting..... but with jimmy's contract, I just don't see signing Ansah for $18 mil or whatever he ends up with. I think our ER comes next yr, unless we draft an up and comer who needs a full yr before he is ready...i could see that.

Originally posted by NCommand:
Thanks man! Seems like one of the better plans I've seen.

San Francisco 49ers
1. Pick up the fifth-year option on Arik Armstead. The 49ers have invested heavily in their defensive line over the past three drafts, using consecutive first-round picks on Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Solomon Thomas. Buckner is quietly emerging as a superstar, and Thomas showed promise as a rookie, but the 49ers are still waiting to see the best from Armstead, who dieted down to play the Leo pass-rush role but racked up only 1.5 sacks in six games before going down with a broken hand.

Armstead should be healthy for 2018, and with the 49ers likely in line to have more than $100 million in cap room waiting for them in 2019, picking up Armstead's fifth-year option to see whether he can emerge as an every-down defensive lineman is a no-brainer.

2. Re-sign Trent Brown and upgrade the offensive line. As great as Jimmy Garoppolo appears to be, dismal offensive line can sink any quarterback's chances. John Lynch can set his tackles and forget them by re-signing Brown, who has developed into one of the league's better right tackles and is about to enter the final year of his rookie deal. Brown's recovering from labrum surgery, but he should be in line to get a deal which tops the extension Washington right tackle Morgan Moses signed before the 2017 season.

Lynch then needs to improve the interior. Former first-round pick Joshua Garnett and Daniel Kilgore, who signed a three-year extension to stick with the 49ers at center, will be back. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the 49ers take a look at Spencer Long of Washington, who has the versatility to both help out at center and play as a full-time guard. Alternately, the 49ers seem like a logical fit for Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson, who might still be on the board for them with the ninth overall pick.

Joshua Garnett, a first-round pick in 2016, didn't play at all in 2017 but should return next season and take one of the guard spots.

3. Sign Dion Lewis and Trey Burton. Let's finish San Francisco's offensive rebuilding by adding a couple more weapons for Garoppolo. Lewis was a wildly efficient back during his time with the Patriots, and while he probably doesn't have the physical frame to hold up as the primary back in a Shanahan offense, he could serve as the Tevin Coleman half of a rotation at running back alongside another addition. (The 49ers might also just wait to get the actual Coleman next year in free agency.)

Burton would be a logical investment in a well-rounded tight end who is stuck behind Zach Ertz in Philadelphia. George Kittle had a promising rookie season and finished with his first 100-yard game against the Rams in Week 17, but Shanahan should be able to find plenty of snaps for Burton, Kittle and expensive fullback Kyle Juszczyk throughout the season. Burton is going to have a surprisingly big market, and he should be able to top the three-year, $18 million deal the Bears gave Dion Sims last year.

4. Add a No. 1 cornerback. Cornerback has been a problem for the 49ers dating back to the final season of the Jim Harbaugh era in 2014, and despite throwing plenty of draft picks at the problem, the Niners aren't much closer to a solution. Ahkello Witherspoon, a third-round pick last year, flashed promise during the second half of his rookie season, but the 49ers can't realistically rely on him to be their top cornerback overnight.

Let's assume that the 49ers work with Witherspoon on one side and K'Waun Williams in the slot. They still need a viable top cornerback in a division with Jared Goff and Russell Wilson throwing the ball around. The good news? There are plenty of cornerbacks available in free agency, and the 49ers can outspend just about every team with approximately $80.6 million in cap space.

Pierre Garcon has already started to recruit Malcolm Butler, and while the former Super Bowl hero had a wildly inconsistent 2017 season before infamously sitting out the Super Bowl loss to Philadelphia, Butler would be an enormous upgrade on Dontae Johnson. Trumaine Johnson would simultaneously shore up one side of the field while taking a key player away from a division rival. Kyle Fuller broke out with the Bears in 2017 and could be this year's A.J. Bouye.

5. Sign insurance for Reuben Foster. While the 49ers were excited to get a player who was near the top of their draft board with the 31st pick of the first round in 2017, the Alabama star struggled through a difficult rookie season. Injuries cost Foster six games, and after failing a drug test at the combine, Foster was arrested for marijuana possession in January, which likely sets him up for a suspension in 2018. He was then arrested last weekend on charges related to domestic violence, threats and possession of an assault weapon.

Foster looked promising when he was on the field, but the 49ers should prepare like he'll be missing for a chunk of the 2018 season. The inside linebacker market is perennially flooded with talent, which is one of the reasons Foster fell in the draft. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was previously the linebackers coach in Jacksonville under Gus Bradley, so it wouldn't be a shock to see the 49ers look toward veteran Paul Posluszny, who is a free agent and won't be an every-down linebacker for the Jags with Myles Jack and Telvin Smith in the lineup.

why do people think the 49ers will automatically get the 9th pick? Did I miss something?

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by pasodoc9er:
NC, just read this again for about the 8th time, and it wouldn't be a surprise if you are really close to what actually goes down, and about what we spend. This was really a well thot out post, which looks like a centerpiece or template for whatever we do. The hooker of course, is what other teams actually do. Take Ansah for example....how do we know someone doesn't come in and offer him $18 mil? Something crazy like that always seems to happen...like Malik Jackson last yr. Don't remember the number but it was large. Not one we were going to contest. So barring some stupidity offered up by other teams, this looks just about how it would/could go down. Really nice job. The only difference i can think of is burning a high draft on a 3rd interior OL, OG. I still think we go C and OG in FA and then OG with #1 or #2 pick . I think John wants to protect that FR QB guy, Whatshisname, with 3 steriling inter OLs. And they had problems last yr with the OLs they picked (Zuttah, Barnes, et al) , so the 2nd OG would also be insurance against a bad pick as happened to them 3 or 4 times last yr in the OL. Fsco,,,,Laken, not Kilgore, could then fight it our wth Garnett for back up slots. And we should have at least 3. If they carried 4,, it wouldn't be a surprise. It was where shanlyn did least well last yr.

Thanks doc...I've always been big on locking up the OL with younger, developed veterans. Let someone else develop them for 4 years! And do we really want to go into the draft hoping we get Nelson or the best C or quality G in the 2nd or 3rd rounds? Risky! Fusco was the best of the 3 and like Kilgore, he too is a FA. Even if you have to pay the max for both Jensen and Norwell, it'll be worth it because of the peace of mind, security and freedom it now allows you going into the draft.

Sure, they can resign Kilgore and hope to draft a developmental C in the draft but in this system, it's going to take a couple/few years for a rookie to truly master. That means Kilgore is your guy at the C of your entire offense for the foreseeable future. If he gets hurt, it's a rookie starting. Both scenarios are no bueno!

NC, I've always been amazed at your predictions regarding who ShanaLynch picks/drafts/chooses in the off-season. You were spot on 97% of the time last year, and I'll not be surprised if you hit it again this year. So I agree. I think that's ShanaLYnch's mindset regarding the interior line. I don't know much about Jason and Norwell, other than what's been posted on the webzone so I'll just rely on that and hope for the best. I'll just add that I'm also looking forward to seeing some of our young 1st year and 2nd year OLinemen make progress in pre-season year. I'm really looking forward to some of them stepping up and possibly becoming strong backup/possible starters this next year. The only reason ShanaLynch won't be active in the free agent O LIne market is if they are 100% sure these young linemen have the talent to be starters this next year.