What is your SF 2025 draft grade?

I give it a C. I do not know about this draft. I really like the DL pick, I'm not sure about the rest. There are not many 5'11" LB that succeed in the NFL.
Greenlaw was one that did. Maybe Nick Martin can too?? I'm not sure about Upton Stout he is short, he will have a harder time against bigger taller WR ? Why Jordan James ? Why draft an Injured QB? if Junior Bergen - WR - 5'9" make the team, does that mean 4th round pick Jacob Cowing is gone? Is Jordan Watkins going to replace Jacob Cowing then why draft Bergen ? There are part of this draft I just don't get.

Originally posted by dlance:
I give it a C. I do not know about this draft. I really like the DL pick, I'm not sure about the rest. There are not many 5'11" LB that succeed in the NFL.
Greenlaw was one that did. Maybe Nick Martin can too?? I'm not sure about Upton Stout he is short, he will have a harder time against bigger taller WR ? Why Jordan James ? Why draft an Injured QB? if Junior Bergen - WR - 5'9" make the team, does that mean 4th round pick Jacob Cowing is gone? Is Jordan Watkins going to replace Jacob Cowing then why draft Bergen ? There are part of this draft I just don't get.

Let me try answering one or two of your questions, or at least have a go.

You like the DL work and so do I. That means you like 3 of the first 5 picks. To me, that already justifies better than a C. I don't usually expect more than one or two starters from a draft and a couple of depth players.

Stout? I like his brains and his commitment. He may not end up as a great pick but as a slot CB he has every chance. We will see.

Martin? I don't know much about him but he gets highly rated for his instincts, his athleticism and his playmaking ability and that will pretty much do me until we can actually see him playing.

Why Jordan James? I don't understand this question. Neither Abanikanda nor Patrick Taylor really convince me as anything more that depth, so we were surely going to pick up another back to replace Elijah Mitchell? And it is a position that we tend to keep renewing. So that is why.

Why Kurtis Rourke? He is a tough player by all accounts. The injury hasn't seemed to have been that important to him. I am not going to develop too much angst over a 7th round pick.

Bergen/Cowing? Well, Bergen sounds like a returner rather than a receiver, but when you get that low in the draft I think teams just look for players who might be good enough to warrant a shot, rather than having a specific purpose in mind. I imagine Watkins was drafted with a view of filling in the spot left vacant by Deebo (carefully phrased, he obviously isn't going to entirely replace him), rather than replacing Cowing.

There are parts of this draft you don't get? Of course, that is partly because there is so much behind the scenes stuff that we don't know. But I wouldn't worry too much about the later picks. If a couple of these turn out well, that is all you can expect. This draft is going to sink or swim based on the DL picks, for the most part. If they work out, and they look very promising, and maybe Stout or Martin, then this will be a draft to savour.

Roll on the pre-season games when we can actually see them on the field.

Originally posted by English:

Originally posted by dlance:
I give it a C. I do not know about this draft. I really like the DL pick, I'm not sure about the rest. There are not many 5'11" LB that succeed in the NFL.
Greenlaw was one that did. Maybe Nick Martin can too?? I'm not sure about Upton Stout he is short, he will have a harder time against bigger taller WR ? Why Jordan James ? Why draft an Injured QB? if Junior Bergen - WR - 5'9" make the team, does that mean 4th round pick Jacob Cowing is gone? Is Jordan Watkins going to replace Jacob Cowing then why draft Bergen ? There are part of this draft I just don't get.

Let me try answering one or two of your questions, or at least have a go.

You like the DL work and so do I. That means you like 3 of the first 5 picks. To me, that already justifies better than a C. I don't usually expect more than one or two starters from a draft and a couple of depth players.

Stout? I like his brains and his commitment. He may not end up as a great pick but as a slot CB he has every chance. We will see.

Martin? I don't know much about him but he gets highly rated for his instincts, his athleticism and his playmaking ability and that will pretty much do me until we can actually see him playing.

Why Jordan James? I don't understand this question. Neither Abanikanda nor Patrick Taylor really convince me as anything more that depth, so we were surely going to pick up another back to replace Elijah Mitchell? And it is a position that we tend to keep renewing. So that is why.

Why Kurtis Rourke? He is a tough player by all accounts. The injury hasn't seemed to have been that important to him. I am not going to develop too much angst over a 7th round pick.

Bergen/Cowing? Well, Bergen sounds like a returner rather than a receiver, but when you get that low in the draft I think teams just look for players who might be good enough to warrant a shot, rather than having a specific purpose in mind. I imagine Watkins was drafted with a view of filling in the spot left vacant by Deebo (carefully phrased, he obviously isn't going to entirely replace him), rather than replacing Cowing.

There are parts of this draft you don't get? Of course, that is partly because there is so much behind the scenes stuff that we don't know. But I wouldn't worry too much about the later picks. If a couple of these turn out well, that is all you can expect. This draft is going to sink or swim based on the DL picks, for the most part. If they work out, and they look very promising, and maybe Stout or Martin, then this will be a draft to savour.

Roll on the pre-season games when we can actually see them on the field.

I real appreciate your feed back. I see your point but I still don't get this draft. I feel like Mykel Williams there best player available and the guy they wanted. After that it feels like they had their mind made up on who they where going to draft before the round start. I don't dislike any of the player I don't know some of the player. I hope they play great.

Originally posted by dlance:
I real appreciate your feed back. I see your point but I still don't get this draft. I feel like Mykel Williams there best player available and the guy they wanted. After that it feels like they had their mind made up on who they where going to draft before the round start. I don't dislike any of the player I don't know some of the player. I hope they play great.

Thats technically not a bad thing IF true.

Either it means they were excellent at projecting where guys go or they managed to get their top guy at every pick. I think for the most part even though we were picking top 11 of every round but the 6th if at the start of each round you could guarantee the guy you wanted at your pick was available every team would take that…especially when it relies on the next guy on your board to last until the end of that round and the start of the next one.

I do think it's somewhat silly to worry about who the ST guy out of Montana drafted with the last 7th round pick we had in an 11 pick draft meaning last year's 4th round WR isn't going to make the team.

You never know of course but fact is the following guys made the 53 man roster last year at WR

Aiyuk, Deebo, Jennings, Pearsall, Cowing, Conley, Bell. That's 7 WRs.

Deebo, Conley and Bell are gone. We added Demarcus Robinson as the only real proven addition who doesn't seem like a clear PS vet option.

Aiyuk may start the year on PUP. Robinson may get suspended for a couple of games to start the year.

There are clear roster spots at WR and Deebo's loss alone and BA's injury merits a WR to be taken. However Bergen seems like a straight up ST pick and that will make it harder for him to make the roster. If anything Neyor the WR we signed as an UDFA may have a better shot to find a roster spot.

But in the end it's about trying to make the team better. If Cowing isn't better than the rookies then it sucks but you're still adding young talent.

We'll see how it shakes out.

Originally posted by dlance:
I give it a C. I do not know about this draft. I really like the DL pick, I'm not sure about the rest. There are not many 5'11" LB that succeed in the NFL.
Greenlaw was one that did. Maybe Nick Martin can too?? I'm not sure about Upton Stout he is short, he will have a harder time against bigger taller WR ? Why Jordan James ? Why draft an Injured QB? if Junior Bergen - WR - 5'9" make the team, does that mean 4th round pick Jacob Cowing is gone? Is Jordan Watkins going to replace Jacob Cowing then why draft Bergen ? There are part of this draft I just don't get.

Nick Martin being drafted in the 5th has been likened to Dre. Although Dre is heavier. Robert knows LB's so if he likes the pick. Then chances are its a good.
Jordan has been compared to Jordan Mason, but a better receiver and pass protector.
Bergen we will find out in TC and preseason, but they want a guy that is a better retrrn specialist than we have had even if that is all he is going to do. As far as QB, can never have enough, they thought if was healthy he would have gone higher. This is a projection for the future. Hoping to get gold. Any QB that works in Kyle's offense. Is valued if they get playing time. Upton is being compared to K. Williams. If he does, that is a steal.

I know a lot of people wanted them to draft OL earlier, but Lynch said they wanted to also, but the ones they wanted got taken so they went with their board of BPA. Not draft an OL just because of need. Plus this year was not a good year for OL. Next year will have more depth according to prognosticators.

We will see.the key is avoiding the injury bug.

We aren't even to rookie mini camp. No one knows. I won't even bother with a grade/guess.

Originally posted by WildBill:
Nick Martin being drafted in the 5th has been likened to Dre. Although Dre is heavier. Robert knows LB's so if he likes the pick. Then chances are its a good.
Jordan has been compared to Jordan Mason, but a better receiver and pass protector.
Bergen we will find out in TC and preseason, but they want a guy that is a better retrrn specialist than we have had even if that is all he is going to do. As far as QB, can never have enough, they thought if was healthy he would have gone higher. This is a projection for the future. Hoping to get gold. Any QB that works in Kyle's offense. Is valued if they get playing time. Upton is being compared to K. Williams. If he does, that is a steal.

I know a lot of people wanted them to draft OL earlier, but Lynch said they wanted to also, but the ones they wanted got taken so they went with their board of BPA. Not draft an OL just because of need. Plus this year was not a good year for OL. Next year will have more depth according to prognosticators.

We will see.the key is avoiding the injury bug.

>>>Nick Martin being drafted in the 5th has been likened to Dre.

Nick Martin was drafted in the 3rd, not the 5th, but I still really like this pick. He is very fast and should be able to cover very well.

I gave it a B could have gone B+ but losing that 5th round pick due to Karen in Accounting really sucked.

Hard to give anything a high or low grade this early. I'd put it on the higher side, B, since we had so many picks. Chances are some are going to pan out by the sheer numbers of it all.

I generally like the plan to shore up our defensive front and run defense in particular. We're a better team because of it so long as these up front players fulfill their floors.

My least favorite pick was Watkins. I love the timed speed, but some critique I've seen is that he maybe doesn't play quite to that speed. Everything else, I see the logic and love the potential.

As with many critiques, I wish we had come away with at least one more Olineman. Even if you believe in developing guys, why not stock the cabinets with better prospects. I understand that not every draft shakes out as is planned, but I could see this area being our weak spot yet again. But we had so many needs, and I'm happy to see them mostly addressed.

Originally posted by m_brockalexander:
What does "run a run office" mean? And, it will be a "moot" point if these guys become great pros.

Mykel Williams was the best run defender at edge last year, but only had 5 sacks. How does that make him the "best edge" overall?

According to the Dane Brugler's ratings, Nick Martin was ranked 199th and he was drafted at pick 75. Upton Stout was ranked 204th and he was drafted at pick 100. Jordan Watkins was ranked 233rd and he was drafted at pick 138. No matter how you slice it, these three players could have been had long after the Niners picked them.

I appreciate the pedantry to start, but then it kind of falls apart.

Williams can be the best edge overall by there not being other players who were better.

On the "over drafting" problem. I can indeed slice it differently. Every year we see players fall past where Brugler rated them, so that proves he doesn't know how the NFL rates those players either. Every time a player is drafted we don't know where every other team had them ranked, all we ever know is that when teams pass on a player they didn't have them ranked there. Using actual facts we can prove Brugler is very often wrong, therefore we should never assume he is correct.

Originally posted by English:
Let me try answering one or two of your questions, or at least have a go.

You like the DL work and so do I. That means you like 3 of the first 5 picks. To me, that already justifies better than a C. I don't usually expect more than one or two starters from a draft and a couple of depth players.

Stout? I like his brains and his commitment. He may not end up as a great pick but as a slot CB he has every chance. We will see.

Martin? I don't know much about him but he gets highly rated for his instincts, his athleticism and his playmaking ability and that will pretty much do me until we can actually see him playing.

Why Jordan James? I don't understand this question. Neither Abanikanda nor Patrick Taylor really convince me as anything more that depth, so we were surely going to pick up another back to replace Elijah Mitchell? And it is a position that we tend to keep renewing. So that is why.

Why Kurtis Rourke? He is a tough player by all accounts. The injury hasn't seemed to have been that important to him. I am not going to develop too much angst over a 7th round pick.

Bergen/Cowing? Well, Bergen sounds like a returner rather than a receiver, but when you get that low in the draft I think teams just look for players who might be good enough to warrant a shot, rather than having a specific purpose in mind. I imagine Watkins was drafted with a view of filling in the spot left vacant by Deebo (carefully phrased, he obviously isn't going to entirely replace him), rather than replacing Cowing.

There are parts of this draft you don't get? Of course, that is partly because there is so much behind the scenes stuff that we don't know. But I wouldn't worry too much about the later picks. If a couple of these turn out well, that is all you can expect. This draft is going to sink or swim based on the DL picks, for the most part. If they work out, and they look very promising, and maybe Stout or Martin, then this will be a draft to savour.

Roll on the pre-season games when we can actually see them on the field.

Realistically all "grades" assigned right after a draft are really only about the first 3 rounds.

To me the 5th round on is all just about getting really productive players who had physical limitations or physical freaks who didn't produce, and it's just taking the ones you think have the most of a very slim chance of being a difference maker and see what you get. And punters, kickers, and returners.

I really like Martin. Even his mistakes are agressive.

As for player measurables ... some matter, like a 34" arm as opposed to a 30" arm on a DE or OT. But when people say things like a 5'11" is too short for LB, it just denies a fairly long history of successful shorter LBs. Nick Martin is 6' on draftscout.com while Greenlaw is 5'11" ... but that inch, real or false, doesn't really matter as much as what is between their ears. The starting LT in the 49ers first Super Bowl win in 1981 was Dan Audick, who weighed in the 240 lbs range during his career. Just because LTs "have" to be over 300lbs now does not mean it's really true. Aaron Donald was way too small to play DT.

Like most have said, I also hate the whole idea of grading drafts when the players have yet to play a down, but if I have to, I'd go with a B+, like the picks, love getting a nice young EDGE opposite Bosa, Collins & West inside to upgrade the IDL(easy upgrade over likes of Elliott, Givens, Davis etc....), like that we got a LB to hopefully go next to Fred, a new slot CB, I don't mind the Jordan Watkins & Jordan James picks, or Marques Sigle, he may end up starting like Mustapha did last year, might end up being a steal, only thing I'm not happy with, only reason the draft is a B+, no Tackle, really wanted to see them draft a Tackle, but I won't get mad at their 7th rd picks, Rourke probably is a stash pick, hopefully Colby ends up being good, would love to see him as a long term LG, and if Bergen develops into anything we're good, remember that Jauan was a 7th rd pick.

Originally posted by m_brockalexander:

Originally posted by WildBill:

Originally posted by 49erBigMac:

Originally posted by m_brockalexander:
C+. Whole draft was driven by need to fix defense against the run and special teams. Did not draft best player available anywhere in the draft, period. Drafted guys who fit their system regardless of value. Lots of prospects with potential but no slam dunk stars that I can see. Ignored the needs at OT and C again.

That's weird, at the top you complain that there was no BPA (which I agree with) as we reached for needs, but then at the end you complain they didn't go for their needs at OT and C! Pick a lane!

BPA according to who? Many of them have never run a run office.

Also, BPA according to what? If you base on NFL. COM, Mykel was the best edge. Were there better pass rushers? Yes, but one had an issue and ended up dropping then there are others who look good in college, but don't pan out and the opposite holds true, low numbers but become great pros.

I especially find it laughable when people say it's about the value. I don't care about that, if they turn out to be an above average to great pro, it's mute pt.

What does "run a run office" mean? And, it will be a "moot" point if these guys become great pros.

Mykel Williams was the best run defender at edge last year, but only had 5 sacks. How does that make him the "best edge" overall?

According to the Dane Brugler's ratings, Nick Martin was ranked 199th and he was drafted at pick 75. Upton Stout was ranked 204th and he was drafted at pick 100. Jordan Watkins was ranked 233rd and he was drafted at pick 138. No matter how you slice it, these three players could have been had long after the Niners picked them.

I hate this, I don't give a flying f*ck about what Dane Brugler or anyone has players ranked, and this whole could have had them later, no one knows that, that's ridiculous to say, no one knows how the draft would have turned out if we didn't draft guys where we did, if we're supposed to go off supposed Draft Experts' big boards over what the scouts, & GMs have come up with, that's just dumb, these guys aren't experts, they're like you & me, wannabe NFL GMs, some I respect like Daniel Jeremiah, but others, nope, don't care what or where the players were ranked, this is like with the MLB draft, my Yankees overdraft apparently guys like Spencer Jones, Anthony Volpe, George Lombard Jr., but these guys look good, I'll take what the GM & Scouts have to say over "experts" or someone on a message board, no offense.