Reviewing the 49ers Draft

Why review only one team?  Because it's my blog, this is the team I love, and looking at 32 teams picking about 7 players each is too much work.  I'm also calling it a review rather than a grade because we really won't know how well teams drafted until these rookie hit the field.

49ers Draft

Round 1: A.J. Jenkins WR, Illinois

I liked Jenkins as a prospect watching him in pre-draft footage.  He was productive at Illinois notching over 90 catches last year as opposed to the 29 catches the more flashy prospect Stephen Hill compiled.  Jenkins was also a bit of a combine freak, running a 4.37 40 yard dash.  Jenkins is a sudden athlete with good size just over 6 foot.  The only gripe I have about this pick is that perhaps the Niners could have moved back 5-10 spots and still gotten him, though this is the man they wanted all along.

Round 2: LaMichael James RB, Oregon

James is a good pick from the standpoint that he can help what was a plodding offense get some explosive plays, but I'm not sure he meets much of a need.  In a backfield with Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter, and Brandon Jacobs, a second round pick seems high for James.  Maybe the writing is on the wall for older backs Gore and Jacobs, or maybe Harbaugh and GM Trent Balke simply think they can get James the ball 7-10 times a game and he will make an impact.

Round 4: Joe Looney OG, Wake Forest

Looney fits a major need with guard Adam Snyder leaving for the Cardinals.  Looney should provide competition for last year's late round pick Daniel Kilgore for the starting right guard spot, though I think perhaps the Niners could have addressed this position earlier.  Looney is known as a technician with good strength who has the intelligence to assimilate quickly to the NFL.

Round 5: Darius Flemming OLB, Notre Dame

Flemming is a pure pass rusher, and he's good at it.  Parys Haralson, Aldon Smith, and Ahmad Brooks are still going to be the main rotational guys at outside linebacker, but Flemming will come in when there is no doubt it's a passing situation.  He adds versatility to the Niners, and should be deployed on the 49ers tremendous special teams unit as a new weapon.

Round 6: Trent Robinson S, Michigan State

Robinson is a good overall athlete who started for three years at a big-time program and he fits a position of need.  Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner are an excellent duo of starters but there isn't much in the way of depth behind them, hopefully Robinson can win the third safety spot.

Round 6: Jason Slowey C, Western Oregon

The Niners under Trent Balke have continually stockpiled young offensive lineman and built that unit through the draft.  Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati have turned into starters (Iupati is exceptional, Davis is growing).  Daniel Kilgore is going to battle for a guard spot with Looney, and Slowey may prove to be an eventual replacement for Jonathan Goodwin.  Slowey is not a very good athlete, but he's strong and can move people in the run game.

Round 7: Cam Johnson DE, Virginia

Johnson had a fourth round grade from a lot of scouts because he is a good athlete with strength, who moves well for being 270 pounds.  I think he projects as a situational pass rusher and might just be big enough to play a little defensive end in the 49ers 3-4.

Summary:

I Liked: Because of some of the maneuvering the 49ers did in this draft they have a whopping 13 picks in next year's draft, which can't be overlooked.  I liked how San Fran focused on continuing to add playmakers to an offense that sorely lacked them last year.  The receiving group now consists of Michael Crabtree, Randy Moss, Mario Manningham, and A.J. Jenkins, along with star tight end Vernon Davis.  The Backfield boasts pro-bowler Gore, the promising Hunter, the bruiser Jacobs, and the potentially electrifying LaMichael James.  Alex Smith should logically be able to build on the best season of his career with another year under a great offensive system, and the talent around him growing exponentially.  Looney is a key to this draft class, if he can come in and push Kilgore or even steal the starting spot, then the 49ers offensive line could really gel into an elite unit.  Iupati and Joe Staley are stars are there positions, and Anthony Davis could grow into one.  Darius Fleming and Cam Johnson add some athleticism, depth, and potentially some pass rush to the front 7 which is already vicious, and Robinson may help shore up secondary depth.  Slowey is a solid pick if he can be a good backup for Goodwin.

I Didn't Like: Jenkins might have been had later in the draft, and the Niners could have accrued more picks by moving back.  James is an explosive player, and the offense needs help, but not really at the running back spot. I think picking a guard in the second or even first round would have addressed the biggest need. The 49ers defensive front 3 is excellent with Justin Smith, Isaac Sopoaga, and Ray McDonald but there is very little depth behind those players and not much was added in this draft.  Carlos Rogers was re-signed, Tarell Brown and Chris Culliver are promising corners and Tramaine Brock and Parrish Cox are good athletes who can compete over the 4th corner spot.  Still, another good cover man was a need in my opinion, and the Niners got nobody to compete for playing time at that position.

Overall:  The 49ers are going to have a much more talented offense that's hitting its groove in year number two of the Harbaugh regime.  The best defense in the league is all back from last year, and some potential depth was added in the draft.  Special Teams is still in tact with David Akers, Andy Lee, and Ted Ginn all back, and I expect a lot of these rookies to become contributors to the dynamic special teams unit for San Francisco.

A Breath of Fresh Air

The San Francisco 49ers were once the class of the National Football League, a flagship franchise and a recognizable brand name.  Yet the last decade of 49er football has eroded any shine or prestige from this once proud franchise and humbled its fan base.  Over the past ten years, Niner faithful have been put through the gamut of trying emotions from frustration to hopelessness.

The Dennis Erickson, Mike Nolan, and Mike Singletary years were characterized by mind numbing incompetence, disorganization, and downright abysmal football.  The offense has often looked so out of its element, so ineffective, the impression arose that these players had never shared a field before.

Prior to the reign of this terrible trio of coaches, the Niners were moderately successful with head coach Steve Mariucci and quarterback Jeff Garcia, but were never a true Super Bowl threat.  The last time the Niners really contended for a championship was under the direction of Steve Young thirteen years ago.  The last time they won a Super Bowl was 1994.  To those that say San Francisco fans are impatient or spoiled, consider that the team hasn't truly challenged since Seinfeld was just wrapping up its final season and hasn't won a Super Bowl since Clinton's first term.  Plus, since the start of the 2003 season, the 49ers are 46-82, which includes 14-, 12-, 11-, and 10-loss seasons.  In that same span, their best finish was 8-8; they've recorded no winning records.

49er fans have had to learn how to lose cold turkey.  The abrupt fall from greatness was principally caused by three things: Poor management, poor coaching, and poor quarterback play.  Up until the past few years, the 49ers were one of the least talented teams in the league, but recently have accumulated a good amount of young talent and field their best roster since 2002.  Yet, this year, Singletary's ineptness and Alex Smith's continued lackluster performance held back an otherwise talented team.  Singletary was a motivator, but he was terrible at designing a game-plan and was an even worse game manager.  He was indecisive, confused, he waffled, and he pushed the wrong buttons with his players entirely too often.

Enter new coach Jim Harbaugh, the reason for Niner optimism.

As mentioned, the cupboard is not bare.  Vernon Davis is perhaps the most talented tight end in the league, Michael Crabtree has flashes of brilliance, Frank Gore is still a great all-around back, and the offensive line is young and talented.  Missing has been a system capable of accentuating the talents of these players and a passer who could execute that system.  Harbaugh is seen as an offensive innovator, played quarterback in the NFL, and coached Stanford to a tremendous 12-1 season not long after the Cardinal was 1-11.  In other words, he is the man best equipped to fix the Niners' woeful offense, possessing the best football mind of any San Francisco head coach in a long time.

An interesting wrinkle in this whole Harbaugh situation is that his former quarterback at Stanford, Andrew Luck, would be top pick of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Yet Luck has decided to return to school for another year, which rules out the possibility of the Niners nabbing him in this year's draft.  If Luck were to enter though, the Niners would have to move up to get him, and I have no clue if that's plausible.  So with the head coach drought over, the question is, how do the Niners address the quarterback situation?

Picking seventh in the draft, the Niners are certainly in a position to net one of the top quarterback prospects.  Yet Luck was far and away the top rated quarterback; big questions remain about the NFL credentials of Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert, Ryan Mallett, and Jake Locker.  Could the Niners grab Newton with their top pick and hope that Harbaugh can mold a transcendent athlete into a great NFL quarterback?  Are Gabbert and Mallett more than just big arms?  Is Lockers' poor senior season indicative of his talent or his team's lack thereof?

Or do the Niners snatch the best player available with that pick and pursue a veteran quarterback to be a place holder for 2-3 years.  Could Donovan McNabb excel with Davis, Crabtree, and Gore around him?  Could Kyle Orton be good enough to win the abysmal NFC West?

Or, commence eye roll now Niner fans, do Niners brass hope Harbaugh can sprinkle his magic on former first overall pick Smith, still trying to shake a potential "bust" label?

Whatever way they Niners go, it's nice to feel that the head coaching quandary has been solved, and just maybe the quarterback dilemma will be next.

And oh yeah, about getting a new stadium…

Step One

--from Adam

(Image from zimbio.com)