Rate our 2009 Draft.

I gave it an A


1. The Niners stayed true to their philosophy of BPA

2. We got a franchise # 1 WR no one thought we had a chance at. Just ask yourselves, how many more TDs or yards a game is he good for. I think Steve Young said it best, 7 more points a game, coupled with our defense and we are a playoff team.

3. Wasn't pschyed about giving up a 4th, but we have two 1s next year in what should be a strong draft.

4. I have to imagine the Niners scout team knows more about every player available than 99.9 percent of us (except MadDog.. ) So if they dont take a player at an obvious position of need (OLB,OT) you have to believe they dont think highly of that person.

5. Nate Davis - He had two bad games, but his stats say BALLER! Is he our first black QB?

There no way to really grade this draft on talent alone an hour after the 2nd day ended, but I like that we are drafting with purpose and a strick philosophy- A.

We've desperately needed a middle-clogging DT/NT for the last 5 years, an edge pass rushing stud, and a safety that can run from point A to point B without falling down.

Round 1: we pick a wide receiver. Doesn't solve our problems.

We STILL need a DT/NT, Safety, and pass rushing DE/OLB

Round 3: We pick a RB?

We STILL need a DT/NT, Safety, and pass rushing DE/OLB

Round 5: We pick an ILB? It's probably already the strength of our D

We STILL need a DT/NT, Safety, and pass rushing DE/OLB.

Round 5: We draft a QB, ok why night gamble and see if we get a Brady, but our biggest need is STILL need a DT/NT, Safety, and pass rushing DE/OLB

Round 6: We pick a TE? Didn't we just use our OVERALL # 6 pick in the draft on a TE?

We STILL need a DT/NT, Safety, and pass rushing DE/OLB

Round 7: Finally a DT and a safety, still no pass rush and we play in a passing division...not very bright are we?

Grade: C if Crabtree turns into a Pro Bowler, C- if he doesn't. It doesn't matter if we score an extra 2-3 points on average a game if we're still going give up 24 every game.

B
Postiives-Best player in the draft....blocking TE...backup RB....Future QB Prospect....DT prospect....good ILB....1st rounder next year

Negatives- No OL...No passrusher

We had to give up on something to get the extra 1st....I think we'll still bring in a player or 2 in FA and be alright....can't fix everything in 1 offseason plus i think the team will be improved in all facets under Sing.

B.

The fact of the matter is that we have no depth at OLB. I will not be comfortable with Jay Moore stepping onto the field. OLB depth should have been addressed -- even if it was a late round flyer.

This is my only issue otherwise i would have given it an A.

-9fA

Originally posted by endz0ne:
1. Crabtree: one of the best picks the Niners have made in years! A Patrick Willis for the offense.

Grade A.

2. Trade for an extra first next year.

Grade TBD, though we could have gotten Sebastian Vollmer for that pick. The Pats took him at number 58.

3. Coffee: Got his yards because of 'Bama's o-line. Not fast, not big, and he's a fumbler. Has "Thomas Clayton's Replacement" written all over him.

Grade C.

5. McKillop: To replace Ulbrich as Spike's backup. ASWG.

Grade C.

5. Davis: A fixture for the practice squad. Best hope is for some other team to lose two or three QB's to injury and sign him off our practice squad. Million to one, that!

Grade D. (I mean, if you can't beat out Damon Huard...)

6. Pascoe: To replace Bajema. Will fill the same need just fine and see the field just as little.

Grade C. (Because he's not going to see the field that much)

7. Taylor: "...inconsistent play allowed younger players to earn playing time late in the season." So maybe he makes the team, but probably not.

Grade C. (...but only because it was a seventh round pick and I'm a dyed in the wool homer)

7. Jean-Francois: Another piece of fodder at DE.

Grade Meh.

So, we drafted replacements (notice I do not use the word, "upgrades") for backup players who have either left or been tossed overboard (Bajema, Foster), and other replacements for the aging or unproductive players we hope to toss overboard (Ulbrich, Roman). And an underachiever (in college!) for the D-line. Oh, and we also got a project QB who can't spell, "QB".

Sweet.

I'm ok with the extra pick and excited about Crabtree.

Got to give it the same split grade others have suggested:

Day One A
Day Two C

You actually took time to write all of this? I would say that your assessment deserves uhm...a D for effort as your conclusions are quite unfounded.

An A. The 49ers came away from this years draft with 4 players with starting potential and 5 players that could make an impact within the first 3 years.

1st - Michael Crabtree - Franchise WR
2nd - Trade - Packaged for 1st rounder in 2010
3rd - Glenn Coffee - A one-cut-and-go RB who loves contact and was productive in the toughest conferance in the nation.
4th - Trade - See 2nd
5th - Scott McKillop - Led the nation in tackles, best TED prospect in the draft.
5th - Nate Davis - 4th rated QB in the Draft
6th - Bear Pascoe - Overrated blocker IMO but an excellent all around TE
7th - Curtis Taylor - One of the most athletically gifted safties in the draft
7th - Ricky Jean-Francois - DT with good upside
UDFA - Kory Sheets - Explosive, productive despite coming from a pass happy scheme
UDFA - Alex Boone - Off the field problems caused him to fall, 2nd round talent. Potential Starter

Originally posted by RichmondPete:
An A. The 49ers came away from this years draft with 4 players with starting potential and 5 players that could make an impact within the first 3 years.

1st - Michael Crabtree - Franchise WR
2nd - Trade - Packaged for 1st rounder in 2010
3rd - Glenn Coffee - A highly productive RB in the toughest conferance in the nation
4th - Trade - See 2nd
5th - Scott McKillop - Led the nation in tackles, best TED prospect in the draft.
5th - Nate Davis - 4th rated QB in the Draft
6th - Bear Pascoe - Overrated blocker IMO but an excellent all around TE
7th - Curtis Taylor - One of the most athletically gifted safties in the draft
7th - Ricky Jean-Francois - DT with good upside
UDFA - Kory Sheets - Explosive, productive despite coming from a pass happy scheme
UDFA - Alex Boone - Off the field problems caused him to fall, 2nd round talent. Potential Starter

Originally posted by Bluefalcon61:
D+/C-

I am flabbergasted. Did anybody predict that we could go through this entire draft without drafting a single O-lineman or pass rusher? (with a 7th round pick to go)

We're all backtracking now that this is/ was a weak draft overall, but at no point was the timing there or BPA there who happened to be an O-lineman or pass rusher?

I thought that the consensus was we needed help at the anchors and edges?

What the hell?

Completely agree with Mr.Falcon. We should of addressed the lines earlier.

Originally posted by Born49R:

Originally posted by jreff22:

Originally posted by nvchamp9ers:
Speaking form a Db's coach perspective...Crabtree alone makes this draft a B+, the guy is a freaking nightmare to cover, you can roll coverages his way etc but his quickness out of breaks make him a nightmare, not to mention his dang hands are like big ol catcher gloves. the other pick i really like is RJF, he has all the talent to come in and START, it is up to Singletary to bring it out of him and his DL coach to coach up his technique, but the sky is the limit for this kid, overall i am very pleased with this draft.

Where the hell have you been? I haven't seen you in months!!

Ditto, on both the NV's comments and wondering where he has been. I missed his grading of players as a contrast to Maddogs and some of the other vets opinions.

ahh, you get working and watching film and things just take over from the zone lol, as far as the other players are concerned, Mc will be a workhorse, i see him very much like an Adam Seward clone with better insitincts, he will punch you in the mouth but has the game speed to clog holes. Now the safety, he is no Mark Roman but there is definite room for improvement, he has a major problem with misreads and false steps but those are fixable problems, he needs to curb his aggresiveness and that will take care of a large part of his problems, but overall i think he can beat out dashon, like i said this is a solid draft that i am very happy with. I can see us possibly doing something like Mays, Cody in the first next year with our 2 pick...then how good does that trade look that everyone is complaining about??

Solid B+, but obviously could go higher if a few of the 2nd day picks are able to produce.

B

B+

Positives: Love Crabtree and the #1 next year. That will be a FAR better player than anyone we were going to get at #43 and likely backup/bench player we would have gotten at #111. Great first day. I also like the Coffee pick, he runs with power and played against elite talent. Not a huge fan of McKillop pick, but hey, the guy produced and should provide depth at a position of strength. Alex Boone as UDFA is nice too, along with Sheets (though not sure where he fits on roster if we are going to keep our special teams ace Robinson - maybe he's gotta beat out Coffee???).

Negatives: Sorry, just don't like the Nate Davis pick. I know people say he is accurate but I seem to remember a LOT of his receivers slowing down for (wobbly) balls he threw (pseudo-accuracy against lower level talent??) and his decision making is up for question. Would have to go a different direction at QB or really another position, though there was pretty slim pickings by that pick at OT and OLB. Maybe grabbing an OT at our first 5th rnd pick and a ILB at our second would have made a little more sense. Not addressing our biggest areas of need (OT and OLB) until FA makes me a bit nervous and seems like poor planning, though who knows what they were trying to do behind closed doors trade-wise.

The Meh factor: Bear Pascoe. Was widely considered the best blocking TE and some seem to think he may be able to catch the ball, but how often is he really going to be on the field? For a sixth round pick, it's nice to get someone you know will make the team, but we are lacking depth so many other places I still wonder about using a draft pick to fill what (to me at least) appears to be the easiest spot to fill on the roster.

I give this year's draft a solid B. I would have given it an A if we had picked up a guy who could get after the quarterback. Pass rusher is a big need for the team, but we had bigger needs than that, and we addressed them.

1. Michael Crabtree: While I didn't feel that WR was one of the team's bigger needs considering that Bruce is back along with Josh Morgan and Brandon Jones, how the heck can you pass up on possibly the best player in the draft after he fell all the way to 10? Crabtree is likely to be the best receiver we've had since T.O. We've really missed that.

2. Coffee: I felt that getting a very good running back to spare Gore some wear and tear was vital this offseason and discussed it a great deal at the end of last season in more than one thread. And Coffee is just the man for the job. I'm stoked about having him and so should every one else. This pick just added longevity to our most valuable player, Frank Gore. Now we can move the chains on the ground even while Gore is catching his breath.

3. We added another 1st round pick in next year's draft, which will be a better draft class. This is a BIG deal. 2 #1's puts the team in position to go up and get any player they want, or to sit on the picks and take 3 good players on day 1 next year.

We didn't add an OT this weekend, which was a monstrous need when the offseason began. This says to me that the team has faith in Marvel Smith. If Marvel Smith is healthy, then he and Joe Staley give the team a strong pair of tackles.

We didn't add a pass rusher in FA or the draft. This disappoints me some. But Let us not forget that our defense isn't bad. It played very well after Singletary simplified it for the 2nd half of the season.

The defense was not upgraded this off season, but the offense was greatly improved. Coffee and Crabtree are gonna help the offense keep the chains moving and put some more points on the board. The defense is solid. The offense just got a lot better. This was a very good draft for the 49ers.

Grade at the bottom...
First some words,
OL
The Marvel Smith signing means the coaches believe he is fully recovered and will be capable of playing back to his Pro Bowl level. If they didn't believe he is fully recovered they would not have signed him at all. If the didn't think he could fully recover his form...they would have drafted a OL, assuming there was decent value at the spot.

PASS RUSHER
I've been begging for one. However, once Singletary took over, a lot of things got better. Haralson started putting heat and finished very well. Justin Smith will bring some pressure but I think the real key is that Singletary feels Lawson will become a better pass rusher off the edge. They might have drafted one if there was value but again, don't draft for position if the value isn't there.

NT
Aubrayo Franklin played VERY well once Singletary changed the DL strategy. It would be wrong and unfair to judge him off the first half of the season when he was playing a technique that doesn't suit either him or the rest of the line.

So not picking any of those highly does not bother me. What we should take from that is that Singletary has seen enough to be satisfied with what he has to start the year.

Crabtree is a stud but him alone doesn't make it a monster draft.

The trade is a very good piece of work. Lots of talk already but my take it is good for three reasons. 1. Good teams find ways to draft very high to get that special player they need. With two #1s next year they can package them to get that kind of player in a better draft class (projected). 2. Carolina will be lucky to win 8 games next year. 6 if Delhomme misses any time. 3. To get an impact player with either a 2nd or a 4th round pick takes pure luck. The stars go in the first round, usually in the top 10.

Coffee should be a very solid backup and ends a lot of speculation. Should be good for 6-10 carries/game and 35-40 yards allowing Gore to be fresher and last longer.

McKillop is a nice ST guy and future TED. A very good pickup. Will contribute right away.

Davis is a talent that can be developed slowly. He has some nice tools and will have time to learn how to use them. Is the prototype pick for a team willing to be patient and coach him up.

Pascoe is NOT a good blocking TE. He will have to learn do that. As 3rd TE he will have to improve that part of his game in order to even make the team. He is a good receiver which Bajema was not. He won't see much of the field other than STs. Will have to wait a year to tell.

The rest of the guys are just reasonable hopes for ST role players.


Grade: B but could become A+ is the two first are used well next year.

Originally posted by RichmondPete:
An A. The 49ers came away from this years draft with 4 players with starting potential and 5 players that could make an impact within the first 3 years.

1st - Michael Crabtree - Franchise WR
2nd - Trade - Packaged for 1st rounder in 2010
3rd - Glenn Coffee - A one-cut-and-go RB who loves contact and was productive in the toughest conferance in the nation.
4th - Trade - See 2nd
5th - Scott McKillop - Led the nation in tackles, best TED prospect in the draft.
5th - Nate Davis - 4th rated QB in the Draft
6th - Bear Pascoe - Overrated blocker IMO but an excellent all around TE
7th - Curtis Taylor - One of the most athletically gifted safties in the draft
7th - Ricky Jean-Francois - DT with good upside
UDFA - Kory Sheets - Explosive, productive despite coming from a pass happy scheme
UDFA - Alex Boone - Off the field problems caused him to fall, 2nd round talent. Potential Starter