Only a FS Jimmie Ward-Houston Texans

To my mind this is a great pick.

I think it allows Fangio much more freedom in disguising his coverage, which is what we like to do. Talk was made of single high safety schemes being used more and I think Ward will fit into that because we can scheme in such a way that he can take a CB or safety role and I think he will be our main slot CB.

Put him, Reid, Cully and Brock on the field and we can show single high safety with Ward as slot CB and then vary it.

Edit: It's also obvious that the SB loss to the Ravens has shown us the weakness in having safeties without coverage skills. I think Harbaugh and Baalke have realised that our secondary cost us the 6th ring.

To the people pissed at not drafting WR, Baalke hasn't had the best track record in evaluating WR prospects. He has however an EXCELLENT track record with defensive prospects and picking up random free agents that turn out to be great fits and depth for the defense. Just based on track record, Ward has a much better chance of being a good player than any WR that Baalke could've picked today. As far as improving the receiving talent, I'd rather Baalke just stick to guys who are already a known quantity (ie. free agency, trade, extending our own).

Jim Harbaugh

Did he play a lot of nickel in college?

"Yeah, very effectively."

http://www.49ers.com/news/article-2/Jim-Harbaugh-Jimmie-Ward-Is-a-Vicious-Tackler/6dd08641-fa06-4cd8-a1ca-b497cb820cbb

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Matt Maiocco @MaioccoCSN � 3h

Jim Harbaugh said Jimmie Ward will compete at the nickel back position against 49ers vets Eric Wright and Perrish Cox.

The spot is probably already his now. If he lives up to expectations he will "start" day one. Now we need somebody to replace Cook on the roster.

this dude is a stud, so stoked about this pick! he will play nickel for now but he will start at safety for us down the road. hes got good speed, great toughness and will be a monster against receivers in the nickel. hes always around the ball, has great hands for a DB and is a ballhawk. our secondary will overpass seattle's this season i think. we have players who are sound in their technique, the league is gonna be cracking down on their holding b******t this year, watch them suffer

illinois and a skinny upper body...sounds unsettlingly familiar.

Originally posted by Young2Rice:
Right i understand coverting players like culliver and miller, esp in later rounds.

DBs often convert to safites and sometimes visa versa. But i'm trying to think where a guy was drafted in round - 1 to change positions and also to learn his natural position.

Its just bizarre to me. Why not focus on one position, especially because we are desperate at cb.

EXACTLY! What is also amazing is what seems like this fo's unawareness or unconcern to address the fact that we needed a solid outside corner because outside of Brock NONE of our current corners are proven or certain.

Originally posted by KapToBoldin:
This was a reach. He probably would have been available in the 2nd.

Not for us to take, in the last few days they had him going early second way before the niners 1st of 2 2nd rounders, others said he may go late first. I was surprised and said huh, but yet not surprised cause I knew this could happen with Baalke at the helm. Those who are ticked off, are those who took the word of prognosticators and invested emotional ties to certain players.

I

Originally posted by hondakillerzx:
this dude is a stud, so stoked about this pick! he will play nickel for now but he will start at safety for us down the road. hes got good speed, great toughness and will be a monster against receivers in the nickel. hes always around the ball, has great hands for a DB and is a ballhawk. our secondary will overpass seattle's this season i think. we have players who are sound in their technique, the league is gonna be cracking down on their holding b******t this year, watch them suffer

later in his career he can put on a few more pounds and play alongside eric reid

Originally posted by xcfan:
illinois and a skinny upper body...sounds unsettlingly familiar.

He's going to play WR!?

Originally posted by thl408:
Just to add. One thing a defense can do is stay in their base personnel even when the offense brings in a 3WR set. If Ward comes up to cover, the 49ers don't lose any run defense by staying in their 3-4.

very good point, imho. didn't think about this at all.

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Originally posted by Young2Rice:

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by Young2Rice:

Thats what i was hoping. He was here to be db. But why is baalke saying he will learn to play nickle AND safety? That just seems odd and indesicive to me. Ive never heard of a first rounder drafted as a safety, to learn how to play nickle and safety. It sounds like baalke was spitting gum and hoping it sticks somewhere with this pick.

He's got a background in both positions, its not like they're asking him to play WR and then move to OLB, there's a lot of overlap between cornerback and safety, the skills he develops as a nickel corner will also aid him as a safety as well.

Gotcha. So he will get a chance at db and if that doesn't work out, then he will move to safety?

First of all, safeties ARE DBs, so I don't know why you're using the terms exclusive to each other. Secondly, the pick addresses the need for a slot CB with the departure of Tarrell Brown and Carlos Rogers. This move also signals HarBaalke's intention to have the slot CB drop back and forth to the S position in a defensive audible situation. This arises from the current offensive trend of the the uptempo no-huddle (Broncos, Pats, Eagles, etc). Now Fangio won't have to worry about his defensive personnel mismatches when opposing offenses try to prevent defensive substitutions with the uptempo no-huddle. It's staying in front of an offensive, league-wide tendency, and they picked a hell of a talented player to do it. Drafting Jimmie Ward is a clever move.

Why burn a first rounder for Ward when Robey was on the board, rated 6.1? Ward was 5.7 We could have drafted Robey, then traded up to get Ward in the second round if we really loved him.

We got scared when Dennard Verret went off the board bang bang.

Ward seems like a risk. Playing for a mid major, with surgery, a little light upper body. Like his aggressiveness, hope it translates to the big time and won't land him on IR.

Originally posted by brodiebluebanaszak:

Why burn a first rounder for Ward when Robey was on the board, rated 6.1? Ward was 5.7 We could have drafted Robey, then traded up to get Ward in the second round if we really loved him.

We got scared when Dennard Verret went off the board bang bang.

Ward seems like a risk. Playing for a mid major, with surgery, a little light upper body. Like his aggressiveness, hope it translates to the big time and won't land him on IR.

Those weren't Baalke ratings now were they? And it's been shown numerous times in this thread that he was a 20s-early 2nd round guy.