Originally posted by OnTheClock:Originally posted by OnTheClock:Hiya, fellas. Well, the dust has settled after Draft Weekend, and it's about time I busted out the annual draft grade and pick evaluation. After that, I'll give you my selections as if I had been running the draft and had been fully aware as well that Joe Staley wasn't returning. Let's get started.
1. Javon Kinlaw-DT-South Carolina / Pick Grade: A
I really can't complain too much about this pick. He was arguably the best DT in the class this year, and he was only one slot behind Lamb on my board. He will be an immediate starter for us and is a perfect fit in our scheme. While he may not be an all-star right out of the gate, I expect the talent around him in Jones/Bosa/Ford/AA to help give him opportunities to showcase his playmaking ability early on in 1 on 1 matchups. Overall, not a bad pick at all.
1. Brandon Aiyuk-WR-Arizona State / Pick Grade: B
He was neck and neck with the other receivers on the board at this point, so while I didn't grade him as a top 25 pick, I also have been keen to express that I see the ceiling is quite high, especially in our system. His raw talent make me feel like his "best case scenario" could be something on the level of OBJ, but as I've said elsewhere, a safe bet seems to be somewhere around the Stefon Diggs trajectory which make the late 1st to early 2nd seem appropriate for where he should've gone. Yes, Aiyuk wasn't my favorite receiver in this class, but I don't think we got a bad value here at this spot.
5. Colton McKivitz-OL-West Virginia / Pick Grade: A
Having already selected a WR and DT, our next highest need was most certainly OL, and we took one here. Keith Ishmael and Nick Harris were two OL prospects still on the board but I would NOT have taken either of them here. In fact, I'm not sure I would've touched either until the 6th or 7th round at least. McKivitz' was not a guy I had had a chance to watch but after reviewing his film, his tape was clearly superior to the two previously mentioned players. I also think he was a better prospect than Prince Tega Wanogho -- a player who is a waist-bender, slow out of his stance and whose movement looks rather sloppy at times. Jon Runyan Jr could've been an option here, but I don't think he'd offer true OT capability in the NFL and certainly don't think he is a viable swing tackle candidate like McKivitz might be. So, after thorough review, I think we actually made the right pick here. Kudos, Shanalynch.
6. Charlie Woener-TE-Georgia / Pick Grade: C
At this point, I really wanted us to look as pass rush depth because I'm not a fan of trusting players with injury histories like Blair and Ford, and even to an extent Bosa before he got to the NFL. I know Derek Tuszka went late in the 7th, but I thought he was worth more than that, and would've picked him here instead. I know he's a phenomenal blocker, but there were several other TEs on the board that went later or undrafted that I think might've offered more collective value to us.
7. Jauan Jennings-WR-Tennessee / Pick Grade: B+
While he had talent well above the 7th round grade, his character questions stemming from lack of emotional control were the level of an undraftable player. If he has put all that behind him, he has the raw potential to greatly outplay his draft position and be a potential steal for us. He was worth a flier in the 7th, and definitely should provide healthy competition and insurance to a WR group that needs more talent, toughness, and durability.
Summary & Overall Draft Grade: B+
I think overall, despite that lack of picks, we did a really nice job. I have my nitpicks, but can't really complain too much about this class. Could I have done better? Hmm. Maybe. I'll share what I would've done now.
If I ran through the draft and went off my personal board/BPA while knowing Staley was retiring, these would've been my picks:
Round 1, Pick 14: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
Round 1, Pick 31: Yetur Gross-Matos, DE, Penn State
Round 4, Pick 117: James Lynch, DT, Baylor
Round 5, Pick 153: Darnell Mooney, WR, Tulane
Round 6, Pick 190: Jon Runyan Jr, OL, Michigan
Round 7, Pick 217: Charlie Taumoepeau, TE, Portland State
Notes: As evidenced here by it being missing, I definitely would've traded pick 156 and next year's 3rd for Trent Williams as well. I graded Lamb and Gross-Matos as first round talents. Lynch, I graded as a 2nd-3rd round talent and I think he could've started at 3T. Mooney a 3rd round talent. Runyan a 5th, and Taumoepeau a 5th-6th. So all would've been value picks at those spots to me. I think we could've easily addressed our WR depth, pass rush depth, IOL depth, and TE depth by going my route, but time will tell if I was right.
I think it's safe to say, the 49ers would not be in the dreadful position they are now if they had selected the players that I would have... Can you imagine a WR corps of Lamb-Deebo-Mooney-Bourne? How about Gross-Matos to fill the gap at DE since we knew Ford was an injury risk? James Lynch has more sacks than Kinlaw so far, and Sunday Night was his first game active. Runyan is the primary backup at both guard spots in Green Bay.
My picks aligned alot with yours. Aiyuk was my number 5 wr. I like him but Lamb was number 1 and Mooney was my surprise guy this year. I was a huge fan of Matos as well. My family are Panthers fans so their more than pleased. He would have been perfect for our scheme. It's deflating with the amount of resources the team has put into the dline and oline and both will still be huge needs next off-season.
[ Edited by Willisfn4life on Oct 12, 2020 at 2:08 PM ]