Mel Kiper’s Draft Grade for the Niners

San Francisco 49ers: GRADE: C+

They didn’t address their need at wide receiver until the sixth round and didn’t take an OLB until the seventh round. Kentwan Balmer is a solid DT prospect for their scheme, and I like Chilo Rachal’s aggressiveness at guard (he can also play right tackle). Reggie Smith is kind of a tweener at safety or corner. He has ability, but needs to settle on a position. Cody Wallace was the No. 1 center on my board. Josh Morgan is a decent receiver. OLB Larry Grant can make this team as backup.

It seems to me the Niners had a pretty pedestrian draft on paper, but it will take a couple of years to really see how this draft contributes to the club, (or did not). It was a shame that the Niners only had 6 picks in this draft given this was a very deep draft, with a lot of player parity.

MN

 

Bad Niner Mojo………….

So, I open the paper this morning, and see two Niner stories that both are in the not so good category. First, David Baas, who FINALLY won a starting position in the second half of last year, tears a pectoral muscle pumping iron, and will miss the entire 2008 exhibition season. Hopefully for Baas, Tony Wragge, Jeb Terry, or some draft pick we don’t know about, won’t step up and put Baas back on the pine. Unlikely, perhaps, but Baas had to work much harder than anticipated to become a starter, and now unfortunately he’s become vulnerable. Then there’s San Francisco native Donald Strickland who got a nice Free Agent re-sign opportunity from the Niners. He’s been “summoned” to court for public intoxication and resisting arrest at a nightclub in San Jose a couple of weeks ago. Ah, Don……………………………..what are ya thinkin’? Strickland is far from a lock to make the ball club at the DB position, thus getting in trouble off the field isn’t exactly high on the judgment scale. Actually the Niners have been quite intolerant to this kind of behavior, so hopefully Mr. Strickland will have his day in court, do what he has to do, and get back to being a full time professional athlete.

MN

Good call by the Dolphins!

As “recommended” by the Hooked on the Niners Dream Team in our “who we would take” Mock Draft, the Dolphins have apparently made Michigan super offensive tackle, Jake Long, the number one selection in the 2008 NFL Draft.  Good choice! Long should be a dozen year fixture at left tackle for the ‘Fins, and help them begin re-building what has become a terrible ball club. Bill Parcells knows exactly what he’s doing, and that is totally displayed by the Jake Long signing.  Long becomes only the third number one overall first pick at the Offensive Tackle position. The other two? Orlando Pace from Ohio State to the Rams in 1997, and Ron Yary of USC, by the Vikings in 1968.  Yary is a Hall of Famer, and Pace almost certainly will be.  Here’s another piece of Offensive Tackle “useful information” for you.  Perhaps the greatest NFL Offensive Tackle ever was Anthony Munoz of USC. Munoz was drafted number three overall by the Bengals in 1980. The first two picks in 1980? The Detroit Lions picked Billy Sims of Oklahoma number one overall, and the New York Jets picked Johnny “Lam” Jones of Texas number two, overall. The “Lam” was recently named as one of the top ten draft busts of all time!

MN

Mel Kiper’s round one mock draft selection for the 49ers

I think all that perfectly coiffed hair has really weighed down Kiper’s thinking process. He has the Niners selecting Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo with their first selection in the upcoming NFL Draft.  So, let me get this straight your Melness. The Niners have Patrick Willis, Manny Lawson, Tully Banta-Cain, Dontarrious Thomas, Brandon Moore, Jeff Ulbrich, Jay Moore, and Roderick Green on their roster @ LB, and they’re gonna spring for Jerod Mayo with their first pick? Do ya think maybe a Pass Rusher, an Offensive Lineman, a Wide Receiver, or even a Safety, might be a bit more pressing need? Check out our Hooked on the Niners mock draft, and you’ll see what the “real experts” on the Niners think will happen.  Seriously, the draft should be real interesting this year with all the player parity, thus introducing (hint, hint, Niners), the opportunity to do some wheeling and dealing by trading up, or in the Niners case, potentially down. Remember, they only have 6 picks in this draft now, while most teams have 9.

MN

 

Preseason Games Should Be Fun . . .

Preseason is usually, well . . . preseason . . . but I think the Niners preseason home slate this summer should be fun . . . I mean with Green Bay (Aug. 15, 16 or 17) and San Diego (Aug. 29) coming to town — both teams just missed the Super Bowl last year (as NFC and AFC Championships Game runners-up, respectively) and should be pretty good tests for the (hopefully) “New & Improved” version of SF 49ers football . . . even if it is (just) preseason . . .

– JayDub