49ers 2008 NFL Draft Targets

by Fooch on Jan 11, 2008 9:27 AM PST in News Comment 39 comments

EDITOR'S NOTE 1/11/08 - 9:30AM - I'm going to have this post carry us until at least this afternoon, in part due to busy-ness with class, but also because I like the discussion and want to get as many scoutable names down as possible.

The playoffs are on for the final eight teams in the league. For the rest of us, it's time to start looking towards free agency and the draft. There will be plenty of time for free agents. In the meantime, it's time to get a little more specific about our draft interests. People seemed to enjoy the scouting reports I was able to acquire on various college players from the various SB Nation college blogs. I'd like to do that again, so here's the plan.

There was a diary with some initial draft discussions. I'd like people to get a little more specific beyond positions and starting throwing out names of guys you think the 49ers might go after and guys you would hope the 49ers would go after at some point. Two of last year's reports (Patrick Willis and Jay Moore) ended up on the team so they definitely can prove useful.

As we're gearing up for the draft, feel free to check out Mocking the Draft. If you head over, scroll down the left side to "MtD Most Popular." They have everything from position rankings to a mock draft to declared juniors (which they're always updating). They're a solid site for those who want to get a little more informed about the draft. So feel free to grab information from there when coming up with guys the 49ers should consider.

SB Nation currently has college blogs for 36 schools (scroll down SBN College for a complete list). If you go with a player not from a school listed it might be a little difficult to get the blogger scouting report, but certainly not impossible. Just might take longer.

Anyways, get some names down and I'll start working on scouting reports. We've got a little over four months to the draft, so we best get prepared.

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Several WRs

Sweed
Doucet
Bowman
Kelly*
Hardy*
Manningham
Urrutia*

* = can't find much on

Merton Hanks, 'nuff said.

by jtoj on Jan 9, 2008 10:40 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

first names

Can you throw up first names if you get a chance? Thanks.

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by Fooch on Jan 9, 2008 10:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

First Names

Limas Sweed Texas
Early Doucet LSU
Adarius Bowman Oklahoma St
Malcolm Kelly Oklahoma
James Hardy Indiana
Mario Manningham Michigan
Mario Urrutia Louisville

Merton Hanks, 'nuff said.

by jtoj on Jan 9, 2008 11:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

More important the a WR

Our D is good. We could get Lance Briggs, Karlos Dansbey, and all the good free agents and it would not improve. Why? No pass rush. And we had trouble stopping the run. Frank Okam, NT from Texas would fix that problem. He won't be around in the second round. One of those WR will be. I also think we should trade up and get another early 2nd round pick to get a DE. Then will be set.

by montasmob69 on Jan 10, 2008 5:01 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Early 2nd

We already have an early 2nd round pick and we not need a DE in any of the first 3 rounds. We have ample depth for probably the least important position in the 3-4 defense. Your pass rushing should be coming from your outside linebackers.

But Okam would probably be a pretty solid 1st round pick if he's there. Or Red Bryant in the 2nd/3rd could make sense at NT.

Actually we were pretty solid against the run last year. As we tied for 4th in the league in avg. yards per carry given up. The problem we gave up some many total yards is because our defense was on the field way too much because of an inept offense.

You guys can officially take me off the first day (Rounds 1-2) WR draft pick bandwagon (unless we let the Packers pick out WR for us; see Greg Jennings and James Jones). WR take too long to develope and there's more 1st round WR busts than just about any position. I'd like to stick it out with Hill and see what Martz can do with him. And for a run first offense; Battle, "the intended reciever" DJax, Lelie and with a heavy dose of VD the passing game should be competent. Hell if you want to add another WR just say Bryant and bring back Antonio Bryant of Bryant Johnson. In addition Hackett and Berrian are potential free agent signings.

With that being said I'd look for Okam or Shawn Crable (who could probably play a pretty solid OLB in a 3-4) in the first round. With either a NT or an OL following in the 2nd.

by methodrampage on Jan 10, 2008 8:00 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

WR

expect us to draft a couple of them and at least one early on. With Martz coming on, the 49ers will need some good ones for the offense to work.

Lott's Prayer: Almost as many words as the Lord's Prayer, but the Lord wouldn't recognize any of them.

by Nosetackle Supreme on Jan 10, 2008 8:58 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think so

Martz didn't do a whole lot with Calvin "The End All Be All Of Rookie WRs" Johnson last year. I mean Shaun McDonald almost produced Johnson by 31 receptions and almost 200 yards, even Furrey was somewhat close to matching Johnson numbers.

The fact of the matter is 9/10 Rookie WRs don't make much of an impact their rookie year (unless their dropped into an ideal situation see Anthony Gonzalez) and typically don't blossom until their 3rd (see Braylon Edwards). Martz only has two years to get it done and he doesn't have the luxury of hoping that he lands a Dwayne Bowe while dodging the Ted Ginns, Robert Meachems, Craig "Buster" Davis, Sidney Rices, Dwayne Jarretts, Steve Smiths, Jacoby Jones, and the Yamon Figurs of the draft.

Martz needs veteran roll receivers not rookies. I could offer up what Martz has done with McDonald and Furrey and say that he doesn't need top end talent to make his offense work.

I think we're more likely to address WR situation via free agency as, I feel, you've got a better idea of what you're actually getting. Plus historically speaking the Niners have been horrible at drafting WRs.

The other thing to note is we don't need an offense that resembles the Greatest Show on Turf as our defense, by all accounts, should be a hell of a lot better, than Martz' St. Louis teams. We won't need to score 28 pts per game to win.

by methodrampage on Jan 10, 2008 9:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Lelie

Lelie wants to be back next year and maybe Martz can work with him even more...

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by Fooch on Jan 10, 2008 10:54 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

2 year deal?

He has a 2 year deal, right? Assuming we don't cut him I am very excited to see how Martz utilizes him.

We are not who I thought we were.

by marcello on Jan 10, 2008 12:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Braekneck

YOU BITE YOUR TONGUE...... Sidney Rice is a damn good WR and we'd be damn lucky to have him..... he would be a top WR pick if he would have stayed another year....jury is still out bc he had an absolute garbage QB but i watched him live for about 20 games and he is amazing

by Qbgetter13 on Jan 12, 2008 12:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe you missed my point

Sydney Rice will probably turn into a stud WR, even with a crappy QB, but as a rookie his 396 yards hardly represents an impact player. Martz needs guys who are going to produce next year and rookie wide receivers tend to not produce much.

by methodrampage on Jan 13, 2008 6:26 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

ample depth?

I agree that we shouldn't be drafting pass rushers for our D-Ends. But we still need competence at the position. Ron Fields and Ray MacDonald aren't depth, they're all we've got.

That said, I see the team going wide receiver with the first pick.

I like Limas Sweed, Mario Manningham, and Malcolm Kelly. They're big, fast receivers with good hands.

Kelly I've seen play. He's fantastic when he's on, but he's not consistent. He seems to show up in the big games and then disappear for weeks. He's great with the ball in his hands. He he gets away from tacklers and turns short conpletions into long touchdowns. But I always worry about the character of Oaklahoma players.

I haven't seen Sweed play, but I have friends from UT who haven't missed a game since the invention of television. They have mixed feelings about Sweed. He's always a mismatch, but isn't as much a consistent go-to receiver as he is a gamebreaker. He's a little soft for Longhorns' fans' tastes, and he's not much of a blocker. Bottom line, he's good, but he's no Roy Williams.

Manningham was on TV all the time and I loved watching him. Michigan couldn't get him the ball enough. A few of those games, he was the Michigan offense. He, unlike the other receivers on my list, had an NFL-level QB throwing him the ball. That works for him and against him.

by Nineraguan on Jan 10, 2008 12:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, ample depth

To quote the wise beyond his years, sfgfan,

... the 49ers have many potential 3-4 DEs: Cohen, Fields, McDonald, Oliver, Douglas (if he comes back), and Franklin (if the 49ers bring in a true NT). So yeah, if the 49ers do spend on the line, they need an NT, not really any DEs.

I mean how many DEs do you want? We drafted two last year. Two more this year?

I loved watching Rashaun Woods at Oaklahoma St. How'd that turn out. The 49ers haven't drafted a solid WR in any round since '96 (TO). I think I pass on wasting another early pick on someone who'll be out of the league in two years.

by methodrampage on Jan 10, 2008 1:30 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

draft

i would not be upset if we took or even traded up for campbel from miami bc hes huge... the tackle that has to block him would def have his hands full and would not be able to pay attention to the OLB thats B lining to his QB..........DEs dont need to be pass rushers but they do need to be anchors so the bigger the better and 6'8" 285 would be damn nice and would indirectly affect our pass rush

WRs..... i would like to go with size like hardy but i have a feeling martz will go speed......jackson would be ideal but i have no respect for the Pac 10....he could return punts too and God knows we need that....Manningham got a name for himself when he was a #2 guy.....i dont want him (i will take henne if he throws like he did in the bowl game)......Berrian would be a good pick up for us....i just know that our WRs look like we picked them up at a garage sale...... i dont feel Djax brings anything special to the table and when he drops the ball i want to break my tv......if lelie is ever going to make it now is his chance.....Battle is a beast and in my opinion is the number one guy

by Qbgetter13 on Jan 12, 2008 1:22 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Qbgetter13

YOU BITE YOUR TONGUE... The Pac-10 is a damn good conference and we'd be damn lucky to have one of any number of Pac-10 players.... sure they had a pretty awful year, but it was still a year that most conferenced would be thrilled with... Pac-10 games live for 4 years and it is not lacking in talent or quality!

That said, I have my questions about DeSean Jackson at the NFL level. He'd obviously make an immediate impact on special teams, but it's not clear whether or not he has the consistent skills and polish to make up for his size (normally not a size guy, but he's very small for a pro) as a starting WR.

I keep reliving the moment when Steve Young almost fell down. Over and over. / My Blog, For Writers

by howtheyscored on Jan 12, 2008 1:47 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

my copy/paste hackjob

really tore itself to shreds at the end there. I meant "I watched Pac-10 games live..."

I keep reliving the moment when Steve Young almost fell down. Over and over. / My Blog, For Writers

by howtheyscored on Jan 12, 2008 1:49 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Draft needs...

Honestly, I don't think we should draft a WR in any of the early rounds unless a guy like DeSean Jackson falls into our laps (highly unlikely) and we simply can't pass him up. Rookie WRs are typically not good for a season or two or three (like Braylon Edwards). We're better off getting a veteran WR via free agency, and I also believe Martz will be able to do a lot more with Darrell Jackson, Battle and even Lelie (not to mention Vernon Davis).

There's no doubt that this draft should focus most on the offensive and defensive lines - how each unit performs is going to be the key to the 2008 season. Frankly, we can't get any worse line play than we did in 2007, so that's encouraging.

by jaytierney on Jan 10, 2008 12:34 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Mentioning Lelie

I wanted to add one huge follow-up point on the team's inability to use Lelie. Everyone in the league knows you have to respect him on deep routes, so we should have been running Davis in underneath routes on the same side where Lelie goes long. It's a common way to get a big TE in a one on one situation with a chance to break a tackle and make a play. We pretty much didn't do this once all season.

by jaytierney on Jan 10, 2008 12:37 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Mentioning The Disease

I know it is a little off topic but rather than focusing on drafting a receiver with an early pick, should the Niners entertain the notion of trading The Disease? Maybe package him with a draft pick and shop him around. That is if they don't plan on using him as a wideout or using him in the slot more. There is always Walker to replace him. Hell, if Martz's system is more complex, The Disease could prove to be a liability--illegal motion, false starts, holding.
(I thought about creating a diary for this but decided against it.)

Is a suit still considered a suit if it is made by Reebok?

by jfainsf49 on Jan 10, 2008 12:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

What's his value.

What has The Disease proved he's worth. He has produced with is most likely an end result of being extemely under utilized. But his current value isn't going to be all that.

by methodrampage on Jan 10, 2008 1:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re. What's his value

I agree with you that he doesn't have much value at this point, just potential value, that's why I said to package him with a draft pick.

You mentioned in a previous post, that receivers typically don't break out until their 3rd year. If that is true and teams around the league feel that way, then perhaps they might feel like taking a chance on the guy, being his 3rd year and all. But don't get me wrong I would like for The Disease to stay because this just might be a breakout year for him. If Martz can work him into the gameplan, which he should be able to.

Is a suit still considered a suit if it is made by Reebok?

by jfainsf49 on Jan 10, 2008 2:43 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Pigeon Holing

I think all of us are pigeon holing Martz a little bit, into that airing-it-out-9-plays-out-of-10-and-screw-the-run type of offensive coordinator. Does anyone really think Martz is just going to forget about that athletic freak that lines up at tight end and ignore him more than he's already been ignored.

I could have swore the Niners brought Martz in because, as an offensive mind, he knows what he's doing and because he wasn't some noob quarterback coach that would be way over his head. Martz, just like any offensive coordinator is going to have to be flexible because, well, not every team has Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce lining up wide. Remember, Martz is considered more of a "mad genius" than he is a "mad dumbass" (at least by some).

There's no way the Niners trade Davis and if Martz and Nolan want to keep there jobs there's no way the Niners continue to under ultilize him.

by methodrampage on Jan 10, 2008 3:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

clarifing

Not that you said we should focus on drafting a wr. I agree with you that we should focus on both lines.

Is a suit still considered a suit if it is made by Reebok?

by jfainsf49 on Jan 10, 2008 12:55 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Draft

well you've convinced me not to want a DE. Okam is still a must unless Jackson or Sweed fall. The most confusing thing to me is why Hostler acted like gore and davis were our worst players. He barely gave it to them. If Martz fails to do this, he should be fired instantly. All we need now is some depth and a few free agents.

by montasmob69 on Jan 10, 2008 3:43 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Did you notice

that often times Gore would take himself out of the game? It could have been that he was tired or hurt, or it may have been that he knew that Hostler wasn't going to go to him, be it a pass or run.

Is a suit still considered a suit if it is made by Reebok?

by jfainsf49 on Jan 11, 2008 6:03 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

San Diego

So are we all rooting for the Chargers this weekend? See as them winning would ultimately result in an earlier 1st round draft pick for us.

by methodrampage on Jan 11, 2008 7:38 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

here is my draft

here is my draft
1.doucet preferably jackson WR
2.Lawrence Jackson DE
3.Ainge QB
4.Okam DT
5.Royal WR
6.Barry Richardson OT
7.Pollack C

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by mississippininer on Jan 11, 2008 9:33 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Awesome

We're going to get the #3 rated DT in the 4th round.

by methodrampage on Jan 11, 2008 11:58 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Okam #3?

No where in any rankings have I seen him higher than 6 in DT list.
You got...
Dorsey
Ellis
Balmer
Bryant
Pressley
Harrison
Sims
in some order are ranked higher than Okam.
That is the reason I had him so low

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by mississippininer on Jan 11, 2008 12:11 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think

I think the difference with Okam is that he's the only one who really flies in a 3-4, so even if he's not as high overall as some others, he should go a lot higher because of the number of teams that run a 3-4 and not a 4-3 (like the Niners).

I keep reliving the moment when Steve Young almost fell down. Over and over. / My Blog, For Writers

by howtheyscored on Jan 11, 2008 12:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Mocking the Draft

Matt Miller has Okam being the 3rd DT being taken overall with the Miami Dolphins nabbing him with the first pick of the 2nd Round.

NFL Draft Countdown also has Okam ranked 3rd among DT.

http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/rankings/dt.html

Here's another list that has Okam ranked 4th.

http://football.about.com/cs/positionalranking/a/nfldraftdtrank.htm

These just happened to be the first 3 places I found. So I don't know what lists you're looking at but from what I've seen you're severly under-rating Okam.

Another important thing to note is now there are several teams running 3-4 defenses and it's difficult to find a true NT for that scheme as not every great college DT can play NT. So you can't really compare the guys that fit the 3-4 NT mold to all the other 4-3 DT. For example Sedrick Ellis is the #2 rated DT but there's no way he can play NT in a 3-4 so there's no way the Niners would consider drafting him (or any 3-4 team for that matter), even if he was available unless they planned to play him at DE. So in short, NT is a low supply and high demand position for teams running a 3-4. Okam won't get past our 2nd pick.

by methodrampage on Jan 11, 2008 12:34 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Put me down strong

On the Dennis Dixon train! We should be able to get him late enough not to sabatoge the best of our picks, and he'd give us a third style of play at QB (as opposed to Smith and Hill) to work with in whatever scheme Martz throws us into.

Also, even if that doesn't make much sense, I just plain like the guy. So I'm sure to overvalue him. I did the same thing with Ken Dorsey way back when. Granted, I'm not as naive as I was then, but still... a little glimpse into the mental workings of HowTheyScored.

I keep reliving the moment when Steve Young almost fell down. Over and over. / My Blog, For Writers

by howtheyscored on Jan 11, 2008 12:23 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Dixon

Dixon probably ranks around 9th-ish amoung QBs. Last year Troy Smith was the 8th QB taken and was a 5th round selection. I'd be all for drafting Dixon if we could land him in the 5th or, preferably, the 6th round. He'd definately bring some exicitement along with his selection and could possibly turn out to be a Seneca Wallace type.

by methodrampage on Jan 11, 2008 12:38 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Homer Pick

I'm a huge ASU fan (went to school there) so I'd like to see the 49ers select Ryan Torain. He was rated highly by Mel Kiper before he was injured and there was talk of him slipping into the first round but likely being selected in the 2nd or 3rd round. Because of an injury I believe he'll be selected in either the 4th or 5th round and I'd love to see the 49ers take a chance on him. I also believe we need to upgrade our back up RB options which I believe a healthy Torain would be. Anyone else have any thoughts on Ryan Torain?

PT-42

by norcaldevilasu on Jan 12, 2008 1:20 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Junior diary selections

User Junior put together a mock draft of 49ers picks in the diary section. I want to try and keep them in somewhat the same place so I'm posting his selections here and deleting his diary.

A potential starting point for draft selections.

Round 1 - Pick 30 - Pat Sims, DT or DE - Auburn
Round 2 - Pick 39 - Donny Avery, WR - Houston
Round 3 - Pick 71 - John Greco, OT - Toledo
Round 4 - Pick 103 - Kevin O'Connell, QB - San Diego State
Round 5 - Pick 135 - Patrick Lee, CB, KR - Auburn
Round 6 - Pick 167 - Marcus Smith, WR - New Mexico
Round 7 - Pick 199 - Mike Fladell, OG - Rutgers

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by Fooch on Jan 12, 2008 7:36 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Avery

if that avery kid is as fast as his 40 time on walterfootball then i think he'd be a good fit in martz's system and an option for punt returner.... from rankings ive seen though i dont think he would go in the 2nd unless some team really wants to try him as the next hester

by Qbgetter13 on Jan 13, 2008 7:54 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Kendall Langford

Plannb23 put together a diary with this info about Kendall Langford. I'm just throwing it in here to keep everything together.

This is the guy I would love to draft for one of our Defensive End spots.

Hampton's Kendall Langford is an intriguing defensive end who has a lot of potential to be a great sack artist. But after a dominant 2006, where he recorded eight sacks, Langford has only totaled 2.5 this season. At 6-foot-6, 294 pounds, Langford has tremendous size as a rush end, and has the physical tools to defend the run. He makes a lot of plays in the backfield, and his 8.5 tackles for a loss this season (51 total tackles) say a lot about his ability to get around the edge. Langford was considered to be a first-day selection before this season, but it now seems likely he'll drop into Day Two and be a late third-round pick.

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by Fooch on Jan 12, 2008 7:40 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Teh Planz

Round 1 - Pick 30: Derrick Harvey DE - FLA (or Kentwam Balmer)
Round 2 - Pick 39: Mario Manningham WR - MI
Round 3 - Pick 71: Chad Henne QB - MI
Round 4 - Pick 103: Mike McGlynn - OT (G) - Pitt

by sloislonelyfortheorange on Jan 12, 2008 8:01 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Mock Draft

Round 1)Calais Campbell, DE, Miami, 6'8" 282

With the colts losing early we might be in the postion to get this guy....he would be a huge addition with Young leaving....his size would occupy the OT and indirectly make Blitzing the OLB more affective.

2)Donnie Avery, WR, Houston, 5'11", 190

This guy is fast and fits martz's style. We dont have much speed and he can add it.....more importantly he can return punts bc i am sick and tired of fair catching everything. Our punt return is pathetic at best unless clements is back there...... i wouldnt mind going Hardy in the first or here if he falls in order to get that jumpman for the fade in the corner.

3)Ben Moffitt, ILB, South Florida, 6'2", 235

I like this guy a lot and if we put him beside Willis people might actually be killed....i think we all know that Smith's time is over.... he wasn't great two years ago but with Willis on the field he looks even worst (willis steals his tackles)....I use to have faith in Moore to play here but he has all but gotten lost on the depth chart.

4)Owen Schmitt, FB, WVU, 6'3", 250
Maybe the greatest guy in the draft. Absolute workout warrior that has a ton of heart...i think he can bring a great attitude to this offense and can possibly contribute on offense if given a chance....the need for a fullback probably decreases since Martz is taking over but im tired of watching Norris get blown up in the whold bc he can't bring the wood....Gore is still our best player and we need to get him all the help we can.

5)Carlton Meddar, OT (OG), Florida, 6'5", 319
I'll admit im picking this guy based off paper but he can play tackle and guard. I also think that guards and tackles can be found in late rounds... if we're not getting jake long, i can wait.

6)Jason Shirley, DT, Fresno St, 6'5", 330
Could be our run stuffer....big boy and great value in the sixth. A lot of people might want to use our first round on a DT but i dont think Okam will be there. In a 3-4 u need to get pressure and a DE helps us more than a DT and i really like Sopogna.

7)De'Cody Fagg, WR, Flordia St, 6'2", 212
Chances are our seventh round pick won't turn out so i'm picking this guy bc i like him.....he is a physical speciman and can make plays....is raw but maybe martz can develop him.

I'm basing where guys will be available off walterfootball.

Side note- I would like to get berrian as a fA

by Qbgetter13 on Jan 13, 2008 5:10 PM PST reply actions 0 recs