Editor's Update 8:27am: Indeed Gary Guyton has officially signed with the Patriots, so I changed the poll and crossed out his info.

First off, big thanks to Saint from Silver and Black Pride for the FanPost with the undrafted free agents signed by the 49ers.  Who says 49ers fans and Raiders fans can't get along?  Well I suppose in the offseason it's easier.  But big thanks nonetheless.

And maybe calling it miracles is a bit overdone.  Plenty of undrafted free agents have made a name for themselves in the NFL and I'm certainly rooting for these guys.  We all want to see the 49ers sign the next Tony Romo, Kurt Warner or Priest Holmes.  While the odds are quite slim, it's still worth checking out who we signed and what kind of impact they might make.  Additionally, I know people have mentioned how they have heard stuff about certain guys, so I want this to be considered a sort of open thread/link dump for info on the undrafted free agents the 49ers appear to have signed.

Robert Jordan, WR, California - Obviously many folks around here are fans of the Golden Bears.  Jordan was wildly overshadowed by Desean Jackson and Lavelle Hawkins.  If Jackson was the sizzle and Hawkins was the steak of the Cal receiving corp, Jordan would be the mashed potatoes (not sure how that analogy works, but whatever).  He had a consistent but quiet regular before exploding for 6 catches, 148 yards and a touchdown in Cal's Armed Forces Bowl victory.  He had a better senior season and career than Josh Morgan AND he hasn't been taken down with pepper spray.  Morgan is a bigger guy, but I'm gonna go on record as saying Jordan makes the team and Morgan does not.

Gary Guyton, OLB, Georgia Tech - Guyton's intriguing because he was projected to actually get drafted somewhere between Round 4-6.   I've checked out some mock drafts and reviews and the general consensus is that he looks to be a super special teams guy, with the upside of being a contributing every down linebacker.   Scout's Inc ranked him 14th among outside linebackers and says:

While he wowed front offices with his impressive combine, it's clear on film that Guyton needs to develop a mean streak and work on his man-to-man cover skills. That said, numbers don't like and there's no question he's got a great deal of upside because of his blend of size, speed and athletic ability. At the very least Guyton projects as an excellent special teams' player and at best he emerges as a productive every-down outside linebacker.

He sounds like Larry Grant but with more every down upside.  Assuming Guyton and Grant both make it to training camp and the preseason, we could see a very interesting battle between them.

Ezra Butler, OLB, Nevada - Like Guyton, Butler was projected to be drafted as well, but for some reason or another, teams passed on him.  Any info would certainly be appreciated by everyone.  Apparently he was suspended for the Wolfpack season opener for "rules violations."  Scout's Inc ranked him 18th among outside linebackers and said:

Butler doesn't have great cover skills and he needs to work on his technique but he has the size, burst and toughness to develop into an effective reserve or adequate starter in a 3-4 scheme so he projects as a mid-to-late round pick.

Throw him in with Guyton and Grant and we might have some decent competition for OLB depth.  I don't see why 2 of the 3 can't make the team.

This is going a little longer than I thought, so the remaining guys are going to be discussed after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

After 2 days and give picks, the San Francisco 49ers draft is complete and the time for irrational and rational analysis is upon us.  Right off the bat, I'll say this is a very tough draft to grade.  The general consensus was the 49ers had starting needs on the offensive line, the defensive line and at outside linebacker, with additional depth needs at wide receiver and in the secondary.  The prognisticators (yours truly included) felt Quentin Groves would be taken if he was there in the first or second round.  Offensive tackle seemed a sure bet to be addressed.  Many felt (or maybe it was just wanted) wide receiver would be addressed relatively early.  And the actual outcome?  No offensive tackles were taken, a short not so fast wide receiver with some issues was taken in the sixth round and they addressed OLB in the seventh round with a guy who is more likely to be a special teams start than an impact outside linebacker.

I will not say I'm disappointed or think it was a bad draft.  Aside from the usual cliches about waiting 3 years to fully evaluate a draft, I think there are some good things to come out of this, depending on how you view the players taken.  If you view this as a lot of reaches, you're going to be disappointed until they prove it on the field.  I can see how the team appeared to reach when other quality talents were still around.  I think my opinion is more of disappointment in who the 49ers could have taken, rather that who they actual took. 

While plenty of new questions arise, we've at least gotten some answers.  I'll deal with questions raised later, but for now I just want to look at questions answered.  And feel free to add any I miss.

1. The 49ers are happy with their receivers.  Yes they added Josh Morgan, but we all know how 6th rounders usually work out.  I'd say right I'm happier with Isaac Bruce, Bryant Johnson and Arnaz Battle as the 1-2-3 than last year with DJack, Battle and Ashley Lelie.  While it's not the greatest show on turf, I think there are sufficient weapons on the field.
2. Joe Staley and Jonas Jennings are your tackles next season.  After going guard with Rachal, I was kind of hoping the 49ers would grab OT Anthony Collins in the 4th round, but it was not to be.  I suppose they could work Rachal over to tackle, but I don't see that happening.
3. McNolan has tethered themselves to Smith/Hill (with a little O'Sullivan thrown in for good measure).  They could bring in an undrafted free agent, but I think it's safe to say the QB competition is officially set for this summerinside linebacker spot
4. Reggie Smith will be returning kicks and/or punts.  Maurice Hicks was quite solid on special teams, but the 49ers have not had the game-breaking kick/punt returning in ages.  It'd be pretty sweet to see Reggie Smith develop that aspect of the 49ers special teams. (Just corrected on Rossum.  I still think Smith will get a chance to make an impact in the return game.)
5. Eric Heitmann would seem to be a goner after this season.  Heitmann really struggled to bounce back from his broken leg at the end of 2006.  Who knows if Cody Wallace is the answer, but he'll definitely get every chance to prove it.  Heitmann had very solid stretches in his time with the 49ers, but it is quickly approaching the time to move on.