EDITOR'S NOTE - I managed to score jury duty today, so if anything comes up, feel free to use this as an open thread for breaking news of any sort.  Thanks to the power of SBN 2.0 I've managed to pre-post the #2 ILB All-Time team poll for noon pacific.  Other than that I'll be away from wireless until after 5pm.

Things along the offensive line certainly got a lot more interesting in the past couple of days.  After hearing that Jonas Jennings was having surgery on a broken knuckle, we learned today that Adam Snyder is out with what sounds like a right ankle sprain.  Thanks to sfgfan for throwing that one out below.

I use the headline "A rookie..." because there are a couple of options and no official word has been handed down as to which of the two will start.  One option would be to plug in undrafted rookie Brian De La Puente at left guard.  The other option is to move Tony Wragge over to left guard and plug in rookie Chilo Rachal at right guard.

We haven't heard a whole ton about De La Puente so I had a thought.  Maiocco has been running his day after look at all 81 players for both the Raiders and Packers games.  I'll post his comments on De La Puente and Rachal.

BRIAN DE LA PUENTE
Raiders

60-de la Puente: Nice block on linebacker Edgerton Hartwell on Hill shovel pass to Clayton helped net 14 yards. . . . Got a lot of action at LG after Snyder left the game.

Packers

60-de la Puente: Nice work one-on-one vs. DT Daniel Muir to allow Smith to deliver 27-yard pass down the field. . . . Performed very well in run and pass games.

CHILO RACHAL
Raiders

62-Rachal: Very solid job at RG after entering the game in the second quarter . . . Roughed up DT Derrick Gray in pass protection.

Packers

62-Rachal: Had some good plays, but there were some blemishes, too. . . Allowed QB pressure from Muir, who put good heat on Smith to lead to a third-down incompletion. . . . Missed a kick-out block on a 1-yard Clayton carry . . . Got low and opened the hole for Norris' 1-yard TD run . . . Got out front on screen pass to Clayton but he could not make the block on LB Abdul Hodge, who stopped the play for just 5 yards on third-and-8.

It's interesting how certain players will get a certain cache when it comes to the 53-man roster, simply because they were a draft pick.  Now I'm not jumping onto any sort of De La Puente bandwagon.  Rather I'm just intrigued by how this plays out for De La Puente.  Does he end up on the practice squad, our 53-man roster, or signing somewhere else with a chance to get some serious playing time?

According to Mike Sando, the NFC West divisional blogger at ESPN, the 49ers have kept an average of 9 offensive linemen in the three years of Mike Nolan.  Injury issues aside, the 49ers roster right now would probably include Joe Staley, Adam Snyder, Eric Heitmann, David Baas, Jonas Jennings, Tony Wragge, Chilo Rachal, Barry Sims and Cody Wallace.  Guys like Joe Toledo, Chris Patrick and John Booker are all training camp fodder.  So unless the 49ers decide to break camp with 10 offensive linemen, Brian De La Puente finds himself on the short end of the stick.

Due to the situation just described, I almost would prefer De La Puente get the start at left guard.  Chilo Rachal is not going anywhere and will get a chance to develop.  Since the starters are going into the third quarter (not sure where I read it, but I did read that somewhere), why not give De La Puente a chance to show what he can do?  An educated decision is certainly a better decision.  The first cut-down date is looming after this game and while I don't see De La Puente being in that first cut, it'd still be good to know what he's got.

[EDITOR'S NOTE 7/29 11:40PM: I've noticed many people googling "49ers training camp" are coming across this post.  If you end up here and have not been to Niners Nation before, feel free to explore the proverbial studio space.  If you want to leave comments here, scroll to the bottom and you'll see an option for registering.  Registration is free and it gives you the power of commenting and writing your own Fan Posts, which are like blogs within the blog.  Anyways, hope you enjoy your time here, as we've got a great little community that is growing every day.  We'd love to hear from you.]

The long "winter" that is the NFL offseason is finally at an end.  While games do not kick for another couple weeks, practice is officially underway today.  Thursday saw the 49ers report for duty and take care of phsyicals and whatnot.  Thankfully all the rookies are under contract and in camp.  To throw some cliches your way, in July everybody's a contender.  Some more than others, but every team has some reason or another for hope.  The 49ers hope comes in the form of Mike Martz and Justin Smith among many others.

We've broken down different training camp battles (twice).  We've looked at the new 49ers on the field and amongst the coaching staff.  We've even looked at possible best and worst case scenarios.  Consider this post then a quick overview for those who may have been away from Niners Nation awhile, as well as general info on training camp in Santa Clara.

Practice Facilities
Marie P. DeBartolo Sports Center
Santa Clara, CA
8 practices open to the public: July 25, 26, 27, 28, 30; August 1, 2,3

John Clayton with quick thoughts on the 49ers training camp and things to do away from camp:

• What John Clayton says: What's better than 49er camp? First, it's located on the outside of Great America amusement park, which could make for a great doubleheader for the entire family. Catch a morning or afternoon practice with one of the up-and-coming teams in football and slide over to the theme park. The 49ers train at their headquarters and have a nice setup for fans, with stands and refreshments.
• What to do besides training camp: Santa Clara is 45 minutes from downtown San Francisco; visit 49ers' camp in the morning and shop in Union Square in the afternoon. Other must-see places in San Francisco include Alcatraz, Pier 39, Golden Gate Park and the Ferry Building. Back at team headquarters, the Santa Clara Golf & Tennis Club is located but a few feet away, should campgoers wish to take some swings while in town. For a true taste of Silicon Valley history, the Intel Museum also is just down the street. And nearby Triton Museum of Art offers free admission.

Veteran Additions
Isaac Bruce, WR
DeShaun Foster, RB
Bryant Johnson, WR
J.T. O'Sullivan, QB
LaJuan Ramsey, DT
Alan Reuber, OT
Allen Rossum, KR/PR
Barry Sims, OT
Justin Smith, DE
Dontarrious Thomas, LB

2008 Draft Class
Kentwan Balmer, DT/DE
Chilo Rachal, G/T
Reggie Smith, CB/S
Cody Wallace, C
Josh Morgan, WR
Larry Grant, LB

Training Camp Battles to watch
QB1: Alex Smith vs. Shaun Hill vs. J.T. O'Sullivan (no snickering please)
Ted Linebacker: Jeff Ulbrich vs. Larry Grant vs. Brandon Moore
RG (winner does battle with Baas): Chilo Rachal vs. Tony Wragge
CB #2/3: Walt Harris vs. Shawntae Spencer vs. Tarell Brown vs. Reggie Smith
WR #2/#3/#4: Bryant Johnson vs. Arnaz Battle vs. Ashley Lelie vs. Jason Hill vs. Josh Morgan
FS: Mark Roman vs. Dashon Goldson
ROLB: Tully Banta-Cain vs. Jay Moore vs. Parys Haralson
World Wide Supremacy: Patrick Willis and Andy Lee vs. God (trick question, Lee and Willis ARE God)

We'll have wall to wall coverage of training camp.  I'm going to attend one of the eight practices, although that may expand to more if I have time.  In the meantime, if ANYBODY here attends training camp, we'd love to hear your thoughts in a Fan Post.  In the meantime I'll be scouring the Internet for information as things happen.  I hope everyone is as excited as I am for the return of football!

And of course, if you haven't yet signed up, the random drawing for spots in the first Niners Nation Fantasy Football League will be held July 31.  For those not selected, additional leagues will be created to fill all demand and there will be equal prizes to all winners.

EDITOR'S NOTE 7/24 10AM - If you found this link through 49ersparadise.com (or anywhere else for that matter), feel free to register with the site.  Registration is free and with it you can comment on any thread or create your own FanPosts, which are like blogs within the blog.  Either way, I hope you enjoy the site.

The 49ers announced the signing of fourth round draft choice Cody Wallace.  Back on draft day Barrows and Maiocco had some interesting tidbits about Wallace:

MB: [H]e's another guy who fits the 49ers' mold. He's a smart and powerful interior lineman who holds the Texas A&M record with a 740-pound squat lift. Wallace is a Senior Bowl alum who worked closely with George Warhop in Mobile. He also is a two-year captain, which likely endeared him to the 49ers. It's notable that the 49ers have spent two picks on the interior of the offensive line, a huge problem last season. It's also notable that the current center, Eric Heitmann, is entering the final season on his contract.

MM: His father reportedly died in prison when Cody was 8 years old. His mother died when he was 16. His only sibling, Marcus, who is 2 1/2 years old than Cody, is currently serving time on felony drug charges. Wallace was raised by his grandparents.

Wallace said living through those difficult circumstances has conditioned him to deal with challenging situations on the football field. He said he does not stress out about little things.

The overall scouting report said that:

Overall: Wallace is a little too light and his footwork is still inconsistent at this point but he has the strong upper body, frame, tenacity and smarts to develop into an excellent backup or capable starter in time.

So the question is what will he become for the 49ers in the short term and long term.  Eric Heitmann is the man in the middle anchoring the offensive line for now.  However, he definitely struggled coming off his 2006 broken leg.  I'm curious to see what kind of playing time Wallace gets his first year.  Is it possible he starts on the practice squad?

As the 49ers signed Josh Morgan and Larry Grant, they have continually stated that they expect no problems getting their remaining draft picks into camp.  To date, Kentwan Balmer, Chilo Rachal, Reggie Smith and Cody Wallace remain unsigned 9 days before training camp.

Well, we may have somewhat of an explanation, at least in regards to first and second round picks.  Tip of the cap to Bleeding Green Nation, for posting a link to John Clayton's blog post about the issue.  With only 3 first round picks and 1 second round pick under contract, it is definitely an important issue for the entire league:

On Tuesday, the NFLPA filed a brief seeking a decision of a Special Master. Without getting too complicated, the dispute revolves around the interpretation guaranteed one-time bonuses and the way those guarantees are interpreted within the rookie pool.

Under the rookie pool, base salaries can only increase 25 percent per year, but agents found a loophole in which a draft choice can receive a one-time bonus and guarantee it in the final year of the contract. This particularly affects second-round choices because they sign four-year deals. The problem in this summer's negotiations is that there is no collective bargaining agreement in 2011 so the fourth year of the contract can't be involved in any kind of guarantees.

While it is possible to use the second year as a guarantee, agents don't consider that an option because few teams cut a first- or a second-rounder before that. The NFLPA and the Management Council will present their interpretations and await a decision by the Special Master next week.

The 49ers don't report to camp until the end of next week, so an early week decision should give them time to wrap things up.  Clayton specifically mentions the problems would apply mostly to teams like the Redskins who report Sunday the 20th.  I'd hope the 49ers have multiple deals in place to be signed that could work in the event of any outcome.  I'll definitely keep an eye on this going into next week.

Last season I signed up for text message updates from the 49ers and I have to say, some of the time I'm receiving them before seeing anything online.  Being in the slow days of June, not a whole lot is going on so not too many messages.  However, early yesterday afternoon I learned that the 49ers had successfully claimed QB Kyle Wright off waivers from the Vikings and waived QB Drew Olson.

Considering the quarterbacks already in camp, I'd be shocked if Wright was on the roster at the end of August.  At the same time, Wright could be a prime candidate for the practice squad.  Drew Olson actually spent a small part of the season on the practice squad.  In the meantime, the claim of Wright has inspired me.  The 49ers currently have 81 players on their roster, including unsigned draft picks.  Just for sh$#s and giggles I thought I'd put together the "worst starting lineup possible."  All of these players are certainly world class athletes, but many of them are not starter quality.

OFFENSE
QB: Kyle Wright - He was ok for the U last season but definitely the worst option.
RB: Michael Robinson - Robinson brings a lot to the table, but I'm convinced Thomas Clayton is a better pure running back.  We're not factoring in potential special teams contributions either.
WR: Dominque Ziegler & Jerard Rabb - I actually like most of the 49ers less wide receivers, especially Robert Jordan.  Ziegler has struggled with injuries problems and Rabb was the 1A banana at Boise State in 2006 (he was the guy who caught the lateral and tied the game).
TE: Cooper Wallace - At least JJ Finley is a rookie and put up better college numbers.  Wallace has been in the NFL a couple years and hasn't made a big impact yet.  I'd imagine he's coming to the end of the road pretty soon.
OT: Damane Duckett & Alan Reuber - Duckett is a pet project of Nolan and considering he's never actually played in a game as a tackle.  Reuber has been around since 2004 and has seen scattered action during that time.
C: Cody Wallace - Not exactly an inspired pick.  I'm tempted to just see Wallace starting over Heitmann, but this is more a default pick since the 49ers only have a pair of centers.
OG: Brian De La Puente & Jeb Terry - Terry has been around the league for a few years and seen some action mostly on special teams.  De La Puente is a rookie out of Cal and I wouldn't mind seeing him on the practice squad.

DEFENSE
DE: Atiyyah Ellison & Louis Holmes - Ellison joins the running theme of practice squad bodies on this squad.  Louis Holmes is an undrafted free agent, so it's certainly too early to tell what he brings to the table.
DT: Walter Curry - LaJuan Ramsey was battling for this spot, but Ramsey has actually registered real NFL statistics.  Curry was an undrafted free agent in 2005 and has bounced from practice squads to NFL Europe and back.
OLB: Roderick Green & Parys Haralson - The linebacker positions show you the deth the 49ers have.  Green and Haralson are probably not starting caliber (at least for the 49ers), but they provide quality depth
ILB: Dennis Haley & Larry Grant - As seen in the outside linebackers, inside linebacker would also be a strength of this particular team.  Grant is a favorite of mine, so we'll see how he looks in training camp.
CB: Markus Curry & Marcus Hudson - Curry has bounced around practice squads since 2005 and I'd imagine he'd be an early cut in training camp.  The second CB spot was tough.  Tarell Brown brings way too much upside and Strickland gets a pass thanks to his huge defensive play against the Cardinals.  Reggie Smith is too green to be considered here so that leaves "veteran" Marcus Hudson.
FS: Lewis Baker - He's an undrafted free agent with some potential, but I certainly don't see sticking Mark Roman or Dashon Goldson in this spot.
SS: DJ Parker - Similar to Baker above, I don't see sticking Michael Lewis or Keith Lewis in this spot.

There's a back-up punter but that would just be ridiculous to talk about.  Of course considering I just did an analysis of the bottom end of the roster pool, maybe I should have included Ricky Schmitt.  I'd imagine this team would probably go 0-16.  Although, I definitely think this would make for an impressive college team.  So, would this team be able to win at the NFL level?  Considering we're playing Miami this year, it's entirely possible 1-15 is a better bet.

One of my favorite web sites is Football Outsiders.  The sister-site of Baseball Prospectus has taken football analysis to a whole new level.  However, I realized today I hadn't visited the site in some time this offseason.  I get email updates from them and nothing of note seemed to be coming along.  Well, I did a little combing of their recent articles and found some interesting stuff I had overlooked.  So consider this a Football Outsiders link dump of sorts.

Draft Review
Shortly after the draft, FO did a review of the NFC West's drafts.  They did a nice little review of the events that ended with the 49ers picking where they were picking in the first round.  Leading up to the draft, most websites emphasized how the 49ers shot themselves in the foot in losing out on a top 10 pick.  In discussing the 2007 selection of Staley they said:

Staley started every game at right tackle for the 49ers last season, and runs to right tackle improved from 23rd in 2006 to ninth in 2007. Considering the damage that Staley’s predecessor Kwame Harris was doing to the psyche of the 49ers’ fanbase, the trade seems like at least a wash for San Francisco.

Then looking at what the 49ers did with the acquired Colts pick:

That pick, the 29th overall, and the 49ers’ own second-rounder, the 39th overall, were used to solidify the interior of the line on both sides of the ball. This is the same strategy the Kansas City Chiefs used to set everyone’s hearts aflutter, but the 49ers received much less fanfare.

We all know plenty about the early 49ers picks, so I'll throw out what FO said about some of the later guys.

Cody Wallace: "Wallace cleaned up at the Combine, leading all offensive linemen in vertical jump and broad jump. Jokes about the rarity of centers bouncing around a football field aside, that shows great explosive power in the legs; if he can launch his own body through the air, he should have no problem popping defenders backwards at the snap."

Josh Morgan: "NFL.com’s bio of Morgan is awfully frank, saying he has 'a rare combination of size and speed,' but 'he’s also plagued by rounded-off routes, weak effort as a blocker and ugly drops.'"

Larry Grant: "Grant is somewhat undersized at 235 pounds, but has great agility, placing third in the 3-cone drill and fourth in the 20-yard shuttle at the Combine. That athleticism should come in handy on passing downs and on special teams."

They wrapped up the piece with an interesting tidbit on the undrafted free agents the 49ers signed:

[Robert] Jordan is noted for his physical and mental toughness, but the durability of this thin frame must be questioned; he broke his ankle in high school, and his collarbone in college. Another interesting prospect is Louis Holmes out of Arizona, a monster of a man at 6-6, 270 pounds, who would play an enormous outside linebacker in the 49ers’ 3-4. He has also had “brushes with the law,” so he may be terrorizing on and off the field.

Special Teams and the draft
Mike Tanier used to write a column called "Too Deep Zone" for FO, as well as several other pieces every year.  Just prior to the 2008 draft, he made a change and now has a bi-weekly column titled "Walkthrough," which appears to be a random assortment of this, that and the other thing related to football and analysis.  His first Walkthrough had an interesting discussion about college players' willingness to play special teams their rookie season (and beyond in some cases).

Most teams ask midrange prospects about their special-teams willingness during pre-draft interviews. According to Rob Rang of NFL Draft Scout, coaches and execs can’t always take the answers at face value.

“Some prospects say they’re willing to play special teams or ‘do whatever it takes get onto field,’ but are then shocked when they are actually expected to do so.” Wright agrees. “Many of these guys need to swallow their pride and put their egos on the backburner. But some have a real difficult time doing that.”

Assuming they make the 53-man roster, I could see Larry Grant and Josh Morgan seeing plenty of time on special teams.  When Grant was selected in the 7th round, that was one of the primary pieces of analysis about him.  Obviously we won't have a better idea about this until training camp and preseason games.  If a guy can prove he can contribute to special teams, you never know when he might then get a shot at regular play.  It should make for an interesting camp.

I like to poke around the various SB Nation football sites to see what's going on in the rest of the NFL world, and more specifically, to drum up ideas for posts.  Over at Dawgs by Nature, they had a post discussing a semi-regular feature over at cbs.sportsline.com.  Pete Prisco is doing a feature ranking the different offensive and defensive units around the NFL.  While it is just as random as the next guy, I was curious to see what he had to say about the 49ers.  While he had some positive points, the rankings are not quite so positive, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise.  One drawback to his rankings is that he ranked the teams alphabetically, so it requires a little bit of work to clear things up.  Rather than consider all the teams, I'll just throw up the NFC West rankings.

Offensive Line Rankings

Rating: 30

Best player: LT Joe Staley. Weak link: C Eric Heitmann.

The skinny: They will move Staley from right tackle to the left side. He played the right side as a rookie, but is more of a left tackle. Look for rookie Chilo Rachal to start at guard, although he has worked some at right tackle. The inside people are average at best. Rookie Cody Wallace could challenge Heitmann.

The OL rankings were published on June 2 and he still has Chilo Rachal slated to potentially start at guard.  The end of the OTAs will get that whole G/T business cleared up.

NFC West
Seattle: 11
Arizona: 20
St. Louis: 28

Defensive Line Rankings

Rating: 29

Best player: RE Justin Smith. Weak link: LE Kentwan Balmer or Ron Fields.

The skinny: The 49ers paid a lot for Smith, especially since he had two sacks last season. But they like his toughness. Balmer, the team's first-round pick, should be the starter at the other end spot. Fields will try to fend him off. Nose tackle will be a battle between Aubrayo Franklin and Isaac Sopoaga, who showed well when Franklin was hurt last season. The 49ers need to get more from outside linebacker Manny Lawson, who missed most of last season with an injury. Tully Banta-Cain has quickness on the other side.

Smith has been getting a lot of work at outside linebacker, which would certainly shake this up a little bit.  This breakdown was posted today and Prisco is under the impression that Sopoaga will be the nose tackle.  And of course there's no mention at all of Ray McDonald, who I see as a sleeper off the bench.

NFC West
Seattle: 7
Arizona: 20
St. Louis: 19

Obviously these are the random rankings of somebody with "insider access."  Unfortunately there are enough oversights by Prisco to leave them wide open to questioning.  Considering how poorly the units performed at times last year, it's easy to see that carrying over to preseason rankings this year.  The offensive line has as much to prove as anybody on this team.  The defensive line may take a little time to gell, but I think there is sufficient talent to make them a very interesting unit worth paying attention to going forward.

As the newest member to the Niner's Nation family, I will be providing a look at all things 49ers, but with a scouting twist. Future articles will include breaking down the offense, defense and special teams of the 2008 49ers and looks at the draft history in San Francisco. There's also a good chance Joe Montana and Steve Young are scouted and graded.

All feedback is welcome in the comments, or by finding me at New Era Scouting and Mocking the Draft .

A little background on myself: I've been scouting college football since 1999, long before I really knew what I was getting in to. Since then I have worked as a scout for NFL teams, have been credentialed to the NFL Draft, Senior Bowl, NFL Scouting Combine and numerous schools across the Nation. However, without any further ado, here is our look at the San Francisco 49ers 2008 draft class.

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