For those that recall our pre-draft discussions, Draft Tek was a hot topic due to their continually updated 7-round mock draft.  Warren and Draft Tek happens to be based in Alameda, so we've had some discussions about this and that over the last few months.  With the draft completed, Warren has been working on putting together an analysis of the best and worst of the draft, including best/worst at filling needs and best/worst overall.  His metrics have the 49ers 5th overall for first round value and #1 overall for best at addressing their needs.

To quickly summarize Draft Tek's analysis of filling our needs (followed by my rebuttal to Warren):

1. We scored big at receiver getting Hill and trading for Jackson
   
2. We lost points for not grabbing a guard
   
3. We gained minimal points for picking Staley
   
4. We gained big points at defensive tackle and defensive end because they were need positions
   
5. However, we virtually zeroed out at linebacker because of our lack of an outside linebacker selection (more on that in a minute)
   
6. We gained points with Dashon Goldson and we lost points with Tarell Brown.

1. Even though Jay Moore played defensive end in college, he is going to be an outside linebacker for the 49ers, thus partially addressing that need and boosting our linebacker score.
   
2. Although we grabbed defensive lineman, I don't think the need was necessarily filled as well as it could have been.  If McDonald ends up having knee surgery, combined with Jay Moore not being a true DE for us, we end up with no defensive ends this season from the draft.  As for Cohen, we've all realized he's going to be a backup that could eventually turn into something.  I personally am not holding my breath with him, but I hope he works out.
   
3. While I understand the poor grade for not grabbing a guard, I think the 49ers deserve a little more credit for trading up to grab Staley.  However, for immediate results, we might not get them, which could apply to the Draft Tek formula.  If we're assessing this draft for the next 5-10 years then Staley has a ton of value.  If we're strictly looking at 2007, then obviously there's less value in the Staley pick for now (barring him forcing himself into the starting lineup immediately).
   
4. Finally, even though corner isn't a huge need, I think the Tarell Brown is a very good pick based on the low risk and potential high reward.  The NFC West is loaded with big, quality receivers and you can never have enough corners.  Additionally, Walt Harris has to prove he can repeat last year's performance and Shawntae Spencer has to stay healthy.  If there is a breakdown at the #2 CB, Brown could prove quite useful.

The 49ers official website has been posting Q&A's with the various draft picks, and today's is the one I'm most curious about.  They sat down with defensive tackle Joe Cohen to discuss his conversion to the defensive side of the ball and coming out to the west coast.

The one thing that concerned me was his discussion of weight issues and training and whatnot.  About weight:

On converting to the defensive line:

On conditioning:

Hopefully he'll bust his butt in camp and as the season gets going.  Just based on the Q&A he seems like a pretty low key, easy-going guy.  I'm not sure how that will convert to the football field, but hopefully he can make an impact and prove the doubters (including myself) wrong.  We'll close with the last Q&A, regarding what he brings to the table:

I posted a video before the draft with some prospects featured on the NFL Network.  Here's that video with some of our actual draft picks (Willis, Staley, Hill, McDonald and Brown).  Maybe this will get us even more fired up this offseason....even the Joe Staley highlights are exciting when set to the Prime Time music.

Ray McDonald is one of the most intriguing picks we made in this year's draft.  He's a guy with first or second round talent who slipped due to injury issues (see: Gore, Frank).  He might turn into the horse that Gore has become, but the talent is clearly there for McDonald to become a force on our defensive line.

With that in mind, I spoke with Mark over at Swamp Ball, to get a Florida fan's insight into Ray McDonald (a similar report for Joe Cohen coming soon).  Mark had the following to say about McDonald and his potential contributions to the 49ers.

Ray McDonald
Round Three, #97 Overall

Year   Tackles   TFL   Sacks
2006     36      4.5    3.0
2005     8       3.0    1.0
2004     39      10     3.0
2003     54      8.0    4.0

When you take a look at McDonald's stats during his college career in Gainesville, a few glaring things pop out at you; His Freshman season for one, and second would be his numbers during the 2005 season (as a Junior).

On a positive note we can look at Ray's production during the 2003 campaign, his Freshman season for the Gators.  To put it mildly, the guy burst onto the scene; He made Gator fans salivate at the thought of what could be on the way during his career in the Orange and Blue, putting up 54 tackles and four sacks on the year.  His quickness off the end, as well as his knack for finding the ball-carrier and making a sure tackle were skills you usually didn't see in a freshman defensive lineman -- but he excelled in both of these categories in 2003.

After another well-played campaign in 2004, making 39 tackles (including 10 tackles for loss), disaster would strike McDonald in the form of a knee-injury early in the 2005 season.  Against the Tennessee Volunteers in the third game of the season, McDonald went down with an injury to his ACL -- something that required surgery.  After it looked like the surgery was only minor, he was able to make appearances in two more games, only to go down once again and have to go through season ending surgery on his other knee.  This was devastating; Not only on his numbers, but his outlook on his future as well.  He would now be considered "injury-prone" as two surgeries in a span on a few months were required to fix a fragile ACL.

But it didn't stop him, as he came back 100% in 2006 -- and it showed.  McDonald returned to form with 36 tackles and three sacks.  He looked as quick off the end as he did prior to the injuries, and even proved he could plug holes in the middle as a defensive tackle.

While McDonald may not have flashy size or athleticism, he is deceptively quick and has a great nose for the football -- and he's versatile.  While we would see him primarily as an end at the pro level (he may not have the skill-set and size to play tackle in the NFL), he can bring a lot to the table, whether it's holding his ground in the running game or getting to the quarterback with his quickness around the end.  And at any point he could bulk up and has experience at DT as well.

This was an excellent pickup for the Niners, considering the pick came in the third-round.  If it wasn't for the two knee-surgeries in 2005, McDonald could have easily been picked in the first two rounds.  Seeing that the effects of the injuries did not produce much change in his production in 2006, this looks like a nice gamble and very good steal for San Fran.

----------------------------------------------------

So a big thanks to Mark from Swamp Ball for this scouting report.  Although it may take some time for McDonald to adjust at the next level, I really like the pick and look forward to seeing him learn from a true great in Bryant Young.

72 hours ago we were praying the 49ers would get Patrick Willis, rumors were flying about Darrell Jackson and we were a team on the rise that had some key holes to fill.  Today, life is good in the Bay Area.  The 49ers are suddenly quite deep at wide receiver and linebacker and we're closing in on a Kwame-free world.

Most underrated pick: Ray McDonald
Obviously we're pretty much all ecstatic that we got Patrick Willis and most of us are happy with Joe Staley.  Tarell Brown can not be considered under rated because everyone's talking about how he could be a steal.  McDonald is a guy who is very much like Frank Gore was coming out of college.  He had multiple knee surgeries and has a big red flag for durability.  If he ended up washing out due to injuries it wouldn't completely surprise me.  However, after seeing Gore step up and stay healthy this past season, I'd like to hope the same can happen to McDonald.  He fits the mold of a 3-4 defensive end and under the tutelage of Bryant Young he could become a real force for us on the line.  NFL.com said he lacks some of the technique needed to generate a pass rush, which is something BY could help him with, along with just generally becoming a better pro.  I'm very intrigued to see how he pans out at the next level.

Most intriguing pick: Jason Hill
This pick is all the more intriguing with the addition of Darrell Jackson.  Right now, I'd say our depth chart at WR is: 1)Jackson, 2)Lelie, 3)Battle, 4)Hill.  The bad news is that if you throw in Vernon Davis, and the fact that Frank Gore was our leading receiver last year, it kind of makes you wonder what will be left for Hill.  However, while I don't think Hill will have a huge year in terms of total receptions and total yards, I think he'll be a big play threat with a very healthy yards per catch and yards after the catch average.  At Washington State, Hill set the single season receiver TD record his sophomore year and then broke it his junior year.  Injuries and family issues slowed him his senior year but I think he can bounce back as a local kid (runner up  for San Francisco Player of the year as a HS senior).

Worst pick: Joe Cohen
I just don't see Cohen doing a whole lot for this team.  He's a defensive tackle but it sounds like he'll fit better a defensive end in the 3-4.  Cohen has had surgeries on both hips and even had an ankle issue going into the combine.  The difference between Cohen and McDonald?  Cohen hasn't been all that productive when healthy and seems to just have too many drawbacks.  I'm not really sure why we took him, but I definitely plan on doing more research into that one.  I also have Swamp Ball (Florida Gator SB Nation blog) putting together scouting reports on both McDonald and Cohen.  I eagerly await them.

Best criminal: Thomas Clayton
Sure Tarell Brown was found asleep with a gun in his lap and had some marijuana issues.  But Clayton did any car owner proud when he fled a campus "parking services employee."  Apparently the parking employee was waiting for a boot to be brought over to place on Clayton's car which was missing a license plate.  Having seen boots placed on cars in San Francisco, I can only imagine the annoyance they cause.  Personally, I wouldn't hit the employee with the car, but that's just me.  This sounds a little less bad than Lawrence Phillips trying to run down kids over Halloween, so he's got that going for him.

Most likely to succeed: Patrick Willis
There is no question in my mind that Patrick Willis is going to have a good career.  The only question is how good.  If Mike Singletary is correct in his comparisons, we've got a Hall of Fame inside linebacker on our ends.  At worst I think we have a rock for our 3-4 for years to come.

Obviously there will be plenty to discuss in the days and weeks to come, but I think this gives you an idea of my thoughts on things after a 24 hour detox period.  I think that because we had such a successful first day, Nolan and Co. felt they could push the envelope on Day 2.  There were several reaches, there were some potential thefts (either on the field or for SFPD) but in the end we came out alright.  While you'd like to hit homeruns on Day 2, you HAVE to hit homeruns on Day 1 to build a great team.  I'm not one to swear here that often, but we had a "fucking-A" first day.  We got a little too aggressive on Day 2, but if 2 or 3 of those 5 picks hit, I consider it a rousing success.  Throw in the Darrell Jackson trade and you can't help but be pleased.  The team still has some needs, but for now it's a time to be optimistic.  I'll say it right now....We're a playoff team!

Thanks to Call It The Throw for pointing out the Fox Sports review:

Not sure how Mel Kiper mistakes the name of the NFC's leading rusher, but whatever:

Well after almost 19 hours over 2 days, the 49ers 2007 draft and my live blog is complete.  We managed to get a little bit of everything, while I managed to avoid going completely insane with around-the-clock draft coverage.  I want to thank everybody that visited the site over the last 2 days as we shattered all previous records for site traffic.  Naturally I chose the longest draft ever to start live-blogging, but we all made it through without being committed (yet).

I'll do an all-encompassing review later tomorrow afternoon/evening (going to the Warriors' game tonight), but we'll do a quick review Day 2 for now.  More will come later tomorrow when I get some time and have detoxed from football for a day.  If you missed it, we reviewed Day 1 late last night.

The second day saw the team reach in some areas, and fill some depth issues at running back, linebacker and in the secondary.  There was some spirited debate over many of the Day 2 picks, but I think we landed some guys who could contribute right away as back-ups and could be pieces of the puzzle down the road.  My assessment DOES NOT include the trade for Darrell Jackson.  I'm simply looking at the players we drafted in grading the draft for now.  The all-encompassing review will include the Darrell Jackson trade.

Jay Moore, Defense End, University of Nebraska - I've been a fan since the Senior Bowl and I bet his performance then helped convinced the 49ers to take him, considering it helped in evaluating Willis.  Moore is going to trim down and be an OLB with the ability to move down to defensive end in pass rush situations if need be.  Even at his current size he's been solid in dropping back into pass coverage from the defensive end location.  Many here wanted Soliai but I think we could have done a lot worse than Moore.

DaShon Goldson, Safety, University of Washington - It seems like Goldson struggled this season but bounced back late.  He'll give us some depth at safety and appears to be able to play cornerback on occasion as well.  We've got excellent starters in our secondary but we definitely need some extra bodies for passing situations and if injuries creep up.

Joe Cohen, Defensive Tackle, University of Florida - We all seem to agree that this was a reach considering some of the talent on the board.  I think the teamis clearly happy going into the season with Aubrayo Franklin and Isaac Sopoago as your 1-2 punch at the nose tackle spot.  Cohen makes the team but I don't expect a lot of production.  I think it's the worst pick of the draft for us.

Tarell Brown, Cornerback, University of Texas - This is one of my favorite picks.  Brown and McDonald could be 2 steals for us a few years down the road.  McDonald had injury issues, Brown has character issues.  However, I trust that Nolan is not worried about long term issues from Brown.  As he said during the Trey Wingo interview, if the team had character issues with a guy, he's taken off the board.  This is a guy with Day 1 talent and if he can keep his head on straight, it's a steal in Round 5.

Thomas Clayton, Running Back, Kansas State University - I personally wanted DeShawn Wynn with this pick, but Clayton is growing on me.  If he doesn't work out, it's not a big loss as a 6th round pick.  If he does work out, the upside is quite solid as a backup with Michael Robinson.  Hicks is the primary backup for now, but I think Robinson is clearly the guy they want to move ahead of him on the depth chart.  He's got the size and I think Nolan's the type of coach that can keep him in line.  Of course I'm sure that people said that about Shanahan when he drafted Maurice Clarett.  So we'll see.

Overall Grade - I'd give Day 2 a C with the potential to move up to a B or down to a D or F.  We took some gambles and we won't know how they pay off (or don't pay off) for some time.  When we look back, if 3 of these 5 picks cashes in for us, we could be creating some incredible depth.  However, the good news is that as late picks, if they don't cash in, we don't lose out too badly.  We could have done better, but we also could have done significantly worse, thus the C grade.

IT'S ALL OVER: MR IRRELEVANT 2007 - RAMZEE ROBINSON, CB, ALABAMA - Congratulations to Ramzee, Mel thinks you make the team as a spunky, little cornerback. Good luck. And we will call it a day. I'll get the Day 2 review up and then LET'S GO WARRIORS!

3:10 - I definitely won't be finding Miss Irrelevant live blogging for 19 hours!

3:06 - We're almost there...I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...Mr. Irrelevant is oh so relevant to the proceedings!

3:05 - Wow, I thought I heard Suzy Kolber say we had hours to go...I think it was something about something happening hours ago. That could have been ugly.

2:59 - Well that was certainly a nice hit by Siler...Quality planting int he back field. And at #248, WHOOOOOAH Nellie, it's Keith Jackson, DT from Arkansas.

2:46 - I gotta be honest...All I'm waiting for now is Mr. Irrelevant. As soon as that's in, I'll post my review of Day 2 and then I'm outta here. I give Ron Jaworski and Mel Kiper all the credit in the world for not only doing this year in and year out, but for knowing everything there is to know about a QB from a D-1AA school that may or may not be a 7th round pick.

Just remember, football is hard work....and groin pulls!

2:44 - If Ginn is healthy, I do agree that he could be a game-breaker for the Dolphins. And of course if Beck turns out to be the guy of the future for them, Cam Cameron will certainly have the last laugh.

2:35 - Good news...Ed Werder confirmed that TO will get his roster bonus in June. Glad they didn't repeat that about 500 times in the last 48 hours.

2:30 - Was working on the Day 2 review...I'll be posting that right after the draft, with an all-encompassing review later tomorrow evening after I get off work.

2:16 - Definitely not surprised by 2 things in the Lynch comments: 1)Dogging the Pac-10 and 2) Dogging the Bay Area weather. I can personally say it drops into a chilly 40 degrees with that fog. Might not be Buffalo, but it's definitely nippy!

2:09 - Yeesh...The Hummer H3 and Out? I think that's the best corporate tie-in so far. The Coors Light Video Conferencing dropped in my rankings after the shoddy performance with Rachel Nichols in Pittsburgh.

2:08 - Best commercials so far: The AVIS GPS commercial, the Ortiz/Posada commercial and all those Super Fan commercials. I'm sure I'm missing some but they're all blending together right now. If I'm still asmused after 17 hours it's a funny commercial.

2:06 - Thanks to nostocksjustbonds for the info, but apparently Clayton's misdemeanor involved a school security guard trying to put a boot on Clayton's car and he drove off. That's not a bad character issue. That's a GOOD character issue.

2:04 - Michael Smith definitely doesn't wanna be disrespecting Gold's Gym!

2:03 - DeShawn Wynn to the Packers who are steadily stockpiling young running backs. I really like this pick for them and as seen before, I would have preferred the 49ers taking Wynn over Clayton.

2:00 - It might have been high for Levi Brown, but if he fits your needs and is high enough on your draft board, might as well take him. He was a projected top 10 talent anyways, so it's definitely not like they took Ted Ginn their...I mean honestly, who would take Ted Ginn in the top 10?

1:57 - Michael Johnson still gets commercials? What the hell for?

1:51 - Matt Moore is to Jaws what Michael Bush was to Braekneck. ESPN's weaknesses for Moore:

That list of weaknesses seems a little odd, if those are the reasons he's not being drafted so far: Lack of foot speed, can't move the pile, not much open-field speed. Sure they're good attributes for a QB to have, but I'd think actually throwing the ball is a little more important. He's got a good arm and Jaws's video shows he can make good decisions. Consider me in the Jaws camp and sold on Moore. If he gets drafted Jaws might explode.

1:46 - Gotta love when they roll out quotes from 48 Hours!

1:45 - Michael Smith is KILLING me. Those mid 90s 49ers teams with Joe Montana and Bill Walsh. Get your shit straight! At least say those great 49ers teams in the 80s AND 90s. That's twice and it's just ridiculous.

1:42 - Mark it down, Randy Moss is gonna be a beast this upcoming season. He should have acted like more of a professional in Oakland, but to quote every athlete ever, "That's in the past." Like I said, I've been a Moss fan since Marshall was D-1AA and I can't wait to see him hooking up with Brady. Just filthy.

1:38 - I'm not a granola OR Dandy Doodles guy. I enjoy Reese's peanut butter cups...small but tasty. Would that make it the kicker or punter of candies? Important at times but easily forgotten?

1:36 - Tyler Thigpen, QB from Coastal Carolina to Minnesota. My undergrad (American University) plays CC in basketball every year. I think I'm gonna become a Thigpen fan. Maybe he can beat out Jackson and Bollinger in Minnesota. Doubtful, but you never know.

1:34 - Considering EVERYBODY had Ben Patrick in rounds 3 or 4, this has to be considered a steal for the Arizona Cardinals. They've got a great offense already and they're adding a tight end who could bring a little something to the table. Nice pick.

1:30 - Nolan rockin the goatee in the ESPN interview...Definitely looks older with it. Stating the obvious about Willis. There are clearly no question marks with that pick.

They're addressing Tarell Brown and Nolan said that if they're really worried about character, they WILL NOT include them on their board. Hopefully it is just some poor choices and he'll get his act together.

Expectations are definitely gonna be high which can lead to disappointment if the team struggles. It's pretty hard to keep an even keel with so much talent coming in this offseason. Even with some questionable late round choices, this team is looking good.

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1:22 - You definitely have to be able to pronounce your players names during the fantasy football. If you can't pronounce it, you don't get him. That's one drawback to the online draft. Less chance for mockery. How-sha-ma-zilly...Championship!

1:20 - Jaws has no doubts that the Jets are a football team. Yea, no shit.

1:18 - And we're coming down the home stretch as we've entered the 7th round. I think I'm completely numb to football analysis. When you start enjoying the analysis of left-footed punters, it's time to take a step back. Hopefully we'll get through Round 7 in under an hour and a half.

1:15 - And FINALLY the all time great video: "New York Jets first round selection...Fullback..." "OHHHH NOOOOOO!"

Yep, Big Papi still funny after 16 hours.

1:13 - Mike Price knows how to coach and Mike Price knows strippers. MAKE IT RAIN! ROLL, TIDE, ROLL!

1:11 - Gotta love the Day 2 videos, they roll out. I believe I saw someone else jump over a car on YouTube last week.

1:09 - Couldn't the Irons brothers have pulled the stunt the Sedin brothers (Daniel and Henrik) did in the NHL and want to play together? I always thought the Barbers would end up together. Guess not so much now.

1:07 - The Dolphins are starting to look to after Ricky? Didn't they do that with Ronnie Brown?

1:05 - People are high on John Beck but I always question late risers. Some draft sites were a little higher on him. I think I also worry about the age issue. He's also going to turn 26, which puts him almost 5 years older than our own Alex Smith. The last "old" rookie was Chris Weinke, although he was a little bit older. It will be an interesting study to see how he turns out considering he's at a pretty prime playing age as a rookie.

1:00 - That Cam Cameron video might be the highlight of the draft so far. You have to love how he tries to play up the clapping. Over atThe Phinsider, they've starting drinking the Kool-Aid again with the John Beck pick and are very excited going ahead. Quite the turn of events from yesterday morning, that's for sure.

12:44 - There's no shortcuts in football buttercup. Football is hard work....and groin pulls!

Just a great run of commercials for the Super Fan package.

12:38 - I'll agree New England had a great off season and Denver and Arizona had solid off seasons. But Michael Smith giving us the love for our off season. I agree with Salisbury that the loss of Norv could be big, but I think Smith is smart enough and talented enough to continue his development without Turner. This team goes as far as Alex Smith takes them. With a re-invigorated defense, he doesn't have to be great, but just good would be a good thing.

12:35 - So another pick of Dallas acquiring their 6th rounder from Dallas via Cleveland. The Browns really worked to confuse everybody on draft day.

12:33 - Mel discussing Thomas Clayton. No mention of his off-field issues but Mel thinks he's a good backup option in the 6th round. Interesting.

12:28 - So was Rachel Nichols dogging Pittsburgh in saying they're cleaning up or what exactly? I'm sure Coors Light is not pleased with that bit of Coors Light Video Conferencing.

12:26 - Not a what coach, but a how coach? That's a new one.

12:24 - Gotta love Tomlin clowning on Trey for his Baylor roots. Might as well get a punter from a crappy offense. At least you know he's gotten plenty of playing time.

12:22 - Tomlin thinks his guys have high motors...I had a high motor 15 hours ago...not so much now.

12:20 - Tony Dungy does things the right way because God dictates it that way.

12:16 - Well we definitely reached on some guys this round, but I think considering the late rounds of these reaches, I'm not too worried. We got guys who are reaches now, but have the potential to do some good things if they can get their acts together. I go in to the season assuming we get nothing from our 5th and 6th round picks and if we do, all the better. The first 3 rounds went quite well, I love Moore in the 4th, Goldson could contribute as a backup and we got Darrell Jackson with a 4th rounder...not too shabby.

12:12 - Well we OFFICIALLY have our shaky character guy. Reports show he's a talented running back but a horrendous attitude issue. From ESPN:

Over at New Era Scouting, they say he reminds them of Thomas Jones but,

With the 186th pick, the San Francisco 49ers select:

Thomas Clayton, Running Back, Kansas State University

12:04 - This is like the 4th straight pick for the 49ers where they've gone to commercial when they come on the clock. East bias!

12:01 - Wendling seems to me like a good pick for the Bills here. I thought he'd go in the 4th or 5th round and every mock draft I saw had him earlier. Could be a steal. And that is certainly quite the leaping ability for a big guy...Hell it's great for anybody.

11:54 - So Salisbury thinks Russell will be the best QB over time because he was the first one taken? I hope they're not paying you a lot of money you dumbass. REALLY insightful analysis coming from the piece of crap former QB. The longer this goes on, the more annoyed I get.

11:50 - Considering the Skins have so few picks I really like HB Blades in the 6th. Maybe he won't make the impact of LaRon Landry, but he could really help them down the road.

11:48 - Glad to see Mel rolling out a best available here in the 6th round. If the 49ers don't take a QB I'd love to see them DeShawn Wynn from Florida to help back up Gore. He's under 6 feet tall bu at 232 lbs he's definitely built to take a pounding.

11:45 - Rufus Alexander to Minnesota...Always a good day when a Rufus gets drafted. Orenthal O'Neal to the Raiders.

11:40 - I really like the Ravens selection of Troy Smith to end the 5th round. Kyler Boller is not the answer and Steve McNair is getting real old real quick. Smith may amount to nothing, but it's a low risk-high reward type of pick.

11:36 - 4 failed drug tests?! Yeesh...Get some golden seal dude.

11:33 - It's always funny seeing a coach squirm as they defend a character pick. Shanahan clearly won't take any crap from Thomas though, so that could work out well for them. One plus in having a disciplinarian-type as your head coach.

11:27 - Well the Superfan package would definitely be an interesting addition for fantasy football purposes. I think I'd have seizure from all the action going on at once.

11:21 - In Maiocco's blog:

I really like him as an outside linebacker for us. I think it helps our depth tremendously.

11:18 - It's a shame Millen has had a decent draft this year. Otherwise I'd say that I'm glad he still has a sense of humor as he runs Detroit into the ground.

11:17 - I don't think unpredictable is the best word to describe round 1...I'd go with looooooooooooooong. Eric Frampton, S to Oakland.

11:15 - Brandon Frye, OT to Houston...Tim Shaw, LB to Carolina. We just keep rolling on and on and on and on and on. We're approaching the end of the 5th round. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

11:08 - I'm an MLS fan, but just don't know it yet? Gotcha. Let me know when I should know.

11:03 - Time to change threads just like Michael Vick is changing his life.  This is definitely an interesting interview.  Of course if he changes the company he keeps, will that help him actually throw accurate passers?

NEW THREAD OPENED

11:00 - Vick's changing? His posse better be worried because he's saying he's changing the company he keeps. That can't be good for the hanger-ons.

CJ Gaddis to Philly

10:57 - Wachovia's obsessed with customer service? Certainly an interesting advertising alternative.

WR, David Clowney #157 to GB

LB, Johnny Baldwin #158 to Detroit

10:54 - With gatling out for the afternoon, I'll do my best to keep posting picks on the main page, but if I miss any I'll be updating the results page. Here's Round 5, with links to all the other rounds.

10:50 - That was the Bush Madden commercial, but do Titans fans wince every time they show the version with Vince Young?

10:49 - Still laughing when the Superfan old guy says we should all run out and get bikini waxes so we'll look nice for our close ups.

10:48 - Bush in the 4th round is NOT a gamble genius.

10:47 - Sean Salisbury likes that Bush is a football player. Well thank god because if he was a baseball player we'd have some issues here.

10:44 - So what the hell is a dandy-doodle? If it's the flashy wide receiver, does that make it a chocolate bar with nuts? Or maybe chocolate with some caramel in it?

10:42 - Yep, the Ortiz ESPN commercial is still funny.

10:40 - It's NOT Ne-vah-da you jackass!

10:39 - Never mind...I forgot they had back to back picks. I like Gattis in the 5th for them. Jaws breaking down Troy Smith right now. Some GM is watching this and is gonna take Smith because Jaws likes him.

10:35 - According to TiVo, the Jaguars were on the clock for 9 minutes. Speed it up fellas.

10:32 - Avis wants us to rock...Isn't that nice of them.

10:30 - Ted Thompson(Packers GM): We've got a lot of young backs people haven't heard of." Is that a good thing?

10:27 - Brown was mentioned as someone to consider in the 4th, so I'd say I'm intrigued with him here in the 5th. He had some character issues and a poor senior season but could be a steal as ESPN says,

With the 147 pick, the San Francisco 49ers select:

Tarell Brown, Cornerback, University of Texas

10:17 - Hey Trey, way to tie in the All Star game quote from Quinn. Broadcast school paying off.

10:13 - Both networks are really pushing the sponsors...Coors Light, Sprint, keep em coming.

10:11 - (In Washington) Hey, somebody wake up Gibbs, we're back on the clock!

10:07 - I think this would indicate the team is sold on Aubrayo Franklin and Sopoaga at defensive tackle with Cohen competing for a reserve position.

I really can't help but enjoy watching the Brady Quinn video. "That's a suprise..."

9:57 - ESPN had the following to say about Cohen,

With the 135th pick, the San Francisco 49ers select:

Joe Cohen, Defensive Tackle, Florida

ESPN gonna discuss the 49ers when they come back from commercial

9:51 - BUT HE STILL TESTED POSITIVE ONCE! The NFL gets too much of a free pass in my opinion on this stuff. I'm not even arguing about the ethics of steroids. I'm arguing that if MLB is getting lambasted, the NFL most definitely should as well.

9:45 - I love watching that Mel Kiper video. Just the highest of comedy. "Who the hell is Mel Kiper anyways...We don't have to take anybody mel Kiper says..."

9:46 - Troy made me a lot of money in elicit gambling their first year in D-1, so I like the Colts pick of a Troy safety.

9:44 - I second the Chandler comments. An athletic guy in Gates, a monster of a guy in Chandler...Just disgusting...Who cares about having real receivers when you've got those guys.

9:39 - Here's New Era Scouting's Dashon Goldson scouting report

With the 126th selection, the San Francisco 49ers select:

Dashon Goldson, CB, Washington

9:32 - Bushrod? What the hell kind of last name is that?

9:25 - So basically we traded Kevan Barlow for Darrell Jackson? I'll take it.

9:20 - Not sure if you noticed, but with that Denver-Minnesota trade, the Broncos acquire the Vikes pick, which was acquired from Atlanta, which was acquired from Denver. Do you think Denver realizes this?

9:07 - Montana wasn't on the mid '90s 49ers teams BONEHEAD!

9:05 - Alright time to shower and wake up a litle bit more....Be back in 10 or so...

9:03 - Well we too are hoping Randy Moss speaks about this. I've been a Moss fan since Marshall. I know he's got his attitude issues, but he's just soooooooo damn talented.

9:01 - So John Bowie becomes an eternal answer to a trivia question. Well hello there Wendi Nix. Gotta love a lady who knows her football, right Suzy Kolber?

8:58 - NFL Network enjoying our trade for DJax...Who was the pretty boy that went to college with Jackson? I thought it was our former great backup Jesse Palmer but I don't believe that's him....I recognize the face, can't put a name to it.

8:55 - Who the hell trades up for a punter? Way to go Pittsburgh.

8:53 - Yet another trade moves the Steelers into the GB pick. Any idea what the record is for # of draft day trades?

8:51 - Yea Jaws, toys can be fun, but you need boring non-toys to win championships!

8:50 - As Suzy Kolber is talking about it, I'm still confused by the Antonio Pittman pick. Obviously he's a good running back, but the Saints could have addressed a variety of other needs at that point. I guess the Reggie Bush-backup for the post Deuce McCallister era?

Josh Hancock, P, St. Louis Cardinals killed in a car crash last night. His family is certainly in our prayers and it's a shame.

8:40 - And the Niners Nation pet project, Paul Soliai comes off the board to the Dolphins. We wheep.

8:38 - Apparently the Saints need another running back in Antonio Pittman. That's a lot of running back options in the Superdome.

8:33 - Tanard Jackson to TB...And I love that Coors Light commercial: It's blue like you're eyes. My eyes are green!"

8:30 - A punter running a 4.45 40? Guess we'll be seeing a ton of fake punts in Jacksonville? Good info to know.

8:26 - I know I've been drinking the Jay Moore Kool-Aid for quite some time now, but I really think he's a solid option. I would have liked Soliai here as well, but Moore is a guy who I think will be converted into an outside linebacker in the 3-4, but still could be an occasional defensive end if they need it. He really helps out linebacker depth though, in my opinion.

With the 104th selection, the 49ers select:

Jay Moore, DE/OLB, Nebraska Here's your Jay Moore scouting report.

MY BOY! :)

Let's make it official: 49ers trade their 4th round, 124th pick for...

Darrell Jackson, WR, Seattle Seahawks

Combined with the addition of Jason Hill, our receiver corp is suddenly quite deep. Jackson, Hill, Lelie, Battle and Davis at TE, but capable of being split out. Talk about FILTHY. This has beena phenomenally run draft.

8:15 - Shocking news....another trade. And the Vikings have moved up to take Brian Robison, DE from Texas.

8:13 - Jags take a punter....fantastic, just fantastic.

Oakland Raiders - Michael Bush, RB, Louisville - Well, Braekneck can watch Bush in the Bay Area....just on the dark side!!!! Nice pick for a Raider team that has question marks in Lamont Jordan.

8:08 - The Los Angeles Raiders???? Washington's a little tired.

8:07 - Mort just reported DJax is ours for our 124th pick!

8:05 - It's officially hard core today with our ESPN crew of Mel Kiper, Chris Mortensen, Ron Jaworski and Suzy Kolber. We are NOT messing around today.

8:03 - Mel Kiper listed us in his 5 best decisions for yesterday:

I'll be back on here right before 8am pacific time.  For those of you on before that (or leaving back east), here's the start of the thread for Day 2.  Plenty of draft picks with plenty of options to address plenty of needs.  It should certainly be interesting.

In the meantime, check out my review of all the action yesterday, as the 49ers grabbed Patrick Willis, Joe Staley, Jason Hill and Ray McDonald.

See you in the morning...Go Niners!

And so, after 99 picks over the course of 11 hours and 15 minutes, the first three rounds are complete.  I can say without a shadow of a doubt that unlike the Jets team criticized a few years back by Mel Kiper, the 49ers do in fact "understand the draft process."  While the team still has needs to fill, they did an excellent job in filling certain needs right off the bat.  Patrick Willis will compete for the starting weak side ILB position, Joe Staley will compete at right tackle with Snyder to replace Kwame, Jason Hill will be able to legitimately compete for a starting wide receiver job and Ray McDonald could be a key cog in rejuvenating our pass rush.  The Kool-Aid has been passes around so let's review the activity of the day.

Patrick Willis - Linebacker, University of Mississippi

Talk about getting your guy.  Willis was clearly the guy we wanted at 11.  There was some worry that Denver would trade with Houston so THEY could select Willis.  Thankfully the Texans elected to take Okoye, who slipped down to them.

Willis will compete and very possibly defeat Derek Smith for the starting inside linebacker position, alongside Brandon Moore.  A combination of Moore and Willis inside, with Lawson and Banta-Cain outside gives us an unbelievable linebacker corp to go with our now formidable secondary.  In discussing Willis, New Era Scouting said:

I'd say having Mike Singletary (who compared him to Ray Lewis) coaching him will help him develop into that All-Pro performer.  

I could go on and on about the potential greatness of Willis, but there was more interesting discussion about the next two moves the 49ers made: Trading up with New England to draft tackle Joe Staley and then trading out of the 2nd round with Indianapolis.

Joe Staley - Offensive Tackle, Central Michigan University

When it was announced that the 49ers had traded up to New England's 28th position, many here expected Alan Branch to be the pick, as he had slid considerably.  When Joe Staley was announced, there weer many who liked the pick, and a few who were decidedly against the pick.  However, to consider this choice, we must also consider the trade out of the 2nd round.  In combining these two deals, as gatling did, we basically moved down 16 spots in the 4th round this year, and an unknown (but not expected to be too large) amount in the first round next year.  In doing so we acquired the pick that became Joe Staley.

Is Staley worth this work?  Obviously anybody can be a bust quickly.  However, Staley will have to be judged more on his performance over multiple years.  As New Era Scouting says,

If Staley can in fact turn into the tackle of the future for us, this works out quite nicely.  And if not, while we move down in each of the rounds, it would not be devastating as it would be had we not acquired Indy's 2008 1st rounder.

Jason Hill - Wide Receiver, Washington State University

There has been an obscene amount of information flying around about a potential Darrell Jackson trade.  Many thought we might go after Sidney Rice in the second round before these rumors began circulating.  Nolan has said the deal will not affect the draft, so maybe the team never planned on a guy like Rice.  Who knows though with all the smoke-screens, right?  So we'll consider Hill in light of no Darrell Jackson as that's the conservative approach.

If we get the 2004/2005 Hill, we've got a guy who could compete for the #1 or #1a wide receiver job.  If we get the 2006 Hill, he joins the long list of mid-round WR busts we've drafted lately.  With the family issues from last year, I really think he could work out as a playmaker for this team.  New Era Scouting says,

Receivers take time to develop so I'm definitely willing to give Hill time to assume a dominant role in our offense.  If he does pan out, our receivers could become a key area of depth on offense.

Ray McDonald - Defensive End, University of Florida

Ray McDonald could join Frank Gore as a 3rd round steal thanks to college ACL issues.  ESPN had the following to say:

New Era Scouting about his injuries: "Has suffered two ACL tears and two surgeries to repair them. Is a medical concern. Also dislocated an elbow that caused him to miss time in '06."

About McDonald overall:

So needless to say I'm really excited about McDonald.  Bryant Young is not gonna last forever and Marques Douglas is not a long term answer.  BY is a guy who could really mold McDonald into an All-Pro defensive end, assuming McDonald can stay healthy.  It's a calculated risk that could pay HUGE dividends.

Overall
Clearly I'm excited about our first round.  Yes we still have holes to fill, but we have more than enough fourth round picks to address these areas.  We have the 5th, 25th, 27th and 36th picks of the fourth round, followed by the 10th of the fifth round and 12th of the sixth round.

At the moment I'd say our biggest needs are additional depth along the defensive line (particularly defensive tackle) and for our linebacker corp.  Additionally, I think we could use another defensive back, a running back, a 3rd string/future backup QB and maybe one more offensive lineman.

Soliai and Bush are both options at the 5th pick of the 4th round and there are some intriguing, if slightly amusing quarterback options in the fifth or sixth round.  I'd love to see the team grab either Jared Zabransky, Troy Smith or Chris Leak.  Proven winners with some interesting talent.  At linebacker Deossie is still out there.  At DT, Soliai and McBean.  Josh Beekman is a guard we could potentially try and groom for the future, or at least provide a backup for now.  And of course my boy Jay Moore is still out there!

No matter what, we're in good shape going into Day 2 with plenty of options to consider.  In selecting a grade, I gave the team an A.  I think we had the perfect combination of proven talent and big upside guys.  We manipulated the system in trading picks to get four guys that graded out as potential first rounders at some point in the past year.  Maybe they don't all work, maybe they all do.  Either way, I'm extremely happy with where the team stands right now.