Doing it Over: Looking back at the 49ers 2005 draft

Onwards and upwards.

2005 Draft

1st Round - Alex Smith QB
2nd round - David Baas, G
3rd round - Frank Gore, RB
3rd round - Adam Snyder, T
5th round - Ronald Fields, DT
5th round - Rasheed Marshall, WR
6th round - Derrick Johnson, DB
7th round - Daven Holly, DB
7th round - Marcus Maxwell, WR
7th round - Patrick Estes, TE
7th round - Billy Bajema, TE

Alex Smith Pick #1
I'm really not going to go into much detail here. Tens of thousands of words have been written about him and that's only on Niners Nation. His career has been up and down (mostly down), and he's been surrounded by controversy because of his draft status. Last year he had a 61.3% completion rate, only 5 INTs, and he threw for 3144 yards, with a 7.1 average yard per attempt, all personal bests.

Grade: C
Definitely not in the top 1/3rd of the starting QBs, but his performance isn't bad enough to rate him a D by the standards I'm using. I do think that his ceiling is probably a B, or a B+ if I were giving out plus and minus grades.

David Baas Pick #33
I've long been a fan of David Baas. He had issues in pass blocking, but I thought he was a fine run blocker, especially when he was used as a pulling guard. When he filled in for Eric Heitmann he did a fantastic job, and was rewarded for it with a fat new contract from the New York Giants.

Grade: B
Not the best guard, or even in the top 15, but an above average starter.

Other Players Available
Barrett Ruud, Michael Roos, Nick Collins, Vincent Jackson (!), and Jonathan Babineaux were all picked after Baas. Logan Mankins was selected with the last pick of the first round and could've probably been had for a fairly cheap trade.

Frank Gore Pick #65
Frank Gore is another one of those players who have already had tens of thousands of words written about him. He's had some injury issues, but when healthy there are few better RBs in the league than he is. Last year he averaged 4.3 ypc, 1211 yards on the ground (his 5th season of 1000+ yards. His 10,022 yards from scrimmage rank him 12th amongst all active players.

Grade: A
In the third round you're hoping to find a guy who can be a decent starter when needed, or a top notch backup. You don't generally expect to find a franchise player, especially one who came into the league with questions about his health.

Other Players Available
Oshiomogo Atogwe and Justin Tuck were both available.

Adam Snyder Pick #94
The season that Snyder spent as the starting RT for the 49ers he was possibly the worst starting RT in the league. He was slightly better as a guard than as a tackle. His usefulness came from his ability to be jack-of-all-trades, but he was definitely master of none of them. However he did parlay this into a $5 million signing bonus with the Cardinals.

Grade: D
At least he made the team and proved to be a somewhat serviceable guard.

Other Players Available
Domonique Foxworth was available in the 3rd. In the 4th the 49ers could've picked Brandon Jacobs, Marion Barber, or Darren Sproles

Ronald Fields Pick #137
Never more than a serviceable player Fields spent four seasons with the 49ers. He followed that up with two seasons with the Broncos and spent 2011 with the Panthers. His last two seasons have been spent in a backup role. Over the course of his career he's all of one sack, and 142 tackles.

Grade: B
Not a great player, but for a fourth round pick he's had a decent career

Other Players Available
Gerald Sensabaugh (who's become a solid CB)

Rasheed Marshall Pick #174
Marshall only spent one season with the 49ers. He was used solely as a punt return, averaging an awful 5.1 yard per return.

Grade: D
At least he made the roster. That's the best that can be said about him.

Other Players Available
TE Bo Scaife, DB Chris Harris, Chris Meyers (who was drafted as a guard but has spent the last 5 seasons as a pretty good center for the Texans)

Derrick Johnson Pick #205
Johnson only spent one season with the 49ers, and he recorded 40 tackles, 4 PD, and one FR for a touchdown. He was released by the team and spent 2006 with two separate teams before being cut and not signing with another team since.

Grade: C
At least he made the roster his rookie year and contributed in some way.

Other Players Available
Joe Berger who has had a decent career as a backup interior lineman. Derek Anderson who's had an up and down career at QB.

Daven Holly Pick #215
Holly didn't even make the 49ers roster. He was cut (with the intention of being placed on the PS), and was claimed by the Bears. He spent one season there and two seasons with the Browns. His first season with the Browns he had 5 INTs and 10 PD. He only started 6 games in 2007, and then during that off season he tore ligaments in his knee, effectively ending his career.

Grade: F
It looks as if he could have had a solid NFL career had he not been injured, but he didn't even make the 49ers roster.

Other Players Available
Jay Ratliff, Matt Cassel,

Patrick Estes Pick #248
Spent two seasons with the 49ers. Didn't record a single stat.

Grade F: Yeah he made the team but he didn't record a stat

Other Players Available
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB (!)

Bill Bajema Pick #249
Spent four seasons with the 49ers and is now with the Rams. He's used mostly as a blocking TE, with the occasional pass thrown his way. His most prolific year was 2010 when he had 14 receptions for 145 yards.

Grade: A
The team found a quality backup in the 7th round, one that's still playing in the league.

Other Players Available
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB (!)

Undrafted Players
Josh Cribbs, Robbie Gould, John Kuhn, Jim Leonhard, Chris Kluwe, Lance Moore, Cameron Wake, Nate Washington, Leonard Weaver