Hello people. So, we've all had a full day to take in everything and let the draft set in. How does everyone feel about it? I for one, am pretty happy about it. The pundits, on the other hand, are being pretty harsh. Quite a few C to D range grades flying around out there. We took care of our major weakness while stockpiling picks for next year and added the needed depth at the positions that were lacking. We could have added a CB, but, what can you do? I guess the bulk of the negativity is aimed at the AJ Jenkins pick, with most thinking we should have taken one of the higher rated playmakers. I trust Harbaalke more than Fox Sports, so....
Matt Barrows, doing his usual good work, has some draft notes for you. The five receivers who were drafted in the 2nd round (the ones most draftologists think we ought to have drafted) all play the 49ers this year so we'll get to see who's better in person. Also, Cam Johnson was highly regarded by many analysts and expect Trenton Robinson to contribute straight away on special teams. | Draft notes from Matt Barrows. (Barrows)
James Brady has done a good piece. It gives a good description of each pick, what they bring to the table and where they fit in on the 49ers roster. | Where the picks fit in. (Bay Area SB Nation)
Mel Kiper gives us a C+. It's hard to give the team that good of a grade because 'it's tough to add early impact to a good roster.' That about sums it up. With so few needs, what could we have done better? | Kiper gives Niners a C+. (Bay Area SB Nation)
SB Nation has given out draft grades and we get a C. The writer notes that we've added competition at WR, RB, and QB and thinks the coaching staff will get the most out of whoever survives these training camp battles. | SB Nation gives us a C. (Bay Area SB Nation)
Chris Burke from SI.com gives us a D. I think that's a bit rough. What about the stockpiling of picks for the future while still making 7 picks? Did none of the experts notice that? They're not mentioning it! It seems like everyone looked at a list of draftees and made a judgement. | SI.com gives us a D. (SI.com)
Did I speak too soon? Oh, wait, he's a hometown beat writer, but...Eric Branch notes that the future is brighter, and that's due to the stockpiling of picks. "It's all about value," says Baalke. He trusts the depth of the squad and so saves for a rainy day. We can use the extra picks to trade up if needed, re-work the roster if things need fixing, who knows? | Future brighter with 2013 picks. (SFGate)
Matt Maiocco gives us a list of the UDFAs that have agreed to terms. The big name is Chris Owusu and he's got a bit of information on the young man, as well as quotes from Baalke on him. Another note is that our team doctor, Dan Garza, is the head of Stanford's sports medicine center and is one of the world leaders in concussion research. He's cleared him to play. Have we got a steal here? | UDFAs that have agreed to terms. (CSN Bay Area)
Mike Sando gives us his impressions of the 49ers draft. He notes that wether or not Alex Smith and Frank Gore lead the team, the weapons we've added will make it easier for whomever plays QB or RB. He wants to see what the 49ers saw in Jenkins before passing judgement on that pick, but notes that the personnel people he has spoken to had him rated highly. | Sando on the 49ers draft. (Sando)
Aside from Chris Osuwu, the other name being talked about from our UDFA haul is RB Jewel Hampton. He rushed for 1,211 yards and 17 touchdowns and was invited to the combine. | UDFA Hampton not lacking for talent. (SFGate)
CBS Sports gives a good, hard look at the 49ers draft. They note that AJ Jenkins is everything that Michael Crabtree is not, a gym rat who will put in the extra work to be as good as possible. They also think that Joe Looney might snag the starting RG position. | CBS sports on 49ers draft, with lots of notes. (CBS Sports)
And it's about time! The 49ers have finally received a good grade for their draft. Yahoo! Sports likes that we aggressively added playmakers to the team. | Yahoo! gives us a B. (Yahoo! Sports)
Here is a large series from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat's Grant Cohn. It shows a grade for the team at a certain aspect / position before and after the free agency period and draft. He believes we've upgraded at all of them. The 3rd down and red zone are the most important to me and I think we've definitely improved there. A post in the comment notes that with LaMichael James and AJ Jenkins, now when we throw a 3 yard slant on 3rd and 6 we may actually get a first down. I like it! I'll give them to you in a list format
Cohn rates: the punt returners. (Cohn)
Red zone offense. (Cohn)
3rd down offense. (Cohn)
Quarterback. (Cohn)
Offensive line. (Cohn)
Running backs. (Cohn)
Pass catchers. (Cohn)
The 49ers knew they could wait until later to get a guard they liked. Interior lineman, specifically, have historically been able to be had in the mid to later rounds. | 49ers knew they could wait at guard. (NBC Bay Area)
Here's a gloating piece for you. The title says it all. | Our General Manager is Smarter than Yours. (49erswebzone.com)
And finally, sad news from Samuel Lam. It appears he's taken a job elsewhere and will no longer be covering the 49ers for examiner.com. He is moving on to information research for the NFL Network. Good luck to him and good luck to his replacement, who has big shoes to fill. | Lam moving on from covering Niners. (Lam)
Being a Sheep
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