SANTA CLARA — I give the Niners an F for their A.J. Jenkins pick at No. 30 in the first round, and here’s why. We all know the Niners’ biggest weaknesses are third down and red zone offense. They will not win the Super Bowl this season unless they improve those two areas. So, they needed to spend a first round pick on a player who would help the cause.
So, what did they do? They drafted a 6-0, 190 lb. slot receiver who will be the fourth-string wideout and backup punt returner this season, most likely. In other words, he’ll replace Kyle Williams.
The Niners are sending a message, and it’s this: “We’re the best team in the NFL even if we’re the worst on third down. We were the best team last year, too. If it weren’t for Kyle Williams fumbles, we’d be champions. Now that we’ve replaced him, the Super Bowl is ours.”
They’re wrong. You have to be respectable on third down to win playoff games, and the Niners will not be respectable on third down this season because Michael Crabtree is still their possession receiver and Alex Smith is still their quarterback.
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Don’t hold back Grant. Tell us how you really feel.
Haha. Right? I have more faith in TB then I do in this kid. But rant away Cohn. Haha.
That’s why you’re not GM of the year in the NFL, Grant. You sound like a whiny kid who didn’t get what he wanted for Christmas. Deal with it.
This is exactly how I felt when I read the tag line for this article. However, I do enjoy Grant and his column and he gets credit for many other good reads, but you hit the nail on the head dleo.
He is just mad because we did not draft his lover coby fleener……thats the only way he would have given the niners anything but an F for a grade
Specifically – what about *Jenkins* makes you think that he will not succeed in the NFL? Is he slow? Is he mentally weak? Does he have other shortcomings? The only specifics you included in your post are his height and weight.
I agree with him. The niners needed a bigger WR in more of the WC mode then a back up returner. By getting a smaller receiver who isn’t strong in the middle they didn’t improve on third downs and in the red zone. you never know until they are on the field, but this pick for me left a lot to be desired.
The fact that nobody selected Flenner in the first round speaks volumes. When A. J. Jenkins number was called like many of you I thought Whaaaaa? My bottom line thinking is that Baalke and Coach are miracle workers, they revived a franchise that was beyond life support. We went from a team that called timeouts after the first play of games to shocking the world. There were plenty of good players available when the 9ers picked, my thinking is they got someone they wanted.
Dude are you blind? The 49ers had a Damn Draft Crush that blew up there whole draft? They fixated on 1 receiver that the Rams also wanted & closed there eyes to everything else that was going on around them! They are arrogant, short-sighted & stupid! There OL has given up 44 sacks two years in a row & instead of realizing that Anthony “Open Door” Davis is a huge failure they are trying to work around the obvious? They saw that all the OL picks were dropping in the 1st Rd. instead of taking the Vikings offer to drop down 4 spots for a 3rd & 5th Rd. pick they said, ” NO WAY, HELL NO!!” You drop back pick up the best G/T combo at the 3rd pick of the 2nd Rd. & solve most of your OL problem plus you have extra picks to move up!
WOW!
No kidding msclemons67,
Grant sounds like a little spoiled brat who took his ball away from the other kids to go home.
Bottom Line….
Who are we going to Believe & Trust in…. Spoiled Little Brats like Grant OR….Baalke the 49er GM?
Just asking
Look forward to seeing the New Weapon in Action then we cann ALL talk about it.
Baalke did not make the Niners what they were last year. Harbaugh did.
IMO, Fleener would have been a better pick for red zone and 3rd down improvement, but the main problem unaddressed is that Smith is STILL the starting QB and he is absolutely the team’s weakest link.
TB is the GM. He has power over personnel. JH is the coach. He is responsible for the actual game day play.
You seem to have mixed the two up.
Just out of curiousity what was your grade last year when we pick Aldon Smith???
I was just ribbing Grant a little. Didn’t realize people would pile on like that.
Sorry.
Grant, you’re talking out your butt. The Rams were going to pick him at 33 and the St. Louis press is whining about how the 49ers scooped them. You can’t tell me, without me laughing in your face, that it was a reach just on that fact alone.
Second, you don’t know anything about the kid. He played with a sophmore QB who was one of the poorer QBs in the NCAA. He played against 4 of the Top-26 defenses and 2 of the Top-10 and the average defense for the other teams, was still damn good.
He put up great numbers (90 receptions, 1276 yards) despite the fact they only threw the ball 366 times. Imagine if he’d have had a good QB, like Luck? Or an offense like Texas Tech where they threw 600+ times a year?
He’d have probably been a Top-10 pick since he has the speed, route-running and hands of a great college WR. And these tools appear to be good enough to translate into the NFL.
Plus, he was the ONLY weapon on the Ilini and despite routine double coverage and being constantly the focus of opponent defenses, he caught more passes than the next four guys on his team. The #2 WR on the Ilini? TWENTY-SIX catches.
So, the reality, despite your ignoramus comments is that this guy exceled with ZERO supporting cast. On one of the NCAA’s weakest Div 1 offenses playing against some of the NCAA’s best defenses.
I’ll take my chances with the guys that took Smith, Culliver, Hunter, and Miller last year.
I think you’re way off base here.
ditto
Trust Baalke who reached on Aldon Smith and Chris Culliver? Or trust Grant Cohn who relied on nepotism to gain his position as a beat writer? Easy choice! I can’t believe this is the same place maiocco started.
He actually relied on his daddy and his daddy’s last name to get this position. He sounds like a whiny little brat because that is exactly what he is. No team picked Fleener for a reason but Grant obviously knows more about talent and football than 32 entire Front Offices put together. Keep these articles coming Grant, they will be your demise and I for one can’t wait to get a decent writer back on Press Democrat.
Also, don’t forget that in 2010 they took Iupati, Davis Bowman & Byham.
Personally, I don’t like Jenkins on Round 1, but I was hoping for him on round 2.
(On Round 1, I would have preferred Cody Glenn, Amini Silatolu or Courtney Upshaw.)
Still, it’s the height of arrogance to criticize GM Trent Balke, given his stellar record, especially when his record is compared to Grant Cohn, who had WR Steven Hill going # 11 (actually undrafted in round 1) and 49ers trading up to # 24 to take TE Coby Fleener (also undrafted in round 1).
Amen Brother
@Cody
Everybody is wrong all the time on guessing the draft. After the first few picks, it is always like this. That is why I don’t much bother with the mock draft stuff. The fact that Grant is wrong means little. His response to being wrong does matter a lot.
Coming from a guy who said we would blow the giants out if the water in the championship game.. What weenie, your just mad cuz you were way off on your pick.. We need speed and Jenkins has that.. And better hands than Ginn or Williams.. Don’t worry we still have tomorrow and the next day.. Buck up!
If any of the new receivers stretches the field during third down, that would certainly open up the underneath stuff — which was what teams were keying on (knowing the niners couldn’t stretch the field).
Therefore, their third down conversion % should improve, as well as the running game.
Excellent Point!
We trust in Harbaugh and Ballke. And if getting this kid means we replace Kyle Williams too then this is a fantastic pick…..I want that curse off the team.
That’s what Moss is for, silly. We already have our minds on next year’s drafts and free agents. We chose speed over height. Moss gives us height. Deal with it :-P
Man alive, overreact much?
Grant come on. I have my reservations on the pick with the “sexier” pick Fleener still there but Baalke has earned the benefit of the doubt. You had Fleener pegged as the 5th-best prospect in the draft, yet 32 picks went by without him getting drafted — don’t you think scouts and GMs who do this for a living know a thing or two about these prospects?
Shouldn’t passed on Fleener! This was a mistake! Coby won’t be
there later and Jenkins is a stretch!
Zzzz…
When Baalke said that he had someone in mind at 30 we all thought that he was blowing smoke. The fact that fleener randle and hill were all on the board and he still drafted jenkins leads me to suspect that AJJ was the guy who he was talking about. There was an article on 49webzone a few days ago about high floor vs high celing players with randle(hight floor) and Hill (high celing) being the examples, IMO jenkins is in the middle of the two he had a productive college career (fairly high floor) and his measurables are decent so his celing is higher that randle’s but lower than hills (who is 4 inches and 25 lbs bigger) he is a safer bet than Hill
in any case in Harbulke we trust
This is a complete Red Herring. You have basically said that because they didn’t draft a guy who is 6’5′ with their first pick they can’t be better on 3rd down. Is the only way to get better on 3rd down is to get new players? They can’t improve their execution or play calling? And wait, they did get new players. A new short yardage RB and 3 new WRs. Plus more draft picks to come. How are you so sure they won’t be better on 3rd down?
yep.
Exactly, Grant has always been a sub-par writer/Baalke hater, if we took everyone he thought we would have been back in the Dennis Erickson days. Everyone knows that’s who started the downhill slide. Well that and Jed’s father
Grant, clinch along the ropes and then stick and move till the bell ends the round.
I agree the off season additions will help on third down. This pick will also stretch the field to open up the middle of the field. We still could use a bigger receiver in the red zone. But aj does have a 38 vert! That should help!
Sounds almost like Grant was personally hurt. Ease up on the emotion Lowell, err, I mean Grant.
Indignation must have settled hot and heavy over the Lowell/Grant Cohen dinner-table this fine evening…
But really, Grant. Harbaugh coached Fleener. Can’t you at least have given him some benefit of the doubt on choosing someone over him?
I couldn’t help laughing when I read the first sentence. I can almost picture the indignation at the dinner table. “How dare he? Didn’t he know Rueben Randle and Stephen Hill were still available?”
Saw the headline and new it had to be you…..
Seriously, I don’t know any other writer that is nearly as whinny as Cohn. Can’t think of anyone as negative as this guy. If you don’t agree with the pick that is fine, state your opinion and be done with it. Naming your article “49ers blow their first round pick” is something an angry fifteen year old would do on his Tumblr page. You’re a professional writer, time to act like one. I don’t know much about A.J. Jenkins but obviously Harbaugh and Baalke do to make the pick. They know something that we don’t. Try to be a little more positive, sir. We’ll be just fine.
@jnova80
In the spirit of your post, Grant should not be positive. Or negative. Just give us ideas/other possibilities and let us knock them around for a bit.
P.S. Do you like Astronomy?
You’re prolly too young ever to have read his father Lowell Cohn’s stuff, like blasting Joe Montana for getting his wife pregnant at a time when she would deliver during the football season.
Learn how to spell before you make a fool out of yourself….
BTW, that comment was for “Monte”…
Grant, I told you they were going to get Ginn insurance. Just didn’t expect it in rd 1 ; ).
I never agree with this writer, but I think Baalke may have succumbed to hubris. Most folks have spent the last 5 months raving about his draft classes (rightfully so), and it may have gone to his head.
This isn’t even a “best player available” situation; this is a reach for need. Terrible pick, but there are still 6 more picks to go. Hopefully the remainder will salvage the class.
“Terrible pick.”
1st/you’re wrong
2nd/how the f would you know? You know more than TB and the SF staff? Not.
3rd/ it takes 2-3 years to evaluate a pick; but you’re one of those ‘Blink’ geniuses that can already pass judgement?
So, bye the way, who’s going to win the Super Bowl?
Oh, Lord, give me strength to suffer these fools…………
I remember last year when none of you knew who Aldon Smith was
True Dat!!!!!
There’s no way you can say it was a terrible pick. We won’t know until they all get on the field and play…most likely it will take 2 or more years to really know.
Fleener was a “sexy” pick, but why not Cordy Glen too? He was the highest ranked lineman available.
That said, there were people who rated Jenkins higher than Wright and he went way before Jenkins. As the draft analysts said, he was rated at early second which means he’d have been gone by their next pick and they clearly valued him more than our suggestions. So, let’s see what happens.
You can say whatever you want about the pick. Jenkins’ performance will tell you if you’re right or wrong.
Or perhaps they were sending the message that they belueve Jenkins was the most talented player available. Drafting for need is a mistake whether you’re a 3-13 team with a top pick or a Super Bowl contender drafting at the end of the first round. At this point Baalke has earned the benefit of the doubt from me.
Grant,
Chill dude. Trust in Baalke and Harbaugh, they obviously didn’t think Fleener was the talent that you did. Kuechly for defensive ROY!
Trust in Baalke and Harbaugh on a pass catcher? They don’t have the track record with pass catchers to get that kind of trust. Harbaugh missed on Doug Baldwin, his own guy, last year. They drafted Ronald Johnson instead, which was horrible. There’s precedent of bad pass catcher picks in this front office.
Wow. Are you really using a 6th rounder as evidence that this group is incapable of drafting receiving talent? Come on Grant, you’re better than that, or at least I thought you were.
and your track record as an unbiased sports writer is horrible. your bashing them for taking a WR when they need WRs. this dude is fast and he can catch. last year everyone bashed them for taking Aldon Smith and he blew everyone away. let him play a few snaps before you dismiss him completely
6th rd pick In which the pick was Influenced by WR coach John Morton I’m sure. Your argument is a total overreaction…BigP is right. CHILL GRANT! lol
Grant,
I do agree with what you said about getting help from our current QB in the red zone. That is NEVER going to change. However, we will be having a QB change very soon. Stay tuned.
You, sir, are not very smart when it comes to football knowledge and you regularly display it. I am not going to defend the 9ers pick, because I know nothing about this kid (and apparently it seems aside from his build, neither do you). All I will say is, the current GM has shown that he does indeed draft well and doesn’t go with picks based off the culmination of the mock drafts out there (as you are so evidently doing). By basing your argument of the 9ers blowing it because this pick doesn’t address their 3rd down conversion issues makes you single-minded, at best. Perhaps the people employed by the 9ers think that maybe they have improved that area with the additions of Moss, Manningham and Jacobs. I know enough to say I am not sure and will wait and see…you are like a silly Twitterer that spouts off on the fly. Seriously, are you a writer or a blogger?
Ok so Ronald Johnson was a 6th rounders, but Baldwin was un drafted so all 32 teams missed him about 7 times each. So what is your point….we can not judge any draft pick until they play some actual nfl games………..here’s some tissue for you grant since my 49ers did not draft your lover Fleener……Get over it……..How can I apply for your job?………or any one of us, how do we do it…….because I believe any one of us could be a better writer than you ever can.
Grant has a point. Baalke whiffed on DeSean Jackson, signed Braylon Edwards, missed out on B. Lloyd, and signed the dude from Green Bay. Baalke has a history of missing out on WR talent.
McCloughan was in charge when Desean Jackson was drafted, not Baalke.
@NickRow – DeSean Jackson was a Scotty Mac/Nolan pick, not a Baalke pick. Get your facts straight.
VANiner with a left, VANiner with a right, down goes Cohn, down goes Cohn!!!!!!!
Baalke whiffed on demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant in 2010. He has a history of WR talent misjudgement.
The entire NFL missed on Baldwin bug guy.
Nickrow,
They got Davis and Iupati over Dez Bryant or Demaryius Thomas. Those were wise selections because they solidified the o-line. They did very well compared to some of the other teams in the first round.
http://www.mynfldraft.com/2010-NFL-Draft-Results/
Leave it to Jordo to come out of the woodwork with the first AS slam.
you really wanted fleener didn’t you. .. a 6’6 beast that catches with his hands and can jump like a dragon wrangler..
You sound like a little Child who’s upset they didn’t get what they wanted… Have you no faith? You can like another team now. Bye!
I think A.J. Jenkins would of been there in the 2nd round, I really prefer them grabbing Fleener for the 3rd down production. Who knows maybe they find a way to move up in the 2nd round tomorrow. Hopefully Baalke has a few tricks up his sleeves.
Please stop writing WOULD OF. It is would have or would’ve
piss off Naco
From what I read this morning, Jenkins was high on some teams’ draft boards for the second round, especially the Rams. In that regard, it’s probably better that the 49ers grabbed him instead of the Rams because it would have meant our secondary would have had to face him twice a year that could turn into the next Victor Cruz.
I’m still not a fan of this pick though. This guy has a lanky frame on him and isn’t very strong. It makes me wonder how many times he’ll end up on the IR list.
If you can’t judge a draft for 3 years, then how can you write that?
We have not even seen the kid play yet. You are going to start looking for anything the kid does wrong. Whereas if we got Fleener, you would only look for what he did well. Ignoring what he did wrong. Not very objective.
Remember the statue in front of most court houses. A blind woman who is blind to anything but the facts. There are no facts that Jenkins sucks and Fleener is God. Don’t pre-judge anybody Grant. Let their play determine your opinion. Not some silly mock draft.
yeah, we should have traded up for Fleener. I give you an F!
how does this paper even hire you, from maiocco to eric to you…good god.
He’s related to another writer on here, that’s really the only reason he has this job. I can write better articles than this.
His dad got him the job.
(The problem with nepotism. On the one hand – the person has the position and the paycheck. On the other hand, the person does not self-actualize).
Lets see, first off we are already better at third downs at this point because we already have three WRs that we didn’t have in that NFC championship loss. We had Swain playing…
Manningham and Moss will help in that regard. Add on Ginn and Jenkins and you’ve got two very fast guys that can also help. Jenkin’s a polished route runner with solid hands.
The fact that you’re calling this a blown pick before he even steps on an NFL field speaks loudly about your intelligence. Good thing I normally don’t read this crap.
If you call this any kind of sports journalism, it’s a joke. Your writing is so infused with emotion that any objectivity you might possess is lost. Your hyperbole makes your point lost among your overly strong rhetoric. If you want anyone to take anything you have to say seriously, you should consider toning it down a bit. I honestly do not understand why I click on the links to your articles.
^this x1000000
Nice avatar Ashley….
Who says he has to be objective? It’s a blog, and he’s free to voice his opinions. I’m tired of politically correct, say-nothing sources of 49er news and information. I wanna know what people think! If you want dry facts, read the newswire.
This why I have stopped reading pd. if the miners can stretch the field and score on long passes who needs 3rd down. Also red zone becomes irrelevant. You just write to fill white space aka Filler
“In other words, he’ll replace Kyle Williams.”
I agree with this sentiment. My problem with a wide receiver at this spot, as I mentioned a few days ago, is that the guy was going to have to push one of the vets off the team. Well… with the new guys and the talent level, the only place you can go is Kyle Williams.
Not sure I’d give them an F. The kid has speed, good hands and is supposed to be a good route runner. The only thing I can figure is that they’re confident that Moss lasts all year and that Manningham can bring the heat. And that maybe they have NO real needs – which seems preposterous.
I don’t mind the player (size worries me a bit though) but I’m concerned about the need more than anything. I mean this kind of looks like a 7th-round flyer almost. Seems to me the first rounder needs to be a lock to contribute the first season. Not entirely sure this guy fits that, but who knows.
@Adam
I don’t see it like that. KW may be the odd man out. But, why use a first round pick to replace a 5th? round pick? Especially in a draft that is so deep in WR like this one. You can easily replace KW in the 4th round.
It just seems like a bit of a flyer to me.
I have nothing against Jenkins, I will be cheering for him just like I do for all the other guys but I have to wonder…
I mean, I wasn’t too keen on another Guard but I kind of feel like maybe that was the wiser pick in this case (in the case of greater need.) Hell, there was a stronger case for a guy on defense as well.
I mean maybe we can shore up the other areas fairly well in the later rounds, I don’t know. But we were pretty deep going in at Wideout. Seems like an odd pick if all we’re looking to do is replace Williams.
It will take a few days to get my head around this one :P
Not knocking Jenkins, he’s got skills for sure.
We may numbers wise be deep at WR Adam, but not in known current skill we are not. This is not JR/JT/Wilson WR core here.
If Moss retires next year, and Manningham show us all why he was the Giants #3, then we are right back to last year.
I just don’t see the focal poin of this pick to be as replacement to a 5th round kid who never played in his rookie year, and only showed flashes in his 2nd year while not cracking the starting lineup for quite some time on a weak WR core team.
If it is to replace anybody, it is MC. You look to a #1 to replace a starter #1. You don’t look to draft a #1 pick to come in as the 3rd guy on a team which heavily favors running the ball and lots of TE’s. No way. You especially look to replace that #1 if he stank it up big time in the playoffs. They can get a replacement for KW anywhere in this draft. Like you said. They have other needs which could have been equally addressed.
If things don’t make sense, you don’t have the whole picture. It makes no sense to repalce a 5th rounder who never was much of a starter in 2years with a 1st round pick. There is a lot more to it than that. And JH when asked about what MC after the game did not jump to his defense. He didn’t smash him, but he didn’t defend him either.
I’d say Jenkins was not brought in to replace anyone receiver specifically, but to compete and add depth. Pre-draft, I think we have two starting WRs in MC and Manningham, it remains to be seen what Moss will do (remember what he does when he is not the focal point of an offense). We can all agree that Ginn is only on the team for special teams and nobody wants him lining up as a WR. Therefore, I think Jenkins has the potential to challenge for playing time among the top 2 WR spots, he allegedly can lineup and run good routes from any of the WR positions, and he did return some kicks in college, so Jenkins and another late rounder (maybe backup Safety) can compete to eliminate the need for Ginn on the roster.
None of the pro writers, maiocco, barrows, branch, TK condemned the pick or praised the pick because they don’t know if it’s a good pick or a bad pick but Grant KNOWS.
32 nfl GMs don’t agree with Grant.
Grant is the only one that is willing to put his opinion out there and stick with it too. The others all flip flop more than Kirstie Ally in an exercise class.
I really didn’t need that image Jack.
Where’d I put the gin…?
@msc
Look at some old 80′s Kristie Ally videos of her then. I think you’ll like the result a lot more.
Yeah, I’m gonna forget you wrote that! :P
KA in the 80′s HOT! Now, TOTALLY NOT!
BTW: Grant, way to antagonise your readers into posting onto this site.
I’m sure that you are fully aware that this site is around because we 49er fans (short for fanatics) can’t get enough information about our team.
You have been successful in creating hundreds of responses, but please be careful, you may eventually get thousands of hits & responses, but create a common foe in doing so (initials GC). It’s sort of like when someone talks crap about your most hated relative. You may not be able to stand them, but hearing ANYONE else talking crap about YOUR family (regardless of how horrible their character), makes you want to hurt them.
As a life long fan I can honestly say that I think & care about what happens with the Niners, more than I do for most relatives of mine (sad, but true & I hope they don’t read this).
Don’t do a Morton Downey Jr. to further your career.
Wow, way to cry. Like others here, I’ll trust Baalke over you any day of the week. Have fun crying in your pillow.
If Grant were the GM he would’ve given up a 2nd round pick to move up to take Fleener…
I think Trent saw a little more tape than you did, Grant. After the success of last year’s draft, we should have a little faith. Even if you don’t like the pick, it’s certainly not worthy of the phony and harsh rhetoric either.
Maybe when you sleep with your teddy bear tonight, you will feel better….Jeez…and to think you get paid to write this stuff…
Wait…what?
I love it this pick is pi$$ing of all the local reporters because not one of them even considered him. Fear not 49er faithful Trent knows a whole lot more about this than any reporter or us fans. What was everyone saying last year after the A. Smith pick……oh yea we should have took Blane G. Baalke is a lifelong scout with deep contacts I trust the man he will not let us down!
“Lean, fast, slippery ‘X’ receiver boasting playmaking perimeter speed combined with quickness to separate short-to-intermediate. Best football might be ahead of him if he sharpens his route running, grows up and becomes more consistent.” This kid was not as big a reach as I thought and the game film looks good. If Mr. Moss is back Grant will be right that he will be the fourth receiver on the team replacing Williams. However, if Mr. Moss can’t be himself Mr. Jenkins would be the next receiver. What presents will Santa Baalke have under the tree tommorrow for us to unwrap. I can’t wait to see who they are targeting in Rounds 2 and 3. If they can ace those two picks with contributors, man would that be sweet.
Hi Grant
The report of the death of the #30 draft pick is overrated.
Truthfully I never heard of the kid before either but I just watched some film on him & it was interesting:
-Great hands
-Good route runner
-Can take a big hit after catching the ball
But the most impressive components were his speed and the ability to separate. Separate is something he seems to do most often.
So this 2012 pick wont be like Aldon Smith but I think it will work out. Also, after hearing the replay of the local media interview with the kid, he is no pre-madonna like Crabby, Mossy, etal.
Lets give him a chance.
Arguably your worst blog ever Grant. Weren’t you the one beating the drum for another slot WR in Jarius Wright? The draft still has 6 rounds left you know. We could still add other peices. You dont grade draft picks the day they’re drafted. I trust Baalke’s big board over yours. You probably thought last year’s draft was awful too, just hours after it was over. Chillax.
P.S.
Jenkins is ALOT more than a slot WR. You would know that if you actually watched college ball. Do your homework.
Yeah. No Sh.
Anybody trading up for Jarius Wright?
Blackmon’s a chump? Jerry Rice doesn’t think so. Nor Parcells, nor Polian, nor several NFL Franchises.
I understand difference of opinion. Hubris? Hmmm.
IMO Jenkins was a bigger reach than Aldon. I REALLY wanted Fleener. Baalke has earned the benefit of the doubt but IMO Jenkins would have been there in the 2nd for SF. We may add a second Jenkins if Janoris is there in the 3/4th.
Skaboz
Janoris will be gone in the top half of the 2nd round where any team that needed a cb will jump on a 1st rd talent with character issues. (disclaimer i know he has lost credibility) but Cosell had janoris as a top 10 talent so we will see but id love to add him to our secondary just dont think it wil happen
Not who I might have picked, but last I checked I was just a fanatic, not a NFL GM.
I also remembering wondering why they picked Aldon Smith. But that turned out quite well.
Question Grant, out of the last 5 years, how many 1st round picks are still playing, or even better yet, how many of those picks proved worthy of their 1st round selections?
It seems like a crap shoot, and if I’m placing bets at a craps table with Balke or Harbaugh shooting, then I’m placing my bets on the come line.
well said.
Thank you Spit
I for one was hoping that the Niners would grab Jenkins in the second round. Having watched a lot of Big 10 football this season (avid Michigan fan) I can tell you that this kid is legit. I have no problem with the pick. Obviously the Niners were comfortable selecting him where they did and aren’t going to worry about what their detractors say. I always find it extremey comical when people hand out grades to players who haven’t even stepped on the field. Bottom line, the kid fills a positional need for the 49ers. Another weapon for Alex will go a long way during his coninued evolvement in the offense.
“evolution” is the word you were looking for.
But I agree with your opinion.
you’re an idiot.
Aahahahahah!!!
Sometimes Grant really shows his age… :-P
Don’t blame it on his age, I’m 21 and I can write a better sports article. The thing is Grant is a sensationalist, it’s how he’s getting us to click on these articles.
It’s amazing how many times he’s changing his mind in the last 3/4 weeks… :-D
I remember a reply to my comment like: “the biggest need of 49ers is a deep-threat. They can easily select a red-zone target in the late rounds”.
Then he switched his mind to Fleener “He can be a deep-threat and can improve our red zone/3rd down efficiency”. At least the deep-threat argument was still there.
Now 49ers select one of the top (in many boards) deep-threat of the draft, but for Grant our biggest problem is not that, but only the red-zone/3rd down, which is now totally opposite to his first comment.
And better not to mention the first part of his post, because that it’s really ridiculous, and “Lowell-oriented”….
Grant, how can you figure so silly reasons behind a pick, for a team of professional scouts/managers/coaches, that bring the 49ers to 13-3 in one season?
I’m not saying that Jenkins will be surely a good pick, but do you really thing they selected him for the reasons you wrote???
C’mon….
IMO:
I actually think that red zone and 3rd down are 2 different things already, and that being a deep-thread doesn’t mean only speed… and Jenkins IS a deep-thread and look also a good overall receiver.
Again, I’m not saying he’s a good pick, as I’m not saying he’s a bad. Time will tell…
For sure is a theoretical answer to one of our needs… the deep-threat, that even York mentioned during an interview a couple of months ago.
Then my opinion is that we were in the need of a red-zone target more then a deep-threat….
But at least I don’t change my mind every 3 days…
If you check his comments of the last 3 or 4 weeks, they are full of contradictions.
I believe Grant achieved his objective to get us talking. Like the streaker who gets his play time on TV. Pathetic writer indeed. Writes like a 5year old throwing tantrums
I completely agree with Grant. Bad pick. Stephen Hill is 4 inches taller, just as fast and is a good blocker. Jenkins would have been sitting there tomorrow waiting to be called. But at least Kyle Williams is a goner.
C’mon people! You know Grant is a world class Troll and its fun to have somebody on the Bay Area sports scene who writes such provacative hyperbole. It’s his mission to 2nd guess BaalBaugh, and that can’t be easy.
Ha, He did learn from the best : )
I like that Grant’s not filtered. The place doesn’t smack of corporate America. Grant threw his chips in the middle and was dealt a stinker. Live to fight another day.
Grant is wrong, though. We don’t know who AJ Jenkins will be, but we do know the Harbaalke track record. We also know that 30 other teams passed on Fleener, so it’s not just the 49ers who had Fleener evaluated differently than Grant. 30 other professionals viewed things differently. Either way, I like a blog host who’s wrong…. dead wrong, and lets off a little steam. It’s better than the other media guys who only focus on their victories and hope their readers forget their failures.
At least Grant didn’t go the moronic route like so many other blog host and 49er beat writers calling for a guard in the first round. That’s a chicken sheat call. It’s safe, easy to justify and doesn’t go out on a limb. Grant didn’t do that, so Grant.. you have my respect even though you were wrong. That’s what makes a good blogger – take a stand and defend it – and while you’re at it, make it bold. When you’re wrong, either admit it or kick and scream. I’m partial to kicking and screaming, too. So well played.
@spit
It has zilch to do with who Grant said the Niners would draft. It has to do with his reaction. Reporters can’t be so emotionally reactive. They need more of an even keel. Otherwise, what is the difference between a reporter and a blogger? And access to a locker room is not enough.
P.S. If the Niners drafted Fleener, I’d be ecstatic. Just like I am that we drafted Jenkins. I said I would do this, and I am. I actually keep my word.
I totally disagree. I love Grant’s reaction. He’s a human being with something invested in his “out on a limb picks.” That’s worth following. That’s not the hedged bets that Matt Maiocco places. That’s not the company man who just does what the 49ers’ tell him to do. I like it. I think Grant is an original, and I’m not going to criticize his authenticity.
He’s writing opinion pieces. It’s a different ball game.
I have read a lot of columnists writings Adam. Only 1 comes close to the extremes Grant goes to.
The title itself is in poor taste. Especially since Grant never discussed Jenkins, and has only focused on Fleener. He set himself up for this. Big time.
Spit, Grant better get used to being wrong. Especially if you go out on a limb a lot. Can’t play with fire then whine when it burns you. You can play it safe, and that is fine. You can put yourself out there and that is equally fine. But you can’t put yourself out there, then react like this. That is what I, you do. Grant needs to be better than any of us here.
DS, you’re right, reporters cannot be so emotionally attached to their stories or ideas. Bloggers can, though. This is the PD’s Niner blog, Grant’s a blogger, not a journalist or a reporter, so wild rants and bizarre predictions are perfectly within bounds. That’s no slight to Grant; journalists/reporters, and bloggers are just different functions, with different requirements. Grant has done some reporting during the season, but it’s primarily human interest stuff, which, again, is a different category from journalism or reporting; no need for staying strictly with facts, no need for finding 3 sources for any facts you report, and like that.
I suspect that the measure of how good a blogger is by the PD’s standards, is very different from what WE might define as good (number of hits? number of comments? amount of time viewers stay on a page? how many different readers are attracted?). But that’s kind of inside knowledge, and we may never get a clear understanding of it. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for some of the blogs we’ve seen here. But whatever the case, this is still the best place I’ve found to get in on a good discussion of the Niners.
@rusty
More than one blogger here has gotten an earful from Grant for saying that he is not a reporter. He is. He has written articles that appear in the actual Press Democrat thruouth the year. Most of them were quite good.
Even if you are right, a blog moderator has to follow different set of principles than say you or me.
Jack Webb, Dragnet, “Just the facts Mam”.
A couple of months back Grant blasted some folks on here for questioning his “journalistic integrity”. It’s posts like this that make us question it. Sure, he’s a blogger and can state his opinion, but if that’s the path he wants to take then he definitely needs to back off on the “I’m a journalist” angle.
Further, there’s a little bit of a song and dance he needs to be careful with: if he’s going to go out and write like this, players, coaches, and execs from the team won’t want to talk to him and his credibility with them will go straight out the window. Sure, post your opinion as the blogger, but be mindful that as you do, you could be writing yourself out of stories. We all loved the “slice of life” posts he’s done about the characters and scene in the locker room, but if people stop talking to him he won’t get any first hand information to talk about.
I’ll co-sign that Spitblood.
Grant,
You have got to be the absolute worst professional sports reporter. You let your emotions get the best of you. This does not mean we are merely replacing Kyle Williams. I don’t know if you notice the rest of the offseason but we brought in Moss, Manningham and Jacobs. That not only gives us a better red zone offense but it makes Vernon Davis that much more legit in the red zone. Jenkins is a good route runner with good hands and exceptional speed.
If Baalke chose this guy, he must be worth the pick.
P.S. I’m glad you are not a talent scout.
Bingo!
I am not going to do the In Baalke We Trust thing but Stephen Hill nor Rueben Randle were going to be the Red Zone answer you are hoping for. Not this year at least.
Rutherford, I think what you mean to say is Reginald Van Gleason the 3rd. If not pardon me.
All this fella does is write columns to get a reaction from fans versus write columns with substance. Good job kiddo!
I trust our front office over an effeminate writer that overreacts not unlike a woman.
That’s a bit harsh Grant. I think Baalke and Harbaugh believe Randy Moss and Manningham (and Jenkins) will provide better receiving options than Morgan, Edwards, Ginn and Williams last year (given Morgan was injured for most of the year and Edwards was cut, hard to argue). Better receivers means better 3rd down and red zone threats. And there are still 6 other rounds to go, we may yet end up with a bigger bodied WR or TE.
I also think Jenkins will be a good WR in the NFL – he’s very smooth. Given the current rules that don’t allow much contact, smooth and quick WRs are becoming more formidable. Guys like Lloyd, Wallace, Smith, Harvin and even Manningham have shown that in recent years you don’t need to be 6’2″, 210 lbs to match up on the outside. I just think we could have gotten him at around the mid 2nd round area, so would have loved to have traded down.
Interior lineman tommorrow?
OG if we can still get someone like Silatolu.
Fingers crossed.
They could have gotten him by trading out of their position and getting and extra pick. I really do not understand this pick. I am certain 49ers wanted to move from their spot but nobody wanted to trade. This is why it took them some time to make the pick. He was probably the best player on their board but would have preferred to move out of the spot. Not a good start to this draft – probably the worst pick from all the teams.
Try again on the worst pick. It would have to be the Seahawks taking Irvin at #15 or the Dolphins taking Tannehill at #8.
Had this kid on the radar. Mentioned he reminded me of a mini Jerry Rice. Nice hands, great speed and excellent rout running capabilities. The thang is he should have went early third, late second. Maybe they felt Jenkins would be gone at 61. Who knows, maybe they didn’t have any suitors for the 30th pick. His claim to fame, atleast in regard to this drat, he was said to be un guard able in the Senior Bowl practices. Nice tidbit. Interesting pick considering the other prospects on the board. We javent heard/saw much of Kilgore development. Balke and Harbaugh desire to win is much greater than any of ours atleast when it comes to the SF 49ers. I don’t hate the pick, just feel Jenkins would have higher value in the second round.
Wow! You sound worse than a drunken Eagles fan after they drafted McNabb. Nice unbiased journalism, Grant!
I agree with the fact he is a replacement for Kyle, but that is all. I think they see something in Jenkin’s you don’t get. We’ll see. I remember people thinking Aldon Smith was a wasted pick also.
You really need to get over yourself Eric. When the 49ers hire you for their personnel department and you have a chance to watch and evaluate game film from all of the college prospects they are following then you can talk about blown draft picks. Just because you had some sort of draft crush on Fleener doesn’t make him the best choice for the team. Harbaugh coached the guy for god’s sake, do you really think that if he had believed Fleener would have been that integral a piece to the 49er’s future that he couldn’t have swayed that decision. It’s also worth noting that every other team that the “analysts” thought might take him, like the Giants, passed on him as well. As I recall there was a lot of handwringing over the choice of Aldon Smith last year and that seemed to have worked out pretty well. I don’t know anything about this player, just as I didn’t know anything about Smith last year, but so far Baalke has been pretty smart about the choices he’s made and the way he has out this team together. I think he’s earned the benefit of the doubt
You’re a joke Grant, I’m glad harbaugh treats you like you’re sub human, go back to daddy and ask for a different job d bag
ditto
We all think we can draft better than the 49er coaching staff and scouts, but really we can’t. So I’m keeping my day job and I suggest you do the same Grant.
Baalke was so confident in Jenkins that last night he put Jenkins’ name in an envelope, sealed it and told the coaches and scouts around him, “This is the guy we’re going to take.”
Dudes got big balls.
How do you know this? You selling the pick for the 49ers, or do you actually know something from a credible source?
http://www.csnbayarea.com/football-san-francisco-niners/niners-talk/49ers-got-what-they-wanted-in-hyperactiv?blockID=697558&feedID=2800
“The draft didn’t start to spin off its axis until Memphis linebacker Dontari Poe was taken 11th by Kansas City.”
Ratto needs an editor.
The front of the envelope said “Open on Saturday”.
via @bashdazzle
Baalke said the Minnesota Vikings called the 49ers to see if they were interested in trading. That would have given the 49ers the third pick in the second round.
But Baalke said he worried that another team would have come in and taken Jenkins before the 49ers. “He would have gone a lot sooner tomorrow than a lot of people think,” Baalke said.
Where’d you read or hear this?
Mr. Barrows and Mr. Maiocco.
It is believed that the Rams were lined up to snag him today.
C’mon Grant. Another potential controversy to hatch? Maybe this one can be ‘milked’ for a few days.
A.J. is our 1st rd. pick. Appearantly Harbaugh’ view of Fleener wasn’t that high. Evidently all the the other team weren’t smitten by Fleener as well. Speed and size is not always the ticket to guarantee being a 1st rd. pick.
No sweat, we move on and win with our current roster. C’mon September!
@AES
Mini-camps!
No DS, I mean September when the real games begin.
Relax is all I got to say. Take a deep breath. We will suceed this year~!
This coming from the guy that had Fleener as fifth best in the draft, Hill a top 10 pick and Luke Kuechly not in your 1st round because you said no one would want him. Grant you have
Zero credibility and no less than nothing about football and talent evaluation.
$20 says you have never even seen Jenkins play a full game!
Um, does the author not know that we signed Randy Moss and Mario Manningam?
OK Crew
Let’s leave Grant alone.
For all we know he may be right.
But I remember back to 1986 when we drafed a kid from Mississippi Valley State and everyone was shocked to pick a small school kid #1. Well…….
except dallas got scooped there
I like the way the football just disappears in his hands. A natural born pass catcher out of the womb. Beautiful.
You are such an ass, Grant! God only knows why you are not the 49ers GM! You know everything, or at least you think you do. I’d bet real money that Jenkins turns out to be an excellent pick, because I trust Baalke and Harbaugh far more than I trust your uneducated, simpering, ignorant rambling.
How do you grade a draft before a player has even gotten on the field?
According to Barrows they targeted Jenkins from the beginning. Balke said they would not trade back because they would not risk losing him. If he is a bust, they blew it. Even Walsh had some bad drafts. But if he approaches Mike Wallace’s status then he was a steal.
Also because they didn’t address the red zone issue in the first round, Grant you think they blew it. You do understand the draft isn’t over yet. The media focuses so much on the 1st round, you would think that is all that matters.
@49er42
“You do understand the draft isn’t over yet. ”
Good point. And which round did the Niners draft Bowman in? Our All pro MLB.
Keep some perspective Grant.
Maybe we can still trade up and get Fleener! Or OG Amini Silatolu, Midwestern State. The way I see it is that the picks from now on are all for show. We can take some chances. It is good to be in this position for once. I say we take players with upside from here on out!
Manngingham and Jenkins are both 6′ and TB and JH probably assume Jenkins will be able to be at least a similar reciever to him… If he can play at a level worth the pick then overall our receiving core has gotten a lot better. I dont think they picked him in order to send a message but more because they think he is (or will become) a valuable WR.
Grant touched on something that’s an important part to all of this – 3rd down conversions and red zone efficiency. These are the two areas that need to be improved. When Grant writes, “The 49ers are saying they’re the best team in the league …. if Kyle Williams doesn’t fumble, etc.” This is wrong. That’s not what the 49ers are saying.
The 49ers have tried to bring in Hasselbeck and Manning. That’s a fact. The 49ers have brought in Moss, Manningham, Jacobs and Josh Johnson…. that’s another fact. The 49ers and anyone rational don’t believe you just go out and fix the 3rd down conversion problem, or the red zone problem by just drafting one guy in the first round of the draft…. anywhere really – not at 1 or 31. Justin Blackmon, Coby Fleener or Trent Richardson wasn’t going to magically, as one player, improve the team overnight in the areas mentioned.
The 49ers recognize the need to improve their passing attack, and they’re doing it as quickly as they can. The game in the NFL is about acquiring talent for the lowest price while other NFL teams climb all over each other doing it. Sitting tight and finding a guy with speed and hands shouldn’t be criticized until year two or three if he proves the game’s too big for him. But it’s not just the wide receiver. It’s also the qb. It’s all the play calling. It’s also the O line play. So you fix your third down and red zone problems holistically, not with one guy.
The key really is finding a qb. That’s the biggest problem, and Harbaugh has gone after Hasselbeck and Manning, and he has drafted Kaep and brought in JJ. So it’s not like Harbaugh is blind to the problem. It just takes time. AJ Jenkins is a good move. He isn’t just Kyle Williams’ replacement.
ninernation touched on that topic much earlier in the year and in a much more enlightening fashion where no one player was blamed.
All parts were considered for the failing on 3rd downs. Grant only blamed 1 player. All on him. Nobody else.
It’s somewhat true, though. This is why Harbaugh went after Manning and Hasselbeck, drafted Kaep and brought in JJ.
And why no other writer was so foolish to write such a thing.
Every other local blog discussed the 3rd down failings. Only Grant blamed AS 100%. So either Grant is a genius, or he is blinded by his hate of AS.
Grant said the OL and WR’s don’t matter. He thinks 19=48. He compared Hill and AS 3rd down conversion, except for the only time you can compare them. Same teem/year/coaches, when guess what? They were the same!
Every other writer blog brought up the same things I did. And Grant threw the ideas out. Grant is to single minded. AS is the reason for the Niners sucking on 3rd downs. Ignoring any 3rd downs the Niners ran the ball. Niners will draft Fleener. Ignoring the fact the Niners lost the Title Game because of their lack of…anything form their WR’s. Why Jenkins is such a bad pick when he solves their greatest need and maybe the guy who can win them that title game is beyond me.
The biggest factor in the equation is qb play. Grant was probably using hyperbole if he knew it or not to make that point.
If you run on 30-40% of you 3rd downs and fail on virtually ever one of them (AKA the Title game) I don’t see how the QB is at fault.
Maybe he didn’t turn and hand the ball off in time?
If you only give a single isolated stat that is not turnovers, you are probably slanting your views a lot while trying to hide the idea that you are not being objective.
The 49ers ran once on 3rd down in the title game.
1 out of 13 does not equal 30% – 40% even in alien math.
These things called facts keep tripping you up.
@msc
I recall a post detailing that 3 or 4 3rd downs were runs. I thnk it was hof’s
If you are saying only 1 time did we run on 3rd down, and we passed on all the other 12 ocassions, then virutally all of our passes were on 3rd down then. If that was our offensive plan, no wonder why it stank. That was MS/Raye’s offense right there.
I don’t have the game on DVR anymore, but I am quite certain we ran on 3rd down more than once. We did so thruou the entire year. I don’t think the coaches underwent that many changes in the gamplan.
I’m reading the box score DS. 1 called run on 3rd down. 3 QB scrambles on called passes that the team failed to execute. The NFL counts those as runs.
It does make Smith look better if you treat those failed pass plays as runs though.
Do you have a link msc?
And, keep in mind that AS made some very nice runs in that game as well putting the Niners in better scoring position.
ESPN has the box scores for every game played since 2004.
http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/playbyplay?gameId=320122025&period=1
It makes it difficult to revise history.
BS,
You keep lying to support your arguments! Unfortunately, someone always calls you out on it. Only you would try to revise history. Failed again. 1-13. All on Smith!
@msc
So, the coaches called for runs on 1st/2nd down msc and then for passes on 3rd down, every time.
Where did we see that happen? If so, then the Niners coaches were out-coached that game.
Welcher boy, welcher boy, welcher boy. See the cliff. Jump
DS
Grant actually blamed AS for all the 3rd down/red zone problems and at the risk of starting another AS debate (oh god please no let us enjoy the draft) By grants rationalle the only way we could have improved that is by drafting a better QB like Luck or RG3 which would have taken all our draft picks this year and then some.
@BOS49er
I know. I’m sure you must have seen 1 or 2 posts of mine on that blog. If you look really hard, you might find them.
lol
“Even in alien math.” I’m terrible at math, so if there’s a new system out there, I’d like to know about it. The only problem with a new system is it always leads to inevitable conversion problems, and Alex can’t convert…. we could try changing the qb.
@spit
Get AS to help you. I bet he can. And that he would. Even though you prefer guy off the street over him.
You completely ignore the lie you told above (30%-40% runs on 3rd down) and switch to a new excuse.
Typical.
LOL, so glad we didnt draft the guy you are in love with. Oh, next time u want to play GM and criticize “real GM’s” go play Madden
Poor Grant is crying in a corner
Let’s see. Who has more credibility: Trent Balke and Jim Harbaugh or a young kid who has no credentials other than that he has a blog and his dad is a sportswriter. I think I’ll stick with the guys who drafted brilliantly last year and led the Niners to the NFC championship game. Actually I’m relieved that Grant came out against the pick. He’s been wrong so many times before that this tells me it’s a good pick.
Grant,
This will be the last column I read of yours. I’m tired of your arm-chair opinions based on what would appear to be complete conjecture. You seem to have gravitated towards a tabloid style of writing where you throw out shocking or ridiculous opinions on the team instead of working on becoming a solid web journalist like the Two Matts. It’s a shame because I think you started out promisingly. Your new style may get “hits”, but it’s simply not worth reading. Thanks for solidifying my opinion.
I just got done watching him on youtube. I am actually very intrigued with this guy. Having a crap QB throw to him out of shotgun, he did pretty damn good. He was the go to receiver on that Illinois team.
Fabulous stuff Grant! I must have spent at least 10 minutes reading all the replies from clowns who actually “take this stuff too seriously.” Brilliant way to get the argument going. The pick makes no sense because there were objectively better players available. “I trust in Baakle and Harbaugh” is a crap response to an empirically flawed choice by the Niners. Sadly, old single men living in their mother’s basements rarely like to listen to a young guy with a future. Soak it up losers . . . oh and keep posting comments (for the sake of Grant’s bonus this year).
So was JJ Stokes! He was taller and slow. I think you need to think outside the box. They are drafting to put people on a team. To teach them to fit a system. They look at people who are teachable (humble) that can be part of a team/system. Look at teams pro teams like New England, San Antonio Spurs. They pick the people who can be taught to fit a system and not based of physicality.
When you look at the team we have now who can you point out as the main guy? None! That’s what team building is all about. Those whi haven’t figured it out, henceforth, the NINERS are a team not a bunch of players like those from 2003-2010.
Jenkins is a big play maker. Average YPC on TDs were 48.6. Shows he does make big plays. Plus he gets the “separation” you love so much grant. And he has great hands. Don’t be so upset Grant, sorry the niners didn’t get Fleener. They got who they wanted most.
Do you post as 9erlifer on the 49ers Messageboard?
That’s right guys, Grant Cohn knows more than both the Executive of the Year and the Coach of the Year.
Grant has a job because his daddy is a cast off from the big city paper but who still manages to pull some weight in the burbs..
Grant had a hard on for Stanfurd TE because his daddy has bled for the farm ever since he got rejected from Cal. So you both know better than niner brass? Go away please, like to Turlock or Visalia, its a way better fit…….
Looking at youtube, Jenkins ran a lot of underneath stuff in the 6-10 yd area. he can definitely help with 3rd down conversions. We’ll just have to let it play out before evaluating. Give it a couple of years. BTW, who is to say the 9ers don’t move up to # 36 – cost would be a 3rd this year and next year – to grab CF or any other valued player. Let’s review all picks before judging.
The clips I saw, he’s playing against virtually no one in coverage a lot of times. The guy is wide, wide, wide open. I have to wonder how he does against top flight DBs.
Hopefully it’s good! :P But we’ll see.
He does seem to have a great feel for soft spots in zones.
Stanford!
Guess somebody better go tell Wes Welker and Roddy White that they need to be 6-5, 240 to be effective on third down or in the red zone…
Although we all rant about the players in the draft, I think it is fair to say that the coaches and team personnel get a better look at the players at the combine and on film. I thought Aldon Smith was an odd pick last year, but he turned out to be a great player. They seemed to target Jenkins for a reason, so I’m on board.
I’m sure their was some beat writer saying the same thing about jerry rice when he was drafted. You seem to forget, grant, that harbaugh did not have the benefit of time last summer to fully implement his offense, as he will have this year. This team was given no chance to compete last year. The average prediction was 3-13 and we finished 13-3. we finished with that record primarilly because harbaugh inspired our players with confidence. I believe our 3rd down efficiency will improve from 32 to 2o-25 , not drastically but enough to improve our overrall offense.
AJ is a home run threat. He’s Ginn but with hands and the ability to adjust to the ball. If Moss doesn’t workout Jenkins brings the vertical element. And look at the other so called greats on the board, Upshaw, Konz, etc.
Get the Fleener out your rear end and if you’re going to make ludicrous claims then preface with your lack of football knowledge.
But I’d look at your peers and how they cover rather than belittle our newest 49er.
Home run threat?? Don’t we have enough of them and no one to throw them the ball for that home run?? Alex still can’t throw deep, we all know that. Jenkins is another Jason Hill.
I agree! There is a plan…..Let it play out before the judgement is delivered. Let’s not be so critical until we see what day 2 and 3 unfold.
All you people sound like a bunch of brain washed kids believing in Harbaugh and Balke. Admit this is a bad pick already. The 49ers did not need to fill this spot with the number 1 pick. Fleener was the right pick here to help in the run game, pass protection and catch some short passes from Smith. Where will this Jenkins fit? Resign Kyle and don’t waste your pick on Jenkins. Kyle fumbled, so what, it happens and he’s learned, don’t give up on him. Before the fumbles he dominated just look at the highlights. You guys are brain washed, I bet if Harbaugh drafted a cheerleader at pick #1 you would praise the 49ers!
Brain washed? and you are not? say Fleener Fleener Fleener Fleener Fleener Fleener while you assume the fetal position. Poor souls why do you think you are better than any of those in the know?
Time will tell whether this was a bad pick. It’s pretty well guaranteed now that Williams will mostly likely be gone, but there is another problem now and it’s this: if Moss is still on the team when the season begins, then who will be willing to be the fifth many on the WR depth chart?
Man, not many.
@josh
Fleener to help with run game and pass protection…… WTF? you do know that he is a terrible blocker and we already have 2 TE on this team? right? or did u think that we need to draft a blocking TE (hello Nate Byham) in the 1st round. I agree on KW, but talk about brainwashed just cuz every mock had us drafting fleener and JH coached him in Stanford not to mention the fact that all 32 teams passed on him
@ Grant
An “F”? Really? OK, that’s an awful response. I’m giving you the “Fail” for your instant analysis of a pick that can’t be accurately rated before 2 years have passed. Shockingly narrow-minded.
Remember that JH’s Power Multi TE System is just a situation-formation variant of West Coast. Ever think that a guy who can get separation in both vertical and crossing routes is an attribute in WC Offense? This is a simple concept.
Calling him a slot receiver is not only a misnomer, its an abject failure to recognize that he is the X guy the team needs. I’d been thinking taller too, but getting open solves it all. Look, Fleener could’ve been folded into the offense smoothly, but only in a way that keeps the offense compacted towards the middle of the field. When we pack in like that the opponents can put 8 in the box without having a safety too far out of position. A quick, fluid crossing/seam route guy spreads out the D. Again, not that complicated.
Exactly… get the safety out of position then Frank and Vernon can really work. But the safety has to respect Alex. That’s a whole ‘nother can ‘o Tuna.
F F F F F F F F!
Oh and what i like about the cohns is they do no care what people think of their writing. Good or bad, they like to write it, and people keep coming back to read it. Regardless of what happens, I always tend to stick with the press democrat 49er beat writers, they have turned into some interesting people in the bay area sports media, mike silver, matt maiocco, brian murphy (murph and mac), eric branch.
Actually, both Cohns appear to be slaves to what people think. What people think is what gets the reactions to their nonsense. Getting that reaction is their only goal.
Well. Ol’ elGuapo, here, had to hit the net and youtube, much like last years pick, to see exactly what we got. So far, I’m on the fence. He seems to have good hands; crisp routes; atheletic; SPEED, SPEED,SPEED!!; and will replace K. Williams. But he seems to lack power which my fail him on blocking assignments and gaining YAC. Hmmm. I don’t know. I wouldn’t go as far as to say the 9ers BLEW it, buuuuuut, I feel if they were going WR, they shoulda snagged Hill from GT. Hmmm. Hmmm, indeed.
AJ Jenkins is the Alex Smith of draft picks. He isn’t horrible but he isn’t something you get excited about either.
Kaepernick=Alex Smith
Jenkins=Jason Hill
Why are U hiding? Afraid to u would be exposed for your lack of knowledge?
Wow, up until now I thought Grant’s only talent was being Lowell’s son (which isn’t gonna get it done on Third Down in the Red Zone). Now I realize how awesome he is at draft analysis. That is EXACTLY what happened.
Grant, I am a mildly superstitious person. For example I won’t shave if the SF Giants are in the playoffs, or the 49ers for that matter. Last year you had bold predictions about the Ravens game and the NFC championship game, and they flopped. As soon as you shed the light on Fleener I was sold. I agree with your reasoning and I like-no I love, the idea of him in a Niner uniform. However the harder you beat that drum, the more my gut told me that your history of bold predictions would hold true in the first round of the 2012 draft. Do me a favor for the mildly supertitious… Don’t come out on Monday with any bold preseason predictions (Like a 14-2 record). And what ever you do, don’t predict the SB unless you leave the 49ers out of it. Don’t get me wrong, I love your enthusiasm and I appreciate your work. I do realize your predicitions have absolutely no impact on the actual results but everytime the exact opposite of what you so boldy proclaim happens, I cringe. Worse yet, you have set a precedent that causes me to cringe every time you come out with a bold prediction. When you feel yourself going out on that limb, rein it in just a tad. Keep up the good work, I will always read no matter what. Here’s to a long and tortorous off-season. I can’t wait for opening day. GO NINERS!
I thought you were big on Alex, now your not. lame
Obviously Fleener isn’t the pick here! aka Taylor Mays….Maybe the numbers don’t prove everythint in this instance! I AM SURE hARBAUGH MAY HAVE A LITTLE MORE INSIGHT IN THIS MATTER!
OMG, THE COACH KNOWS MORE THAN US RIGHT?? JUST LIKE OUR PRESIDENT! KEEP BELIEVING AND PRAYING IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY!
You keep being an imbecile. Stop shouting. You must be angry at something or someone without cause!
I would say that is correct. The coach and president do know more than us? They may not have the correct answers but we have no way to get the information they get (especially dealing with the national government). (and no i am not an Obama fan)
Actually the avg for the nfl is about 13-15 so what is your mind saying
El Grant, es un Estupido……
It says, “me no English”
Que dices?!
Huh?
No one else finds it alarming that Harbaugh neglected to draft Fleener?????? Pete Carol passed on Taylor Mays.
He also passed on Baldwin so whats your point?
“I give the Niners an F for their A.J. Jenkins pick at No. 30 in the first round, ”
So, you have determine that Jenkins sucks. Never seeing him on our team. But MC who has been here for 3 full seasons gets a pass?
You’re worse on Crabtree than 23Jordan is on Smith. The hate just oozes out of you.
MC does not want to be her msc.
That is the pattern that is very clear. AS does.
Just asking for some perspective. Why hate a guy who has done nothing bad vs. a guy who didn’t love the game enough to sign a piece a people whereby people pay him millions of dollars to do what I’d do for free?
Love? MC has no love of SF. AS does.
Haters gonna hate…
What does ooze out of me is the anger I have for a guy who did nothing more than I could have done and blaming everybody but himself for a game which screamed out for him to stand up and be the difference maker.
The Giants bet their whole game plan on this. If MC stood up, the Giants are whopped. Single coverege on a #1 WR gll game long, and nothing from him. He did not stand up to the task. AS did. VD did.. AS and VD did not blame anybody but themselves though.
Then MC blamed the QB and coaching staff which got him to where he is in the first place. Not going to fly with me.
That’s enough DS. We don’t want to hear anymore about things oozing out of you.
If MC isn’t pissed, I am. He better be pissed. Wtih every stride, weight he lifts, he better strive to be a lot more than he was. Because that won’t cut it.
And you chime in on your selective threads Jack.
Do you want a guy like AS or a guy like MC on your team?
If they both suck, and are just a placeholder, which player would you rather want? The one who didn’t want to play, or the one who does?
@msc/jack
Who was your favorite Ninja Turtle?
“oozze”
DS, you are the human version of a pimple, you know the ones that just ooze that white stuff out when you squeeze them.
As for Crabtree and Smith, I could care less if either of them were to get traded today if there is someone better to replace them. You said it yourself in a later comment, that this receiver corps is still not deep. Moss and Ginn are gone after this year most likely so it isn’t time to cut bait with Crabtree yet.
He may not be the #1 explosive threat we all would likr him to be, but he is still our best known commodity. His performance is just like Smith, productive, exciting once in a while, and if you can replace him with someone better, you do it.
Right or wrong Grant i like your passion and the fact that you arent sfraid to go against the grain instead of being a company kissazz!…..That being said we wont know for awhile about this pick and we still have a draft going on…
Grant, You mean well!
Just don’t know why people feel the need to put others down to make themselves feel better! Are we not all adults here?
How can you guys get upset about other peoples opinions. Everyone is entitled.
Trent Baalke surprised the football experts last year when he took Aldon Smith and he was RIGHT… as he was with the rest of the 2011 draft with the exception of Ronald Johnson from USC. Grant Cohn doesn’t know if a football is round or square. Biased reporting Cohn, the 49ers are going for speed, their LB’s are fast, their DB’s are fast, A.J. Jenkins runs a sub 4.4 40… get wind of it.
A football is a prolate spheroid.
Gruden said the kid can fly and has good hands…and Kiper basically said he was an early 2nd round pick and that there isn’t much difference in a late first rounder and an early second rounder. The kid is also and Academic All Big 10 guy so he has some smarts. Grant on the other hand never played a down in the NBL, SCL, MCAL or anywhere else…so he really doesn’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to critiquing draft picks. Grant, my dad is a dentist, but that doesn’t mean I can clean teeth. Maybe you should start slow and do some stories for the Petaluma Patch’s gardening section before you out on your big boy pants and try to be a sports journalist.
Grant youre nothing but a foolish child in the sports world.
Who does that make you then?
LISTEN: MARK MY WORDS- A.J. JENKINS IS AND SOON WILL B A STUD IN THE NFL. IF U DONT KNOW- WATCH SUM CLIPS OF THIS KID. 1. 4.36-4 SPEED, 3RD FASTEST @ THE COMBINE 2. LED THE BIG TEN IN CATCHES, SO HE HAS THE HANDS, 9O REC. WITH A MEDIOCRE QB- HMM, 3. HE IS ALMOST 6-1, NOT HUGE BUT THE KID IS STRONG FOR 190LBS. HE ALSO CAN JUMP 38.5 VERTICAL! 4. HE PLAYS LIKE A RB SO RAC! 5. MEL HAD HIM GOIN 38TH, SO IT WASNT A REACH. 3O TH IS BASICALLY 2ND RND ANYWAY. 6. HE AVERAGED 8 TDS, AND HE CAN PLAY SLOT, OUTSIDE, AND RETURNED KICKS. HE ALSO IS A SMART KID. HE WAS A FAN OF JERRY RICE, AND ID SAY IN 2YRS, HE WILL B A FASTER VERSION. HE CAN RUN CROSSING ROUTES AND GETS SEPERATION 9O PERCENT OF THE TIME. HIS BEST RANGE IS 8-12YRDS BUT CAN GO DEEP. 5 GAMES OVER 1OO LAST YEAR AND ONE MONSTER GAME OVER 250YDS AND 3 TDS. WE GOT OUR WR- WE DIDNT BLOW ANYTHING. AS MUCH AS I LIKE GRANT, I LIKE HIS INTERVIEWS AND REVIEWS DURING THE SEASON, BUT HIS OFFSEASON PREDICTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ARE FAR FROM HARBAALKES TALENT! U JUST WAIT N C
Renaldo ( Skeets) Nehemiah was fast too. So was Peter Warrick (Cin), Troy Williamson (Minn), Desmond Howard and Charles Rogers (Det).
There’s more to football than speed.
Charles Rogers was a Crack head. As far as I know, you don’t get a 3.85 GPA in college while playing football and doing crack… Jenkins will be fine. He is the definition of an over achiever… I wouldn’t be surprised if the kid is the number one receiver on the 49ers this year or next and makes the pro bowl…
“There’s more to football than speed.”
True.
http://www.fightingillini.com/video/index.html?vid=1596658329001
Crab 15
Actually warrick ran a 4.58 not fast by any measure, howard had a 10 yr career and c rogers smoked waaay too much weed so there were other factors in their faliures (except for howard who was a SB MVP).
In fact I wish the real Crab 15 had some more speed maybe he would have an explosive play here and then
After years of mocking Al Davis for taking guys based on their 40 times in underwear we now have 49ers fans praising Jenkins based on his 40 time in underwear.
Bill Walsh would weep.
@ Grant
Just an absolutely horrendous blog post. Check yourself, Bruin. That was embarrassing to us all.
Grant – as a UCLA alum I’m surprised you were not more aware of this week. Leading into the Hunger Bowl he was the stud we had to stop and we didn’t. The guy tore us up and had a great TD. He played with a bas sophomore QB last year and still had HUGE big play ability: AJ averaged 48.6 yards per TD and had five +50 yard TDs last year. We got our Mike Wallace.
Many of you need to quit sniffing Balke and Harbaughs balls.
This was NOT a great pick, he was taken WAY too soon. And you should know this franchise has whiffed on WR’s since the days of T.O. Fleener, a bigger wideout like Hill or even a O or D-lineman would have been better. If they really loved this kid they could have moved up in round #2 to get him easy.
Grant, stop letting this whiny brats call you names!
F+
I agree. A guard would have been a better pick.
This is one of the posts you decide to respond to? A testicle sniffing comment?
Your youth and draft-crush may have gotten the better of you t0night Grant.
I usually enjoy your writing, it is typically more insightful. This is a disappointment. The article really screams sensationalist journalism. That or an angry teenage blogger at his laptop.
It it weren’t for the comment section here and your wonderful articles during last season, I might consider deleting this page from my bookmarks. That would be a real shame.
You seemed to have gained an enormous ego since you began. Perhaps you were too young for the job. Your bold predictions do not seem to be working out for you.
Who is this kid and why is he even allowed to blog about the niners!?!
Allowed? Anyone can go get a free blogspot and fire away.
Bunch of you jokers (who never show up here to discuss anything) want to get nasty over a guy’s opinion ought to go get your own blog and do it yourself.
Peter King on twitter: “@SI_PeterKing Just talked to one team with a receiver need who liked first-round stunner AJ Jenkins over Michael Floyd.”
After looking at the video of Mr. Jenkins I would tend to agree.
“Strengths: Jenkins is a balanced athlete with good body control and hand/eye coordination. He plays fast and can create after the catch. Jenkins does a nice job finding soft spots in zone coverage and will immediately turn upfield after the reception. He catches the ball with his large, soft hands and is tough, showing the ability to hold onto the ball after a big hit. Jenkins is a much improved route-runner with sharp moves in/out of his breaks and good field awareness. He uses his body movements to sell routes and makes plays at all levels of the field. Jenkins has a very good feel in coverage and has deceptive jets to gain a step and track the deep ball
downfield. He put together a strong senior resume, leading the Big Ten in catches (84) and emerged as Illinois’ go-to option through the air – producing at least four catches in every game in 2011 and set a new single game school record with 268 receiving yards (vs. Northwestern, 10/1/11).”
Analysis given on CBS sports. Clearly the coaches saw him having more upside in our offense than a Hill or Fleener. I like the pick
Nice cut and paste post.
Just making it easy for the people who haven’t read his analysis. Its the first thing i do after every pick
Opinions, opinions. Baalke has an opinion too and it obviously does not concur with this post. Let’s get behind this kid (AJ Jenkins). That’s my opinion.
@open
+1
He is a Niner now. Time for the faithful to, well…show some faith.
Hey DS. Crabtree’s a 9er, too. HAHA!! Just messin, just messin. Have mercy on my soul please :)
@el
:- )
Thank God your not making personnel decisions for the niners! We would be back to the same old crap!
Like Father, like Son. Both of you guys just like to say crap that will get you the views/hits. You are what kids in video games call TROLLS. I don’t understand how you have the balls to say that you know more football than our GM/Coaches/Scouts. It’s mental how much you ride your own nuts.
I think this is more a knock on Crabtree than anything else. Baalke said he had his heart set on a pick that he knew would be there and this is that pick. For his short term record, in Baalke I trust. Manningham is a keeper, Moss I believe is the short term answer with redzone issues and Jenkins is perhaps Mike Wallace millions of dollars cheaper. Vernon just received a huge extension, why pay Fleener 1st round money to be a 2nd TE when we have Walker who will be cheap to extend and is a speed threat at the TE position already? Grant was all over Wallace and we just got his unproven counterpart in the first round. When Wallace’s price got away from the Niners, Grant honed in on Fleener as the answer, even if he’d be a backup TE. Grant’s headline is a product of brash youthful ignorance. No problem, he posts good insightful locker room fodder during the season. I never heard of Jenkins from Ill myself; however, this staff has a plan, as noted by the fact that their pick was in only seconds after their turn to pick came up. Guard is covered by Kilgore or Boone no matter if the rest of the country have no idea who they are and a back up safety can be chosen in later rounds. A deep threat at WR not named Ginn was needed and we just drafted him. If this guy can catch passes down the middle as well, I wonder if Crabtree is the undisputed starter everyone assumes him to be…Baalke didn’t draft him.
Mike Wallace is a bad comparison. Wallace averaged 20.1 yards per catch as a junior. Jenkins averaged 13.3 yards per catch as a junior. Jenkins primarily runs underneath routes.
That is dead wrong Grant. Watch his tape and TD catches. The guy is always downfield. Just had a bad soph QB. You pay yo much attention to yards per catch average. So many factors to consider.
yeah… but look at Jenkins’ qb…..
So be it, even more of a reason why he’s a threat to Crabtree. Runs underneath routes and has the 4.3 ability to get deep. He’s a dual threat to Crabtree’s possession receiver label. Wallace is a small guy who gets deep…is he a dual threat? Fleener is described as a guy who can attack the seams, sounds like Vernon to me. I don’t know much about Jenkins and put more trust in Baalke than on stats as far as how he perceives him to translate to an NFL receiver in Harbaugh’s system; but as an outsider, I can see Baalke’s perspective better than I can see yours. Smith is our QB, can he be more effective with Wallace running deep or can he be more effective with a middle presence with the 4.3 ability to run deep?
Just because Jenkins runs a 4.3 it doesn’t mean he’s a vertical threat. DHB ran a 4.3 and he’s no vertical threat.
Without giving us number of receptions, styles of offense, other WR’s averages on the same teams stat single stat is completely worthless Grant.
Not to mention QB/OL, game situation, quality of opponent, coaching philosophy, scores in the game and a bunch else, average/catch is meaningless. How many YAC vs. route?
Big catches in big games in big moments. That is what matters. If Jenkins does that as well as Wallace, we will win more than 1 Super Bowl in the next 3 years barring a horrible injury bug.
The fact his average YPC on his 8 TD’s this year was 48.6 shows hes a vertical threat. Plus caught 90 passes which shows he runs a variety of routes
I really like Jenkins – he’s one of the WRs I’ve been keen on the 49ers drafting for a while. Is the 1st round earlier than I expected? Sure – but he’s a legit threat at all levels of the field including downfield and that shows up on tape, not just running in underwear.
The film I’ve watched of him he shows very good body control. He has great hands and plucks the ball out of the air over either shoulder. He maintains his speed into and out of breaks, much like Isaac Bruce used to. I think he’ll turn out to be a good WR for the 49ers, and will really help stretch the defense in the same way Lloyd and Wallace do.
Wallace also had a better quarterback, This is all these guys do is evaulate talent, This kid could end up being wallace crossed with Steve Smith, What I find intersting is , Grant Cohn and Lowell Cohn state they are not fans and are just objective but if they go against your picks or your wisdom you rip them big time which does not seem objective to me. Still enjoy both of you very much even if I differ on oppinion.
@Steven
“I wonder if Crabtree is the undisputed starter everyone assumes him to be…Baalke didn’t draft him.”
Ummm. Not quite everybody. We picked up an old vet. We picked up a young guy. We drafted WR in round 1. From those 3, don’t be shocked to see our 2 starters from that group. Then you have MC, KW, TG on the outside looking in.
Plus, I don’t think we are done looking at WR. We may be looking for a bigger/stronger WR type WR like Boldin. Who will carry an entire secondary on his back before going down. MC won’t do that. And MC is going to get a ton of money to be sitting on the bench.
Don’t be shocked if we try to trade him tomorrow.
“MC is going to get a ton of money to be sitting on the bench. Don’t be shocked if we try to trade him tomorrow.”
A bit of an absurd statement. He will come in as our #1, so it would be very shocking to see him traded.
His contract as written will pay him a lot of money Adam707. His play compared to the new WR core may not have him play very much.
If you are wise with your money, you don’t invest a lot of current money in a player who is not playing at the expense of one who is better and cheaper.
Besides, MC has not proven anything yet. If he does not show up and kick butt in TC, he won’t be on this team. The fact he led the WR group in catches who were the worse WR’s in the playoffs does not guarantee anything.
And, the Nines may not be done with WR.
We get it you hate MC the same way Jordan, Bay, Spit hate Alex.
Adam 707, Very true. Haters gonna hate…
The Raiders drafted DHB, I don’t know that I need to say more, but I will. This guy is said to have hands, caught 90 passes, meaning more productive in college than DHB. Had a huge YPC on TD’s meaning big play ability. The brain trust is more reliable than Davis was a few years back…besides what’s your argument now? A few one liners? You just went off on the Niner’s front office for not choosing your guy and instead of defending it, you’re using one liners to push back criticism…that doesn’t work. Get deeper into why they may have chosen Jenkins instead of the continual attempt to defend your post. It’s over now, you were wrong, even with Fleener sitting there for them, so what…as the insider, tell me why YOU think they chose Jenkins.
They chose Jenkins to replace Kyle Williams and it was a moronic draft pick.
Grant – 28 or so other GMs disagreed with you about Fleener. It’s a little too early for you to be calling anything moronic.
It’s never too early.
To replace Kyle Williams? Really? A 1st rounder to replace a guy who would be the 5th WR? Well if you’re right, that would be moronic, but I don’t think that’s true. I think there is more foresight to it. Crabs makes what…5M or more a year? For what he does? That’s way over paid. If Jenkins pans out or even just equals MC’s ability, Crab’s days are over. Climb up the latter of the WR chart and it doesn’t seem to be as moronic as you make it. As the first sentence I wrote tonight said, I think this pick is more a knock on Crabtree than anything else.
We aren’t talking about highballs, we’re talking about your credibility. If you have an opinion and you want people to actually take you somewhat seriously, you need to know when to take an opinionated stand, and when to just try to evaluate. Bring some reason back to your voice. Right now, nobody is listening to your claims that Jenkins was a bad pick. Nobody.
Steven – Jenkins will just replace Kyle Williams in roster spot only. Don’t let Grant confuse you. Jenkins has a completely different set of skills.
I think this selection + the signings of Moss and Manningham give an indication of what the 49ers want to do with the offense this year. Speed is king. I think we will see more downfield passes this year, trying to clear out the box to provide more room for the RBs.
It also shows what they thought of the WR group last season, and that Moss is not necessarily considered a lock to make the team. I wouldn’t be surprised if the 49ers drafted another WR to be honest.
Adam707
Alex wants to be here. MC does not.
Take a guess who I will like? The guy who wants to be here, or the guy who never did, and does what he can to not be here as long as possible?
“Alex wants to be here. MC does not.” Never read a report of MC claiming he does not want to be here, all speculation, like the claim hes a diva
Wow, Grant is calling the pick moronic and Spit is advising reason. Ladies and Gentlemen we have entered a parallel universe.(I’m not knocking Spit by the way -dig the court joker!)
Once upon a time, I remember coming to this blog for up-to-date, good, unbiased articles about the 49ers. Now, I just go to CSN BayArea for that. Grant, I admire your enthusiasm, however, you have some growing up to do when it comes to journalism. Perhaps you should study the journalist who started the PD 49ers blog and take some pointers. Specifically, tone down your personal bias and try to write reports that are more informative than opinionated. Just a suggestion.
+1
Eric Branch was an absolute genius. His articles opened up eyes to ideas that I’d never seen/thought of before. And all without really being so biased. I never could figure out what Eric thought of AS. He would write some articles that AS isn’t as bad as many think. But never came out and said that he “liked” AS. And that is how it should be.
Why does everyone have to do it the same way?
Because Grant.
I may do/think differently from another person doing the same type of job as me. But, there needs to be something that makes us the same. You can be different all you want. I don’t really care that much if you are/wish to be.
But when you don’t follow the basic principles of reporting that I see every other reporter do (and they are all unique and often disagree with one another, as I may with them) it makes you more like me, or blogger x than a reporter.
There is no way you can say this first round pick is a F grade. Somebody who knows nothing at all about the draft/football/sports knows that you can’t judge somebody so harshly without ever even seeing them on the team that they are drafted on. That is not a “reasoned” thought. It doesn’t matter in the slightest if Jenkins will be good on any of the other 31 teams. He just has to be good on this team.
To jump to conclusions without concrete evidence is something that reporters don’t do. That is what separates reporters from basically me or blogger x. Maybe it is not “hip” but take a look at how Jim Lehrer and the NEWSHOUR crew doe their reporting. I have watched a ton of their episodes. I DVR them every day. I may not agree with their POV when the express it on occasion or their questions all the time, but there is always a sense of knowing that I know they worked thru this story a lot. When you have a title saying “49ers blow their first round pick, draft A.J Jenkins” mere minutes after the pick, I don’t think you can possibly have come to that conclusion if you started off with the idea that he is not bad.
It is fine to express your opinion. But you don’t take the reader on the journey (There was not journey at all in this case). as to how you came to that opinion. You couldn’t have because you have not seen this kid at all on this team. Nor have I or anybody else. And that is when you can start to evaluate/grade him. Not before. Would you have liked it if I evaluated you based on my feelings (good or bad) that I might have for your father? I suspect not. I suspect you want to be judged based on what/how your own merits. Not his.
But judging this kid so early in the manner in which you did, you are doing the very thing I suspect you don’t want anybody to do with you. Judging a kid before he can even prove himself. When Eric left the Press Democrat, I did not hold any anger /resentment towards you because I liked him. But you seem to be holding unjustifiable anger towards Jenkins because you liked Fleener. And you are mad that the Niners didn’t pick Fleener, so you take it out on the guy they did pick. Who by the way had no power over TB.
That is what I am talking about with having standards as a reporter. You can like Fleener all you want. But it is not ok for you to take your anger out on Jenkins because the Niners didn’t choose Fleener. And it is no way fair of you to judge TB who in his first full year as GM where he actually had the power of a GM and became GM of the year to say he sucks with this pick. Reporters must always use reason. Reason may lead you to different opposing views. But, the tie that binds all reporters is that they use reason.
What binds bloggers is emotional childish posts. We don’t need you to do that Grant. We have that figured out. We need you to be what we are not/can’t be. A reporter.
Grant it’s fine to give your opinion but not all the time. MM’s articles are mostly fact based with interviews, and have a light quality to them. Light meaning non-judgmental. Most of us have been here for years, the format is reader friendly and you have (the blog) dedicated followers. I liked Eric Branch but I hardly follow him since he left, the other two, Bob Padecky and the other guy I didn’t bother to read while they were here.
I continue to read you. With time and experience I’m sure you’ll find the right balance. After all is said and done it’s a “Question Of Balance”.
“Why does everyone have to do it the same way?”
They don’t. Just keep doing what you’re doing.
There seems to be a disconnect in the understanding of opinion vs. hard news reporting. I put in my decade at a daily, I understand what you’re doing. Others will come around.
No worries :)
jdawggy,
So basically you are saying you like a homer. To each his own.
@jack
We are the home area. You do realize that, don’t you?
If you can’t get “a homer” at home, where can you?
What fun would that be? You can go CSN BayArea for that.
Agreed!
You’ve become so bombastic this blog is no longer readable. Way to drop the ball, Press Democrat….
What the? Just watched the Niners pick on DVR and spit mouthful of quality beer out.
Could’ve traded down 10-15 picks and still got Jenkins!
Rashaun Woods (2004) all over again!
RT @SI_PeterKing Just talked to one team with a receiver need who liked first-round stunner AJ Jenkins over Michael Floyd.”
Blowing smoke, you hear that crap every NFL draft.
The big issue that people are trying to ferret out (or at least they should) is the issue with the envelope. I say it’s total BS and just spin for the media machine.
Two things speak well for the 49ers. They drafted AJ Jenkins ahead of Hill, Jeffrey and Randle. That to me speaks volumes. The other thing that speaks to me is that I do believe the 49ers were offered something for their pick and turned the Vikings down. So to me, I think the 49ers wanted Jenkins. But to put him in an envelope the night before, saying, “That’s our guy,” while also admitting you never know who’s going to fall to you – that’s too much for me to believe. Like you don’t hope on draft day that a complete top ten stud falls to you miraculously. You don’t know, but you hope. The entire envelope thing is sales. I don’t believe it. And frankly, I think the 49ers are better than that. It’s enough to say we had him ranked higher than Randle, Jeffrey and Hill…. and we turned down an offer for 30 from the Vikings because we like Jenkins. That’s enough for me.
“@SI_PeterKing Just talked to one team with a receiver need who liked first-round stunner AJ Jenkins over Michael Floyd.”
I’m a believer, I ain’t no deceiver Mountains move before my eyes Destiny planned out I don’t need no handout Speculation of the wise.
You guys all just got trolled. Great Job, Grant.
#16, how many games did I see you pitch in the 50′s and 60′s. The Chairman of the Board.
its official. in a matter of months press democrat has gone from a reliable source of solid, accurate 49er information to a speculate about every possibility, opinionated blog discussion. i want the old PD back
Grant,
I love that you write with balls! I enjoy reading your articles. You were wrong on Fleener. SO WHAT. You had an opinion and you had the sack to share it.
The idiots are the ones that criticize you yet continue to come to YOUR blog every day.
Thanks, Bay.
Right on the money Bay. Keep up the good work Grant!
Ahh we’re just getting started right Grant? Rounds 2 and 3 are the most challenging and rewarding at the same time. Interior Lineman is my guess.
Yeah, it takes massive balls to deride a pick because you’re never heard the blowhard “draft experts” mention the player’s name. Or because he doesn’t fit into some silly fantasy football statistical box that you’re convinced guarantees NFL success. Ahhh the “post-draft reaction piece”… gotcha journalism at it’s worst.
Well said Bay.
And Grant… I won’t make you say nice things about gin.
Kudos to you Bay for backing Grant here. I love his style of journalism. Keep it up Grant and just ignore those who don’t understand it.
Damn straight – that’s why I like Grant’s blogs. They are opinions that get people talking. Keep it up Grant!
Totally agree, Bay.
I got yer back too, Grant :)
oops… Wrong e-mail address!
Must. Find. My. Helmet.
There it is.
Did you just pull a Thurman Thomas? You did!
As in someone hid my helmet? :P
I did it to myself. I must have a concussion or three! :P
Grant i agree, i like that you have an opinion and put it out there for all to see. You know that you are going to get blasted for it alot of times but who cares its your opinion; if we did not like what you wrote we would not be here reading and definately not commenting. So keep up the good work, and continue to entertain us.
With that being said, like you i was stunned when we went AJ Jenkins with Glenn, Hill, and Fleener on the board. I felt that we needed a big receiver for third down and redzone, i know we have Moss but he is a one year deal so i thought we would take someone basically like him to learn and replace him. However, Im not going to call this pick a bust because i do not know the guy. He seems to have pretty good intangables. I do think it was a bit of a reach but like i said its only because I do not know him. Im not going to join the majority and say I love the pick because i trust Harbalkee based on his past drafts, but like i said im not going to say i hate it Im just going to wait and see what he becomes.
Also, Kiper says he was ranked high in the second round by alot of teams (Not that i trust everything Kiper says). But if that is true would you have hated the pick so much if we traded out of the first into the top of the second and took him? Because if that is the case, i can see them taking him where they did only a few spots higher.
Well… this article by G Cohn is either one of the following:
1. This is what happens when Daddy gets his son a job he’s neither capable of nor deserves.
or..
2. This kid is desperate for web hits that he writes the most outlandish nonsense possible so that he gets a lot of negative reaction. Could that be it? If it is… pretending you’re a terribly informed writer is a high price to pay for web hits.
…or I suppose it could be both.
Jealous?
Hahaha… no, I prefer earning my own way.
…
Seriously, I would hate to have grown up in the Cohn household; full of negativity and irrational second guessing. The fact that Grant Cohn is giving the reigning executive of the year an ‘F’ grade because their “biggest weaknesses are third down and red zone offense… and they drafted a 6-0, 190 lb. slot receiver who will be the fourth-string wideout and backup punt returner this season, most likely” is absolutely ridiculous.
The 49ers biggest positional weakness entering the offseason is WR. So do did they do? They take a reasonable flyer on Moss, they bring in manningham to compete for the #2 spot and now with jenkins they are indeed bringing in a player to complete for the #3 spot. I love it. Also, do you research, Jenkins has the 4th most productive season at the BCS school teams behind blackmon, floyd and wright. Baalke looks for production on the field as well as strong measurables. #4 production, 4.39 40 time and a strong combine/pro day showing.
Grant, you need to take a step back and take this all in. You are way over your head.
Well said…. however, Grant is a blogger… and there are different rules for blogging. Grant can be wrong without being a troll (not that there’s anything wrong with trolling), and it brings out great insights like you just gave us. In a way, knuckleheads are good for blogging.
Spit
“troll”
Due to your picture avatar, you should best stay away from that word altogether.
What are you talking about? That’s my mugshot picture after a weekend in Vegas sniffing glue.
Only a weekend?
Huh.
Well, I guess we didn’t have to trade up a dozen spaces to select Fleener. He’s still on the board. What if we get him in round 2? Would you still hate on Baalke? A.J. Jenkins was his guy and he got him. He has an excellent track record of doing that in the early rounds and having that work out well. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt at this point. Baalke was ripped for “reaching” for Chris Culliver last year and now he’s paying dividends as our nickel back. He was even criticized for picking Aldon Smith as early as he did and we all know how that’s going. 2 years ago he moved down and was still able to get the guy he wanted in the 3rd round, NaVarro Bowman, and that worked out great too. Let the man do his job.
He added a speed threat wide receiver to a group that has Randy Moss, Mario Manningham, Michael Crabtree, Ted Ginn and Kyle Williams. Our 3rd down conversions should increase with all this talent. We didn’t get the HUGE redzone threat that Fleener is, but we did add help to the team. I also wanted him and was hoping to hear his name at 30, but I don’t get paid to make these decisions and neither do you. I trust Baalke and you should too.
It was a surprise to me too, but regardless of anything, Moss will demand redzone coverage. That little opening for Walkers, Davis, Gore, Crabtree, Manningham and Jenkins in the slot should make a difference. Yes, Niners struggled all through the season in red zone. But it might be worth it to look at their worst red zone performances and see if by chance those were the games Morgan and Walker or Ginn were out! With a healthy receiving corp, red zone should be just fine. That will give Jenkins enough time to develop. I trust Harbaugh and Baalke.
I was with friends at a pizza place, watching the draft. I had a downloaded sheet of the top 100 players just to use as a checkoff.
My friends were draft newbies, so I explained how the draft worked, and who we should be rooting to stay on the list as I crossed off names after each pick was announced. After the 29th pick was over, I was overjoyed, thinking Fleener, Hill or Silatolu would be a 49er. The very three names I highlighted for my friends at the beginning of the draft.
And then… AJ Jenkins? I’m as shocked as anyone. Man, did I look stupid.
But all is well. Not mad at Baalke. The only good time to assign draft grades is when the 4th qtr of the Super Bowl turns to 00:00. Who knows, they still might manage to snag Fleener, Hill or Silatolu in some weird trade tomorrow.
Have yet to see footage of AJ. For all I know he will knife his undersized body through defenses Victor Cruz style. He’s a Niner now. Our guy. Lets root for him. Go Niners!
I love that 6’0″, 190 lbs is undersized… I remember the days when that was considered big for a WR! He’s still bigger than most CBs…
BOYCOTT!
I click on this blog every so often for the comments, not the “writing”. The comments are hilarious. Granted, the writing from Junior is terrible if you’re looking for football insight, but it can be entertaining reading all the reactions!
Fess up Grant and admit that your father got you an extended “bring your kid to work” gig. You’re getting attention for your contrarian writing but it won’t last…just ask Lowell. Folks gets tired of the continual negative crap and that leads to getting the pink slip.
stop visiting his blog would help…
I don’t know how Grant did it, but it’s amazing! It takes everyone else 2-4 years to evaluate a draft choice, but Grant managed to do it in a matter of minutes. Grant doesn’t even need professional scouting, coaching, or GM skills to do it. Grant, u da man!!!
AJ Jenkins = Mike Wallace. Bank on it.
Who is Grant Cohn??? Seriously? Does he have credentials to say that the AJ pick was bad? No. So STFU and keep on hanging off daddy’s coat-tails.
If anyone thinks this is a a bad pick throw in a tape of Kyle Williams and Brett Swain as our #2 and #3 receivers vs. the NY Giants and get back to me.
Just curious, Grant, but what are your quals other than your father being a sportswriter? I don’t hate or like you, really, and sometimes it’s interesting to read your stuff. But really, read around, Jenkins’ ability to catch the ball OVER THE MIDDLE has been lauded as why he will IMPROVE the 49er’s 3rd down conversion rate. Or so I have read.
The niners haven’t had someone go over the middle in a very long time. I think A.J. will benefit this team with his multiple skill set.
Also, since when do you need to be 6’5 to be an effective 3rd down and redzone threat?
This Cohn is an idiot. Why are his opinions published anyways?
Who is this kid?
Well who are you? Haven’t seen your name here before.
Randy Moss is a one year dude. In 2012, the 49ers will have Moss, Crabtree, Ginn and Manningham suiting up for most games. Jenkins will probably not suit up unless Randy Moss gets tired or someone gets injured. It’s doubt Kyle Williams even makes the team. Even if Kyle absolutely shines in preseason because of something to prove, he isn’t replacing the weakest receiver on the team – Ted Ginn. Do I need to explain why? So Kyle’s gone, maybe traded tomorrow, or during the preseason. Moss, Ginn, Manningham and Crabtree suit up on Sundays and Jenkins gets ready for 2013 when Moss is gone. Jenkins gets a year to learn his trade, and maybe step in when someone gets hurt.
Until then, maybe he’ll develop some chemistry with Colin Kaepernick with the B team. I have no problem with any of that. I want to see how Harbaugh gets Josh Johnson, Randy Moss and Mario incorporated into the offense this year.
just got back from argentina and from time to time i checked in on my whirlwind exploration of wines, fauna and flora and roadkill, which seems to be the direction of opinions on this pick by some….
and i don’t think moss is an every down player…..more situational….also believe 3rd down efficiency will be improved because of the improvement in 1st and 2nd down yardage gained creating more manageable 3rd downs and possibly less third downs to manage
how many draft picks this year actually have a chance to make the team this year…..how far up can the niners pick if they traded all the picks left to them this year…..will it get them guard who can competently provide competition against boone or kilgore……
that right guard spot really does cause concerns for me and RT davis is still suspect as well but he is young and maturing ….
is the future justin smith available now in the 2nd or 3rd round….is this draft class deep because most everyone is just average…..
as for jenkins and looking at some of the highlights i like his fluid hip movement….it creates a larger catching radius….separation speed appears to be the key in this pick…..
as for WRs strickly speaking, i think ginn is more on the outside looking in than williams…
I don’t think Moss is an every down player either, but then again, I don’t think anyone except for Willis, Bowman and Justin Smith are every down players. (I was they had qb rotations). Harbaugh loves his situational calls – so does Fangio.
I think Daniel Kilgore will do better than Adam Snyder did last year. Kilgore was the best at all the drills at the combine (fastest times) last year for all linemen. He’s athletic and agile. In my opinion, in two or three years, he’ll be better than Iupati. But I would look for the 49ers to add depth behind Kilgore and Goldson on day two.
I totally disagree with you about Williams. He has concussion problems, and he’s no kick returner.
wish*
my point on williams, concussions aside, is that i trusted him more in the WR position than i do ginn….i see ginn strictly as a returner now even though the WR monicker is attached to him as well….
if it was just about the WR position williams i believe would be rated higher on the depth chart
Well, first, it’s never just about one position. Harbaugh likes versatility and just said so regarding Jenkins. Harbaugh and Seeley also said they want their STs players to be able to play specific positions in back roles, maybe even starters. Ginn can play special teams. Kyle can’t. And it’s not because of the fumbles, but rather the concussions. Both, however are fragile.
But there’s something else that I don’t think enough 49er fans see. Ted Ginn is a real asset to any team, and I’m surprised he didn’t get more attention in free agency. Ginn’s out pattern is like stealing candy from a baby. Ginn is very good at sprinting up field, getting the DB to turn his hips, then cutting towards the sidelines and catching an out pattern. People only remember Ginn’s huge drop for an INT late in the first half of the first Giants’ game because it was untimely. They also couple that with Ginn’s washout in Miami with Parcels dumping Ginn. But Ginn can take the top off a defense like no other because he’s fast. People say Vernon is the fastest player on the team, but he isn’t. It’s Ginn. I think Ginn’s absence in the NFC Championship game really hurt the 49ers, and I think Ginn sticks around for longer than people think. Kyle Williams, however, is on the endangered species list.
Drafts are always amusing because they reveal a lot about the fans and their confidence on their judgement which is based on a few youtube clips and columns by sports writers and failed scouts.
Mayock, one of the very few analysts I respect, had AJ rated as 7th or 8th best receiver I’m told. But the only assessments that matters is that of the Niners F.O. and those of successful teams who might jump in front of the Niners and grab him.
I’d never actually heard of AJ since I don’t follow draft build-up that closely. I just watched 5-6 AJ videos on youtube and I he seems to have significant potential. In fact, he’s already quite polished. On deep throws, once he looks back and sees the ball, he always appears to make the right amount of adjustment speed to catch the ball in full stride when it finally reaches him. He’s got reasonably sticky hands. Reaches out for the ball smoothly and with authority, and boy, does he have a long reach!
I like his footwork in press coverage coming off the LoS. He’s elusive. In traffic he shields the ball with his body effectively. His good acceleration after the catch reminds of The G.O.A.T., if I may say that without committing sacrilege. Has long strides and takes good angles in open field. Didn’t get a chance to see his blocking in these highlights, but that can be taught.
He needs to shrug off hits and also make the catches as he’s being hit. That will happen as he bulks up a bit (another 10-15 lb) which I don’t think will affect his already-high speed significantly. But he’s got strong hands for sure.
I see him playing at multiple positions (in fact, Harbaugh said so), and developing him into a go-to guy who can score in the red zone and also keep the chains moving coming out of the slot.
Bloggers and writers put too much emphasis on raw numbers. They don’t usually focus on the how well they catch difficult balls. Another key is character and coachability. As Bill Walsh used to say the top traits to look for in receivers is agility and body control and AJ is very good at both.
http://www.sportsxchange.com/DS97/walsh/walsh2wr.htm
Sleep in peace, fans. AJ will be a fine addition to the Niners receiving corps. Tomorrow is another day — of talent-rich second and third rounds of the draft. Niners will probably go for a pass rusher or a defensive back.
Sean says:
April 26, 2012 at 9:27 pm
Trust Baalke who reached on Aldon Smith and Chris Culliver? Or trust Grant Cohn who relied on nepotism to gain his position as a beat writer? Easy choice! I can’t believe this is the same place maiocco started.
Actually, Grant is not even a beat writer, he’s a blogger. He doesn’t get to travel with the team. Keep that in mind when considering the words of young Cohn.
Wow, so many of you are so happy with the A.J. Jenkins selection.
Where were your praises of Jenkins prior to the draft?
lol Mr. 1 for 3 yds.
Lol, are you a Bee Gees fan? Your favorite song must be “More Than a Woman.”
What does that have to do with anything? Couldn’t people have looked him up more and learned why the 49ers selected him? I love how arrogant people get about the draft and how the judge supposed “reaches” when they truly have no idea how players are valued by NFL GMs around the league. Some people were advocating trading up for Fleener, the guy fell out of the first round. Would you be praising the 49ers right now if they traded up for a player who fell out of the first? You don’t know players true value, and it is far more rational to trust guys who have shown they can identify talent rather than your own ignorant perceptions of value.
@Grant,
What does your crystal ball show for tomorrow? Are they going to just sit back, or do some wheeling and dealing?
Clearly my crystal ball is way off right now. They should trade up, but I have no idea what they think they’re doing.
They should trade up? For Fleener? LOL. Son, you don’t learn….
C’mon Grant! Suck it up. You always have an opinion and share it. That’s the only reason I come to this board.
Tomorrow they are going to sit tight again at 61, then trade up in round 3.
Jared Crick in round 2.
Let me sleep on it. I’ll have an opinion in the morning.
Grant,
The guy may turn out to be a hell of a player, show some faith. Things don’t always turn out the way you expect them to, but Baalke and Harbaugh have been a very good team and there is no reason to doubt them. Keep doing your thing and we will keep reading the blog, no worries. Looking forward to day 2.
There’s no way the 49ers are drafting another wide receiver. No way.
I agree.
All right Grant. Look forward to it. Get some rest and come out fighting tomorrow.
LMAO. Best post of the night… right here ^^^ …. LMAO.
Ah… they removed it. Lol. For the record it said two words… “kill yourself.”
Geez…are you still around…refer to the last post you referenced…
well that’s really hurtful…
matt miaocco on the jenkins pick ” i’d love to tell you it was a good pick or a bad pick but that would be silly” It would be ridiculous to criticize the teams 1st rd pick…. silly and ridiculous is miaocco refering to grant specifically or just in general
That seemed like a dig, yes.
Silly and ridiculous to have an opinion? Ha. ha.
no grant not to have AN opinion but to have THAT opinion and it might help a little if you expressed it in a fashion that read a little more like an opinion and a little less like the inarguable truth handed down from above
@old coach
I agree. There is a right way to express an opinion as pro and a wrong way. Same opinion. Different tone.
You’re always telling me how my tone should be.
Because, Grant, you tone is lacks nuance and a sense that you actually did the work to support your opinion. A guy like Ratto can get away with it because he’s develop a gruff, old school journalist humor and style . You instead come across like a blogger in tit-for-tat spat, where the first thing that comes in your head is also the last. It gets tiring. I love foot ball and I love chats but if the chat is authored by someone, we demand more.
Grant, this is your blog (provided by the PD, of course), so you can consider or not consider feedback offered by your readers. But I’ve found a good guide that was offered by one Abraham Lincoln. It’s about 150 years old, but I think it’s not too bad:
“If one man calls you an ass, ignore him. But if five men call you an ass, it’s time to go shopping for a saddle.”
No one here (almost no one) has called you anything like an “ass”. But if there’s value to the comments some of the posters are making, it might make sense to consider their thoughts…whether your tone, your adamant positions, and your predictions are making you look more, or less professional. Heck, their thoughts might even help you BE more professional…and that’s always a good thing, right?
And maturity level.
Would you prefer it if I wrote IMO after every sentence?
quit deleting my gems.
You’ll have more.
Again learn from MM
“I’d love to be able to tell you it was a good pick or it was a bad pick. But, come on, that would be silly.
It’s nearly impossible to evaluate a wide receiver without having access to the all-22 coaches film that NFL teams use to evaluate prospects. And it would be ridiculous to criticize the team’s first-round pick for a second year in a row.”
Maybe try this some time Grant.
Read the blog. See where the general direction is going that day.
Then do a writeup pointing out that the opposite may be true. Giving out some nice tid-bits and interesting facts that support that idea.
If the AS hate is high, then write something that shows that he is good. If she AS love is high, write something to show us that he isn’t as good as some think.
Of course you an do it for any player/GM/coach. /etc.
That way, you will remain objective while presenting things that are in opposition of the general direction of the blog (you’ll still get hits) without it seeming to some like you have a vendetta.
Never. It’s the draft, poker faces are everywhere. Keep writing and I’ll keep reading.
Maiocco doesn’t know his A– from a hole in the ground! Sorry, but that guy went through 3 different first round options in round 1. I like it when a guy gives you his opinion and sticks to it. I agree that Fleener would have addressed the biggest need from a player standpoint.
Like I said last night, the 49ers again decided to settle for a field goal instead of taking the penalty and playing for a touchdown.
Jack
Your 100% accuracy promise was broken.
DS, I had it right. Just like Grant said, Baalke blew it.
@jack
Yeah.
I’ll believe that when I see pigs fly and 23J keep his promise.
Between the two, I’m betting on pigs flying first.
“Da-plane!” I think your ego is large enough to fill a jumbo size jet Jack.
MM was on the chess club in high school. Opps…. bad dig. So was Grant. Lol.
You don’t know me.
You played soccer. Guaranteed.
trollin hard today
And baseball and track and lacrosse. I’m tall and fast. I could have been a good cornerback, I just know it!
Soccer, track and Lacrosse …. and the chess club. See, it’s a real dalai lama. On the one hand you have have guys who never played the game, in the trenches, blood sweat ‘n tears, who are commenting about things like competition and the core of what the game means when they never played. On the other hand, you have old players whose brains are so bashed in they can’t type on a keyboard without getting serious headaches. All three guys covering the Niners – Grant, MM and that other dude with the Merc – all three of them never played a down in their lives. It’s a problem. It creates an opening.
i think you need to start promoting Journalism majors to the senior high school and college football players.
“Soccer, track and Lacrosse ….
and a guy obsessed with dolls. I don’t know about Dali Lama, but I’m more comfortable around guys who like soccer, track and lacrosse than I am with a guy who loves his troll doll.
that must mean you cant catch
I can see the draft profile now….
Grant Cohn, CB UCLA
Positives: Very confident in his abilities despite not starting any games during his college career. Looks the part, tall and lean. Will defend his opinions as fact and is very tenacious around the blog.
Negatives: Very confident in his abilities despite not starting any games during his college career. Will have trouble with receivers at the next level. Has pedestrian speed for a CB and doesn’t show the physical toughness to transition to safety. Overconfident in his predictions. Has a sense of entitlement.
Predicted draft spot: UFA
Possible interested teams: The Press Democrat and the Cohn family.
That was a joke by the way, keep up the good work.
“Will have trouble with receivers at the next level.”
Hilarious.
I’m glad you thought it was funny, I meant it to be.
It was perfect.
how bout another post so our replys are posted in order
9er 2nd rd picks Jared Crick DE Neb. Brandon Brooks OG Miami O 3rd rd. Brandon Taylor S L.S.U. Mitchell Schwartz T Cal.
I’d be very happy with Crick tonight.
crick reminds me a little of justin smith
That’s why Grump likes Crick. Grump has a man crush on Justin Smith. Grump’s license plate is 94. Grump wears 94 to work. Has 94 kids, and 94 doctors on standby for when his liver fails from drinking 94 shots of Tequila when Smith drops back to pass. Whenever Grump wins an argument, he stands up, throws his head back, arms up and flexes. Grump also has a single tattoo on his right bicep and he named his dog, “Cowboy.” Crick would just prolong the man crush…… if he can play.
lol-that’s awesome!
IT is NOT 94 shots. I always pass out in the thirties. I’m old and a lightweight. lol
Crick reminds me a lot of Adam Carriker
the difference between carrier and crick is the difference between the early 1st rd and a late 2nd rd pick
Is crick a person old coach? Or some sort of term I am not familiar with?
jared Crick DE Neb.
Thanks old coach.
Didn’t know what you guys what you guys were talking about. Spit wrote a post about soccer and lacrosse, so I thought crick might be short for the sport cricket or something.
Coach, Great call on Crick.
the posts are so screwed up today no one knows who or what you’re responding to
Jared Crick, DS. Hurt all last year, still recovering, but has the same size and similar motor to JS. A good candidate to play the 5-technique 3-4 end either opposite Justin or take over his spot when he retires.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1679628
Careful Grumpy. Any comparisons to MY Justin Smith is to be done with due caution.
:- )
Ah look, Cat Fight over Justin. Let me get my popcorn….
Spit
If we got Justin Smith in a fight with you, I’d buy the popcorn for the whole blog.
And yes. I am very protective of a guy who is much larger/stronger/scarier than I am. Don’t even think about attacking him.
Ds9 – you’re crackers.
Then you best not try to eat me spit. (pun intended)
D29- You’re an idiot Savantless.
Funny.
I am the idiot, while you can’t even get my name right. May want to take that test yourself. You’ll likely slide towards that scale more than I do.
@ old coach
Carriker would have been a bad 2nd round pick too. He’s just not very good. Crick reminds me of Carriker in the way he plays – got by with strength in college but he’s not got a quick initial burst which I think is important for an NFL DL. They even played for the same college I believe. Not saying he’ll be a bust like Carriker, but I’m not overly impressed by him.
But I really doubt you would have liked to hit!
I played LAX too. Was a goalie. You must have been a midfielder, with all that speed.
Yes I was.
Grant, you sound bitter, with the niner’s pick in the 1st round !
LOl. I like that one grant. Good to see you have skin made of leather.
What happen Grant, how come you didn’t become a CB? You shouldv’e followed your dream in becoming a CB.
“Maiocco doesn’t know his A– from a hole in the ground!”
If you are going cuss, go all the way Jack. You did for me. You can do it for Maiocco as well.
Of course, we all have opinions, but an informed opinion and one that we can learn from is something different. I spent some time watching Hill and was not impressed by his routes and body control. But I only say, what, 12 throws and QB was awful. So I would need a great deal more information to pass judgement, let alone make him an early first round choice. In the end, I am, like most, a slave to my experts–average out the top four or five draft gurus and then insist “we should or shouldn’t draft Hill.” However, if I were writing a blog, I would write in a style that shows how I got the information and how much I really know. Modesty in this case is a real virtue.
Grant you’re starting to come off as narcissistic and way over opinionated. You’re making yourself look very green and childish by predicting so many ridiculous outcomes. Ever since you said Tebow should come here you’ve lost all credibility. Learn from MM young padawan =)
Maiocco express his opinion in that article.
And of course you should have your opinion as everybody has… and it is nice to hear that.
It is only that when you insist so much, in such a “one way”… it doesn’t seems anymore an opinion, but an absolute law.
In other words: it sounds arrogant.
Don’t take it personal. It is an advice.
Giving the benefit of the doubt, even expressing an opinion, looks much more nice indeed.. ;-)
Go ask Phil Barber what he thinks of the Jarmarcus Russell pick. Then ask the SD chargers how they feel about Ryan Leaf. Or the Jets beat writers how they feel about Vernon Gholston, or the Cardinal how Wendell Bryant turned out.
Not to give an opinion is a cop-out. It means you aren’t prepared as a writer to give your opinion on a pick you obviously weren’t expecting the team you are suppose to have inside information about to pick.
That is silly and ridiculous to me.
sure all the players you listed are busts after the fact. but it’s arrogant to assume you know more than professional NFL scouts and coaches on who to draft before they’ve played a snap. Grant’s blog is coming off as a petulant child who’s mad that things didn’t go his way. Heck, I wouldn’t have drafted Jenkins at #30 and like everybody else I had Hill, Randle, Streeter and others ranked ahead of Jenkins…but then again I don’t have access to game tape either…just online and magazine scouting reports and draft analyst mocks. But I’m not going to cry about it and say how much the Niners failed at drafting in the first round this year.
His posting today could be about who to draft in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Why the Niners drafted Jenkins. Mention how they wanted to jump ahead of the Rams to get him. If he wanted to stick with his disagreement with the pick, he could list the remaining receivers and how they stack up next to Jenkins. But no we get a whining opinion piece with not much substance to it.
HEY GRANT!!!!!!! do something about the way the comments are being posted out of order or put out a short new post where the replys are’nt such a mess, Please.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! LMAO!!! HAHAHAHA!!!! LOL,LOL!!!! LMAO!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!! that was funny.
Troll is trolling
Thank God Mini Cohn thinks 9ers blew it!!! I was incredulous as to this pick, if in fact not suicidal. I wanted Colby Fleener. But now I know AJ is the second coming of JR, because anything Grant hates this much is undoubtedly the right choice!
@Grant
Time to get over it, stop defending your “F” rant, and stick an AJ Jenkins analysis or link board up for us to look at.
You have no idea what this kid brings, which is fair because the selection TOTALLY blindsided everyone, but that’s no excuse to be a lazy, hating child about the whole thing. Do some work. Get paid for, you know, supplying some insight, rather than simply crying!
If Peter King had reliable sources, then perhaps this is a good pick. 31 other teams also passed on Fleener & Hill. And Kendall Wright went too early in my book. Jenkins has better height, speed, & fluidity than Wright, played with a far inferior QB, and yet still put up 90 catches in a college season, then completely decimated the E-W.S.G.
That’s a start for you to run with, Grant. Now GET TO WORK!!!
Don’t mean to brag… but my comments below from Wednesday morning in Grant’s Mock draft…
—————————————
Brodie2Washington says:
April 25, 2012 at 10:28 am
Making a mock draft? Keep in mind the changes in draft philosophy from two years ago… Now the 49ers:
- Don’t care if people think they reached for a pick
- Will choose players base on their “fit” with what the team does.
- Covet players with a “passion for the game.”
- Seek players with athleticism and “natural football instincts.”
- Value players with proven field productivity.
- Draft athletes to play positions different from their college position.
- Tend to draft bigger, physical players at positions like running back (Hunter an exception)
- Have increased draft input from special teams coaches.
- Trust their own player evaluations over the general consensus.
- Won’t outright lie, but will have a secretive, “lay in the weeds and sharpen our knives” deception strategy about the players they covet.
- Require all drafted players to compete for a job.
——————–
I was spot on about all the criteria on 49er draft philosophy except the size part.
I was way, way off in who I thought they would draft. Way off. All part of the fun. Hahaha
Best post of the night still right here ^^^ ;)
(what the heck do I know, I prune roses for a living and never wore a football helmet in anger)
That obsession with large size at any cost went out with Cotty.
Read “Scotty”.
Grant,
Saying the 49ers get an F for drafting AJ Jenkins is like me calling you an illiterate hack of a so called sports writer. I love it when writers like yourself think they know more about football and evaluating talent then the people who do it for a living. Your snap judgement ruins any credability you may have had but the big question is will man up and retract your ststement and issue an apology or are you going to hide behind your keyboard and publish more idiotic and unfounded statements?
You get an A++++++
Spell check is built in to Firefox.
You and your dad hate the pick…why because it didn’t agree with what you two think the team could have done. How did that work out last year…?
If media guys were experts at scouting players…they wouldn’t be media guys…
Grant,
“Take your time, think a lot, think of everything you got, for you may still be here tomorrow…but your dreams may not.”
Did Trent Baalke shake your faith in yourself? Question for you: how much film of this guy did you watch? Did pleasuring yourself to Coby Fleener muddy your perception? Did you bother to consider anyone else? Do you even know how?
Good thing that isn’t weird.
Grant your becoming such a buzz kill, I’m sorry but I find your negativity and always letting your emotions show in your blog depressing, I am going back to rotoworld and csn bay area – I cant take it anymore!
FYI
30. WR A.J. Jenkins – 49ers
A surprising pick in the first round, A.J. Jenkins was extremely productive during his senior season with 1,276 receiving yards on 90 catches. Most of all, Jenkins flashed 4.39 speed at the Combine after performing well at both the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl. Jenkins has tremendous positional versatility, lining up outside or in the slot with excellent body control to make difficult catches. He needs to refine his routes while working back towards his quarterback, but Jenkins is a reliable target on intermediate routes and vertically.
“We weren’t really sure who Baltimore was going to take (with the 29th pick),” Harbaugh said, “so when they called us, we just asked, ‘So who you taking?’ We didn’t really know he would be there before then.”
On the other hand, with only three wide receivers taken and none after Michael Floyd at 14 (to Arizona), the field for Jenkins was fairly clear, so when Harbaugh said that general manager Trent Baalke had put his name in an envelope Wednesday and said, “This is the guy we’re going to take,” there is at least some reason to think this might not be draft-night hyperbole.
And let’s be honest, Jenkins gets points for admitting he was in the bathroom when the phone rang, and for being so excited that he doesn’t even know who called him (it was Baalke first, then Harbaugh, for the record).
“Jenkins capped off an ultra-productive senior season by breaking the 4.4-second barrier in the 40 at the Combine. Teams are so enamored with Jenkins that they traveled to privately work him out this past weekend. Expect the reliable pass catcher to be selected somewhere in the middle of round two.”
And yet you I never referenced your name and you new it was meant for you…Crazy….
Only thing you’re capable of Grant is posting links to your pops Facebook page.
Once again the 49ers settled for a field goal instead of going for a TD.
Well done Jack. Well done.
By getting a home run hitter?
You struck out at the plate with this one Jack.
From twitter:
Matt Barrows @mattbarrows
You got a big laugh in media trailer RT @bashdazzle: Front: “Open on Saturday” RT @mattbarrows: Baalke put Jenkins’ name in an envelope …
@ Clemons
I’ve seen reference to this envelope thing before. Urban myth? Or is there some support for the story? I thought we’d never know if TB got the guy he said he was targeting. This would seem to confirm it, which in turn would give me more faith than ever that Jenkins will work out.
Who cares brotha?
It is a cool story. One I hope Grant devotes a blog to. It is really cool.
Harbaugh said it at his presser. I have no idea if Harbaugh was telling the truth or giving us another “Alex is elite, now I have to go get some new quarterbacks” story.
Ain’t it the truth! I don’t believe a thing these guys say anymore.
Grant, you deleted my post because I expressed my feeling about you and this blog. Must have hit the nail on the head. Childish that you would delete my comment. It was honest and I used no profanity of any kind. Truth hurts I guess.
Is no one going to even mention that not only Fleener, but O-line starters and/or depth is needed and Cordy Glen, the highest ranked O-lineman was still on the board!
I’m willing to trust the pick for now and see what happens because they must know that last years bench warmers are ready to start and stay healthy.
Cordy Glenn is rated high by the media, but not by coaches because as you stated he is still on the board! Keep in mind Zietler was “rated” below him! Let Fleener reuinte with Luck in Indy…
Does a blog have to be about strong opinions that are guarded at all costs? Or do you have the flexibility to reason with what the front office presents as reality? I’d imagine it’s the latter, I’d imagine it’s whatever you want it to be as long as you get feedback. You have a ton already, but just to make it more interesting in the long term, why can’t this be more about what this pick may mean going forward in the draft? It’s like you’ve put your hands up and said “I don’t know what they’re doing, they’re idiots”, but at 13-3, we all know they’re not. Every Niner writer had it wrong, you’re not on an island, move on. Simply saying this is a replacement for Williams is moronic, that’s you not giving this front office enough credit, as though you’re above it. Get in their heads a bit more, give us something better, give us a reason to keep coming back to this blog. I’ve been reading (without contributing) to this blog for years, keep it interesting, because your reaction on this shows your age to be a negative factor on what we wish your job should be.
Don’t worry so much, yea we missed on this draft pick but we are the best team by far this year. We will win the SB. Chill SIX on the way!
A.J. Jenkins looks like he could be the real deal. I’m definitely by no means an expert, but in watching him, he seems very quick/explosive in his routes, and also seems to be very smooth and natural in the way he plays the game. They might also be in a position to trade up in the 2nd rnd and pick someone up like Janoris Jenkins, Coby Fleener, Cordy Glenn, or Amini Silatolu, depending if one falls far enough. Just because they picked one receiver doesn’t rule out them picking another receiver such as Tommy Streeter in the 3rd or 4th rounds. I fully trust the 49ers and their scouting department.
Jerry Rive was 1 1/2 inches taller thank Jenkins. Remember, you’re a blogger and everyone was all over Baalke’s nuts after drafting Aldon Smith.
I certainly was not, and am not thinking about TB’s nuts.
Well I made you think of them when you read my post. I win.
They’re big!!
Grant,
Good job, you got me reading, and you conveyed to everyone in very clear terms your honest reaction to the pick. I don’t totally agree with it, but I can see your point of view.
I think they blew it by not trading down and getting more picks. The Minnesota trade was just sitting there, they should have accepted their offer, but I’m guessing they were afraid that the Giants would have taken Jenkins to replace Manningham.
@gregcosell: Really liked 49ers pick. Jenkins very good on film. Nice combination of traits. Think he has chance to be quality starting WR.
@SteveMuenchESPN what do you think about AJ Jenkins? —-I like him. Fast and catches ball well. Good pick for Niners
Wow, what a bunch of reactionaries. Are we maybe jumping the gun just a bit? The guy hasn’t played a down and he’s already meat?
With all due respect, I’m going with the GM and the Scouting Dept., not the sportswriter. Let’s see if he can bring it, on the field, not on paper.
“I’d love to be able to tell you it was a good pick or it was a bad pick. But, come on, that would be silly.
It’s nearly impossible to evaluate a wide receiver without having access to the all-22 coaches film that NFL teams use to evaluate prospects. And it would be ridiculous to criticize the team’s first-round pick for a second year in a row.”
M. Maiocco
http://www.csnbayarea.com/football-san-francisco-niners/niners-talk/Jenkins-pick-similar-to-49ers-surprise-s?blockID=697694&feedID=5936
Maiocco is 100% a company man.
Grant is the absolute #1 worst prognosticator of Football Fortunes
–
Ravens: 30-3
Giants: 30-3 (or whatever he wrote)
–
Grant Cohn says:
April 18, 2012 at 3:59 pm
I didn’t use ypc as a blanket stat, but you’re railing against it blanketly.
*** Dude, how’s that ypc treating you? Keeping you warm, Grant ?***
–
Misses outright on 10 of 32 players to be selected in 1st round (Hill, Fleener, Upshaw, Adams, Silatolu, etc…). Shiites his pants attempting to
debunk Kuechly (#9)…
–
Ranks 10 pass-catchers, omits 6′ Jenkins, but puts 5’10″ JWright at #3 saying he is a play anywhere WR, then slams Jenkins, a true play-anywhere WR, for being too small…
–
Grant, you are horrific as an oracle. You are good as a get-to-know-you, totally harmless, little, kind of journalism youngster, Peter
Parker or Robin-type (masked, not Stern) in the lockerroom… Take a break from the authoritative speak and get back to your character assessment and cutesy team-energy discussions.
–
Congrats on sniffing out the JWright exception; you should have followed that hunch to its natural end, which might have brought you to Jenkins.
I was as shocked as everyone else. Grant correctly points out that our weakness is indeed 3rd down and the red zone. This young kid may not even start this year. I love the speed but he is not a big target who can out jump and dominate db’s. The gold helmet type guys characterization is also stupefying as we sign Cox and Moss? Just win baby is still the mantra in the NFL regardless of the spin. Fleener would have been a better pick, red zone wise, in my mind, in addressing the weaknesses noted above. At the same time, this kid has all of the intangibles to be very good. Bottom line though is we do not have an elite QB and the receivers are the linchpin for our success. I respect our brass but at this time, I only give us a “C” at the most until the kid proves himself in the years to come. We did not get what we need and this year is going to be much tougher than last year so I see us falling back a bit but still winning the division and making the playoffs but not getting to the big game with what we have offensively at this point.
The only reason why I swung by the Press Democrat was for a good laugh. Grant, you didn’t let me down. Do you really believe the jokes you publish or do you simply do it for dramatic effect?
He does it so he can see how many times he can get a stupid comment similar to yours.
Dear Grant, thanks for sharing you opinion! I completely disagree with you since your opinion is just based on prediction alone!!! Yes, it will be very difficult to win a championship in the NFL and our beloved 49ers might not bring home the trophy this year however in the NFL there are so many other reasons for a team to fall short! Do you remember Green bay or Saints last year? two of the best offenses in the league chocked and they had a great offense and third down conversion!
In addition, i was not excited about our first pick either just like last year when we selected Alden Smith! How can you truly predict our pick to be a gem or a bust without him even playing one snap!!! Coby Fleender or Randle were the favorite picks but somehow 31 other teams decided not to take them in the first round!!!
Anyway, I guess we will find out sooner or later and you can either admit your prediction was wrong or that you were the genius that should have been in the 49er war room!!!
Go Niners
Come on Grant be positive Jenkins can develop in a X WR
http://cache.profootballweekly.com/prospects/player/a-j-jenkins-8/
Im all for surprises, but this is not a good pick . I’m sure this kid has talent, just not what we needed
I’m very disappointed and schooled!
This kid is Kyle Williams 2.0 and does NOT solve our end zone issues. We’ll have to see how this plays out but for me it’s an F. Not because of the kid but because of the need
Drafting for need results in picks like Bruce Irvin. What looks like a need today is a strength tomorrow. Plus it was just 1 pick! Fleener, tall wide recievers, cornerbacks and several guards are still there! This is why they call us the 40-whiner fans! Please stop making outsider look right…
How many of your picks were correct in your mock draft? So far, after the first three obvious ones, it looks like you called zip or zip + 1.
Grant – how many of Jenkins’ games have you actually watched? Zero? You really think Baalke is going to reach with our first pick? It’s not like there was a run on WRs and we freaked out or something.
He was their guy and they targeted him the entire time. Don’t be sad that we didn’t give up draft picks to move up seven spots and grab Fleener lol.
The F goes to Grant for his Fleener pick. His own coach passed him up, as did everyone else in the first round, though you were beating the drum for us to trade up to get him. While the Gronk model works well for NE, there are plenty of 6ft or smaller WRs that put up a lot of yards, and get a ton of 1st downs (Wallace, Cruz, Welker, Smith, etc.). We can send VD on the deep routes like we like to do on 3rd down and let this guy find space. Now for round 2 – maybe a RB to really piss you off!
-LLL- That’s cruel Eddie…
just desserts… he shouldn’t have been so myopic leading up to the draft
One thing most people are not looking at is the need for speed in the receivers. Hmmm… is there a QB on the Niners who can air it out? Maybe that’s why we are looking at the fleet-footed ones.
The 49ers enviously watched Victor Cruz zig and zag through their D last year in the NFC Championship game. It’s a copy cat league do they went out and found 2.0 unfortunately it will not pay off because Smith is not Manning 2.0 .
This new receiver will quickly find out that Smith will not throw him open, and will not give his routes the time they need to develop. Unless they see this new kid as Alex’s new check down toy.
Smith won’t be the starter next year…
We can hope….
Haters gonna hate.
Bay, when are you going to understand that good/great receivers get separation on there own by either using speed, quickness, or good route running. The 9ers knew WR was a weakness and they addressed it. Don’t count on CK or JJ displacing AS or you’ll be very disappointed once again like when you were rooting for flavors of the month, TSmith, KKolb and DMcNabb.
@hof
Shortest most accurate answer is
Never.
Hofer, Claude and DS – basically all the Alex Smith lovers on this blog with brain hemorrhages – any of you want to bet that Alex Smith loses his starting job next year?
I mean, it’s a tough bet for you guys because Alex Smith couldn’t beat out Troy Smith. I think Troy’s selling cars in Sheboygan now.
And btw… you want to make something funny, make it happen in Sheboygan. It brings added jocularity to most anything.
We heard a similar bet. 23J the welcher is still here though after he made promise to leave.
Yeah, well, ask around. I don’t welch. You girls wanna bet that Alex is the starter all year long?
Spitblood, it was Singletary who chose Troy over Alex. Your point?
The Rams reportedly had WR A.J. Jenkins rated so highly that his grade was nearly equal to Justin Blackmon’s on their draft board.
St. Louis appears to be the team that had Jenkins rated ahead of Michael Floyd, as reported by SI.com’s Peter King. That being the case, it’s hard to fault the 49ers for jumping on Jenkins. The Rams would have pulled the trigger at No. 33, No. 39, or No. 45 on Friday.
A voice of reason. Someone actually reporting the rationale behind the pick and the risk of NOT taking him at that spot.
Bottom line – right or wrong – Baalke’s evaluation pointed to AJ Jenkins and thats the pick.
Baalke said they fielded a trade request from the Vikings.
So they could easily traded back a few spots and still get the guy plus an extra pick.
It sounds like the same mistake Baalke did when he traded a 4th rounder to move up a few spots to get Anthony Davis.
Guess they really liked Davis then and Jenkins now.
Well, bottomline: it all depends on how the players selected will perform down the road.
If they pan out the extra picks that were lost won’t make a big difference.
But boy, they really, really, must feel good about the guy.
On the other hand, I don’t know why he can’t become a real threat just like Mike Wallace (who was a 3rd rounder, by the way). A speedy small guy that many writers, Grant included, felt the Niners should strongly pursue.
So in Wallace’s case the height wouldn’t be a problem but in Jenkins case it means they have blown the pick?
I can understand if you say that they could get him later (I think that too).
But a blown pick? Even before the guy plays any snap?
I just don’t get it.
It’s a hoot reading the posts. There was an unheralded gambit last night. A gambit EVERYONE missed. That was Coach Harbaugh – Punking Pete Carroll. The Hawks drafted criminal DE/LB, W. VA – Bruce Irvin. WHo is Irvin? Think Pac Man Jones ll. Most teams cut Irvin from consideration. So, knowing Irvin is a thug, WHY did the Hawks draft the thug? Because Coach Jim owns Carroll. Coach had Irving for workout last week. Carroll hears about this and changes his entire draft strategy – he will not let Harbaugh get his man. BAWAHAAHAHAH! This “man-crush” goes back to college days & last season. You could see the hatred coming from Carroll when the coaches met on field. All Coach Jim had to do was let Carroll think he wanted Irvin. The Hawks have new cancer in their lockeroom. Perhaps… the Beast and Irvin can go out clubbing and get arrested, or share their drugs, or… I can’t say what exactly Irvin will do first – but the Seattle PD will get to know him soon.
Nice! Way to send hate mojo to a 22 year old kid who just got himself out of the ghetto! You are a class act. (FTR Carroll doesn’t need any help being mediocre)
Boo-Hoo-Hoo… Cool it with the get out the ghetto stuff. It’s a load of crap.
I for one liked Fleener I thought he might be a solution to red zone problems. I did state a couple of times what I expected from Baalke was the unexpected. And we got that. Baalke stated that his pick would be there at 30 and didnt quiver at all on that statement. I trust Baalke and Harbaugh and I suspect this Jenkins pick is going to be fine. Round 2 and 3 coming today should be real interesting. Grant you need to relax and wait till it plays out before making a judgement like your headline.
TB had a very good draft last year. But how many starters are from that draft? I’m still not a huge fan of TB but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. If JH has input then all good.
BTW, Grant can voice his opinion like anyone else. Do we really know how well this pans out until we see the production on the field? By voicing (writing) his displeasure with this pick, he is going against the norm. Not a bad thing. Do we all agree? Of course not. But it does stir debate if we can state a case on the positive side and not just go negative by name calling. Looking forward to more of the draft.
You can disagree and sound like a professional writer. Or like a blogger.
That is the difference.
DS, last time I looked this is a blog. GC has written some good material on CSNBA. He isn’t writing this piece for the PD sports page. Everyone has an opinion and it’s open for debate.
It is how you convey the POV. Not the POV.
DS94everXev says:
April 26, 2012 at 11:34 pm
“MC does not want to be her msc.
That is the pattern that is very clear. AS does.”
DS, sometimes your clear disdain for MC distorts your ability to be logical.
If you took a censes of how many players would love to play in their home state I’m sure many of them would vote yes. OBTW, I don’t ever recall MC saying he would rather play in Texas do you?
There are some here who don’t paticularly like AS, but they don’t create contrived stories to slander him.
C’mon DS, you’re better than that.
Being a fan distorts logic AES. Logic does not support the idea of supporting a team that sucks for almost a decade, when they have not directly helped me in anything in my life. They have not given me a job, home, family, etc.
More to your point, there are two ways to let it be known what you want.
1. Is to flat out say it.
2. Is to not squash a known rumor.
MC does it by the 2nd method. People who know more than you and me AES have said that he wanted to play in Texas, and never wanted to be here. FACT: He didn’t want to come and start his career here off with a bang. If so, you don’t hold out into the season. That means a lot. I bet you not many HOF players at any position have ever done that. If MC wants to be great, he didn’t start off doing the things that great players do.
This rumor has persisted going into 4 seasons now. Why hasn’t he made it clear that it is not true? Surely he knows it is around. If you are a decent person, and you hear that something is constantly being said about you in the media that is just flat out false, you clear it up ASAP. If the media still does not believe you, then fine. But you say otherwise every chance you get.
The best reason to not squash a rumor is because it is true. It is true MC didn’t want to be here. That is why he has not put forth much (any?) effort into ending it. Silence after 3 full years speaks just as loudly as shouting.
And for him to ask “who is our QB?” when it was already publicly known by fans and media and teammates that AS would be back is a real slap to the face of the guy who provides you every opportunity you had last season which supposedly was your “best”. If I knew that JH had given AS his playbook without even being on the team, MC knew. If not, then he is so disinterested in being here, then, guess what? He never wanted to be here. He doesn’t follow Niner news as religious as the fans and every other teammate does. Either way, it was BAD of him to say that. And for a guy who is so media shy, to come out and say that means something. MC is not some blabber mouth who accidentally said the wrong thing.
You meant quash. Nimrod.
Nimrod
That is a good description of one of us. Hint. Not me.
And no. I meant squash. Like you squash a bug. You kill the bug. You kill the rumor.
Don’t go around telling others definitions. “Mentor”.
Don’t go around telling me that you are cool with us disagreeing, only to cry like a baby when I do. Sounds like a 7 year old brat.
no. you meant quash. you’re just too stupid to realize it. look it up. thanks.
DS:
“This rumor has persisted going into 4 seasons now. Why hasn’t he made it clear that it is not true? Surely he knows it is around.”
Because he doesn’t need to!
DS, do you really believe MC has underacheived because he would rather play in Texas?
That would be the most asinine and ridiculous theory ever conceived. And sadly, you’ve been trying to push this for some time now.
C’mon DS, don’t you see how this makes your credibility look?
Balke potentially drafted a Mike Wallace like player for a lot cheaper than “Larry Fitzgerald money” with the same pick it would have cost them to get Wallace! Seems like a shrewd move to me! Quit crying; it’s only round 1. The rest of the way is where he earns his money!
Your first sentence brings up an interesting point.
I give grant a F- for grading the pick
Could this kid sit in a DeSean Jackson role for us???
De Jack went 49th over all with 7 WR taken before him (he did have some charater concerns). The Niners took Balmer and Rachel before him…DAYME!!!
JH/TB need to be trusted here. I’m SOOOOOOO glad we didn’t get Fleener. We don’t need another TE. We have 2 starters already. I love this. JH is like we are getting WRs and will threaten to throw. AS, CK JJ whoever the eff it is, you will have options.
“You have to be respectable on third down to win playoff games,…” — Grant Cohn.
Do you mean respectable like the 4/15 they put up in beating the Saints?
No dr.
he means like the Saints 3rd down conversions which would have won the game for the Saints if not for AS to VD.
Both offenses had bad 3rd down conversions that game. Both scored over 30 points. Doesn’t sound to me like 3rd down determines everything. Turnovers do. We won that battle, we won the game. We lost the TO battle against the Giants, we lost the game. But Grant NEVER focuses on Turnovers. Likely due to the fact that his preconceived notions would be proven false.
Thank god you two non football bloggers have one game you can reference to show that AS can succeed on 3rd down. I can reference 95% of the games in which he sucked on 3rd down.
Jenkins can be a weapon for sure. Unfortunately we know Smith has accuracy issues. Jenkins being shorter will have to be “Crabtree” like and go up for high balls. Also being a shorter target, Smith potentially will get more balls batted down throwing this kid the slant.
In a nutshell, for this to work Smith more than any other player on offense will have to elevate his game. Something he has NEVER done. While many look at last year and point to it being a “good” year for Smith, I disagree. League low production in just about every offensive category and safely protecting the ball are not recipes for success.
Trent Dilfer, Jim McMahon, Rex Grossman. What do these guys have in common? All very average QB’s that went to the superbowl on the coat tails of their defense. Pretty easy to recognize this type of QB, because we have one undercenter. That is why many folks are left scratching their heads @ the Jenkins pick. Giving Smith Jenkins is like giving a six year old a rubix cube. Smith will never use this kid for his speed, he will become his new favorite check down toy. I hold out hope that CK and JJ establish chemistry with him.
Bay, bay go away. Please come back no other day.
: – )
I love it when I can have high level football dialogue with a blogger named DSL.
A blogger that wants to keep bloggers in suspense as to whether it is a man, woman or an alien. Talks about their own football experience running routes on a playground in the dirt.
A blogger that will make fun of another bloggers “troll” avatar yet will go onto an Xbox forum and name themselves X-ilicious….
You are an interesting cat DSL. Maybe you should go away. Bobble head.
LOL!
Grant,
Your reasons cited, concerning red zone efficiency and third down conversions, do not justify your conclusions. You write as if everything else on the offense has been frozen in place and only Jenkins has been added to the mix. Seem to remember hearing Balke or Harbaugh specifically say that they found Jenkins to be very multi-faceted, and that they envisioned him being used in a variety of ways, not merely as you stated. These guys have done some things right, they’ve demonstrated a high degree of competency, the draft isn’t over, and there are some other new faces you neglected to mention or consider. Certainly no need to panic. Don’t you think that seeing Randy Moss headed toward the end zone corner is bound to draw some defenders his way, creating some options not available last season, when no one feared the passing game. I am optimistic.
Please! no autographs. Did I call it? I said,no Fleener all along and pre draft I said the 49ers would pick a WR.
I thought by their turn they would only have the Alabama kid (rated 5th best WR)..And they got the 3rd or 4th best instead. I was closer than y’all!
But,I knew the more the media pushed for Fleener-the less Harbaugh would want him. Its how Jim rolls..and I know it.
Wheres my post??
You have one at 7:36 right above this one stan
It was so blindingly brilliant it took a few minutes to work its way through the blog-o-sphere.
The Rams should have held out for more from DAL. Moving up 8 spots they only exchanged their 1st round picks and Dal gave the Rams the 45 pick in the 2nd round. Cowboys would have given them more. STL had the negotiating power and didn’t use it – good for 9er fans.
I thought so too
Overall offseason impression: We’re going to see a very different Niner offense in 2012.
DRS, totally agree. Focus is on the offense and it takes time for a new system to take hold. It was easier for the defense to grasp the scheme and perform last year. Now I want the 9ers to grab an RB. The other question is if JH will ever draft a former player? He recruited these guys but has yet to add a drafted Stanford player although he added Hall, Reuland, and Beeler as UFA’s.
drsgrosse
I am seriously in agreement with you; maybe now we can get away from that “run-based” offense everyone has been labeling us. I believe that passes will be flying like no one has imagined….
TE centric power offense
Grant
I’m sorry for the ‘barbs’ and nastiness you have taken in answer to your being upset at our 1st draftee. In my opinion, you were wrong, but still, that was brutal towards you. Now, it’s time to stand up, dust yourself off, and get back on that horse; we’ve got a lot more work ahead. TODAY is going to be the real test, yesterday was only a warmup….good luck!
I hear ya Oregon some of these remarks are just in bad taste. We all have our thoughts, but just to throw mud is wrong.
He will be kicking his wounds well into the afternoon, while his more mature peers (Maiocco, Branch, Sando, etc…) have already started earning their paychecks for today.
90 catches on one of the worst offensive teams in div. 1 football. i think he will be the surprise of the draft. he runs a 4.3 40 he posseses great hands great character great work ethic whats not to like about this kid. if randy moss turns into another braylon edwards and they have to release him i think jenkins will step right in and as far as what it takes to be a quality 3rd down receiver. it take the ability to get open and catch the ball which seems to be two things jenkins does very well. grant your opinion would carry a little more weight if you disagreed with your father a little more often. more often than naught you sound like a little boy parroting his fathers opinion.
@old coach
He does not need to disagree with his dad at all. Especially if he shares the same opinion. But the writing style has to be better.
I am sure Grant won’t be the only reporter who disagrees with the pick. But to give an F grade mere minutes after we pick him seems like a rash emotional not thought out response.
@DS
But to give an F grade mere minutes after we pick him seems like a rash emotional not thought out response.
Way too early for grades, I cant see any player getting a grade till they play. I think Grant like myself felt we didnt attack the red-zone problem. Baalke and Harbaugh know way more then any of us and I am totally on board with this pick.
@undercenter
If VD requires 2 teams. And Moss shows up and tries and demands 2 teams. And this new kid with his speed requires 2 teams…how many defenders are left to stop the run?
And all 3 can be in our base offense. Looks great to me!
I felt the same way with Fleener, matchup problems. If Moss shows up and this kid proves out then the samething occurs – matchup problems for the defense, and that sounds good to me.
@undercenter
But unlike Fleener (who is coming as a TE), we can have all 3 of these guys on the field as our base offense. No special substitutions at all.
If we got Fleener instead, we would be tipping our hand as to what we will do. If we have these 3 as our starters, we can either run or pass without giving anything away with our personnel package.
So, we have 3 guys who need 2-teams and they are basically more or less in for most of the game. Wishful thinking (especially for Moss as a starter)? yeah. But I am a fan, so if I am not, who will?
Add any of our current RB’s and any defense will have problems stopping us. As long as we don’t stop ourselves.
@DS
I guess that is where we differ a little, I didnt see Fleener as a tight end, I felt he could play outside, inside, or in the slot. I saw Davis, Walker, and Fleener on the field at the same time. However its a mute point as we didnt get Fleener and we wont get him. And as you said earlier if Harbaugh couldnt make a case for Fleener then that says something. Carrol – Mays. As far as Jenkins is concerned from what I can find out I like him lot better then Randle or Hill. I am happy with the pick at this point. As far as potential goes I think Jenkins will grade out just fine.
Grant, either does not really believe what he writes – or he’s…eh, never mind. I’m sure you guys figure out where I’m headed.
Just know this: beat writers with an opinion are not GM’s for a reason. Also know, no one holds Grant accountable for these “tollietpaper” posts of his. Consider them for your amusement posts.
Grant, you know so much more about impact wideouts than Baalke.
Ever thought of having an opinion distinct from your dad?
How can you even grade the draft pick until he has at least 2 or 3 season’s under his belt.
+1
That is why I cheer for whomever we get. No sense in starting to hate a guy who hasn’t done a thing yet. Right or wrong.
Saving this page for after the year
Who better to make an assessment on Fleener than Harbaugh. We were being sold a bill of goods by Grant and other football talking-heads.
Harbaugh addressed the media by saying that there are no glaring needs on the team at the moment. Conclusion: Harbaugh and Baalke are very comfortable with their current roster and any additions at this point are only supplimental players who could contribute but are not bening counted on to carry the team.
Harbaugh/Baalke did a pretty good job last year in assessing talent. Not drafting a player that this blog has endorsed over the last couple of months does not warrant an F grade.
Not good Grant, not good at all.
The best conclusion to come out of this pick was that the Rams wanted A.J. early in the 2nd round. The 9ers have good sources and they seem to know what everyone was drafting based on need, etc. Now I’d like them to draft an RB in round 2 or 3 but it may be more defense. Looking forward to rounds 2 and 3!
Hofer, You may get that RB that you have been wishing for : )
This pick doesn’t bother me much at all. Just like Aldon Smith last year, we all thought they would be going WR (or Fleener), and that is what they did. The name is the only surprise. On to day 2.
Jack, that’s what I’m thinking but who knows with all of the surprises? They did have RTurbin in for a visit, so maybe they grab him early (2nd round) as he is expected to go in the 3rd round.
@Jack:
Did you have a momentary punched-in-the-gut feeling when Goodell announced Irvin to Seattle?
I did. I am not looking forward to the 49ers having to face that guy twice a year.
Claude,
Yes I did! The thought of that guy blowing off the edge against Davis 2 times a year is very concerning.
@jack
Davis is a 1st round pick. He is expected to stop the best.
Doesn’t mean he can do it.
The expectations of any first round pick are high. As they should be. They get paid stupid money. If MC signed his initial contract after being drated in the 7th round, he would have fulfilled his expectaitons. But since he is a 1st round pick, he got the money he got. But he also has to play better than he has just to reach a flat line.
When Jenkins is on the field, he will run the “hot route” in Jim Harbaugh’s offense. It’s the route he ran most of the time at Illinois.
For an explanation, watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOxrcJbmHT8&feature=player_embedded#!
So?
I would say perfect for 3rd down!
It’s seems to me there’s some confusion between red-zone and 3rd down conversion….
It is not the same thing!
Do you remember what happen to the 49ers in the first 2 qtrs against the Giants? Which routes they use to convert 3rd down? Was it thanks to a tall receiver?
Looking at the videos, Jenkins seems (I repeat: seems) perfect for 3rd down conversion. And he also catches deep balls often…
And Grant, he did run a good variety of routes in college… the videos speak loud and clear! ;-)
In a way,why would the 49ers want Fleener? The TE isnt that important a position to begin with unless you have a all pro. And the 49ers already had that in VD..so what more was Fleener going to add?
And Harbaugh in his pick didn’t want solid at a second tier position..he was looking for a hit it big in the future star,at a starring position. There’s a better chance this kid is HOF then Fleener will be.
I like Alex Smith. I think he is a very good QB. I wish him nothing but the best. But looking at the moves this team is making, it seems that the passing game will rely on a QB that can air it out and get the ball downfield in a hurry. That’s not Alex, hence my reasoning that there will be a new QB sooner rather than later. Could be wrong and that’s fine too. No F grades from the Glide…
street I’m not trying to argue with you. But I’d like to know how you can call Alex a “very good” Qb, then in the following sentence say he isn’t the QB that can air it out and get it down field.
I agree with your second assessment. So I am curious, if Alex as a QB cannot “air it out” or get the ball “down field” quickly, is he a “very good” QB? Add to that lowest production in TD’s, yardage and 3rd down conversions. Is he still in your mind, “a very good” QB?
Well, for me there are different kinds of “good.” Bottom line is that Alex doesn’t make many mistakes, takes a hell of a beating and keeps the team morale up. That counts for a lot with me.
.
Perhaps a player with a superior skill set would not need to take such a beating and make it easier for the offense to score. That would also lift morale on any team. Better a winning plodder than a losing hotshot, but best of all would be a winning hotshot. Or something like that…
@street
More than not, AS overthrew his WR’s on deep routes if they were down the middle.
Not too many times when the WR had to stop due to an under-throw. That KW miss, AS missed it by overthrowing it. You get some really fast guys, that helps make the QB look better. An overthrow becomes a completion. And all the good QB’s have a WR who does that for them. AS as of last season did not.
How often did Big Ben (a guy with a stronger arm than AS) over-throw Wallace last year? Or Vick over throw D. Jackson?
Good point DS, but overthrowing has more to do with visual perception than anything else. Perhaps the slow decision making skills of Alex leads him to overcompensate his throws, hence the miss long. Colin has been so far back in the bushes, he is either gonna be sprung on the world this year or he is an even bigger project than first thought.
.
For me, it’s all good. After a decade of lousy Niner ball I’m in heaven. Wish Grant could feel the same way. Hey Grant! Great blog but if I were you I’d never bet on the ponies. Your forecasting skills are, uh, giggle, giggle, giggle…
@street
“…but overthrowing has more to do with visual perception than anything else.”
If you say so. I really don’t know. But the guys on TV don’t ever talk about perception as a problem a QB has. They blame accuracy/arm. Never heard “perception”. Of course I don’t agree with pretty much any of them anyway. So, you might be right.
DS, maybe “perception” is the wrong word. What I am getting at is that perhaps Alex is not seeing things fast enough, perceiving what is really going on until a few clicks too late. I don’t know. I like Alex, I’d love to see him be a super QB. He’s certainly paid his dues.
@street
When we drafted AS, his college coach said what kind of guy he is. He is somebody who needs to understand something inside and out, then he will perform like no other (or at least really really well).
AS best attribute is his brain. But the stupid Niners have never allowed him to take advantage of it. And 2 years in the Jimmy Raye offense is 2 years too many.
Joe Montana himself said it takes several years to get this system down. We never saw JM struggle because he wasn’t a full time starter till pretty much his third year.
I understand the type of guy AS is. He can be a lot better. We just need to let him become better. And until JH came, that process was happening despite the MS/Raye offense. But now it can really accelerate. Like putting a turbo onto a car. That is what JH’s hire has done. Now that the test ride is done with amazing success, we can tune up the machine and start seeing what it can really do (that means we get a lot of new WR’s hoping they are better).
DSL are you stalking me now? Are you like Cybil? DSL tells me to go away, but X-ilicious responds to my posts? Just trying to figure it out.
Bay bay go away. Please come back no other day.
: – )
sorry grant, but it makes no sense to give the niners an F on this pick until you see where they go with the rest of their picks. they may address the big redzone target with their next pick or two. giving them an F after round 1 is a colossal overreaction.
TWO WORDS: ALDON SMITH.
Dude…get a grip. They just added a WR who will make a the 49ers a solid contender for years to come. Listen to Phil Simms and Jon Gruden…they know a thing or two about football…more than you. You big baby
I didn’t hear the PECON and Krueger predictions. Who’d they say?
Grant i appreciate that you share your opinion and not care what everyone else thinks. You know that you are going to get blasted most of the time (it happens every post) yet you continue to give us stuff to debate. That takes balls! Thanks for the entertainment and please keep posting.
With that being said, however i do not completely agree with your OPINION of this pick. Like you i was stunned when we went AJ Jenkins with Glenn, Hill, and Fleener on the board. I felt that we needed a big receiver for third down and redzone, i know we have Moss but he is a one year deal so i thought we would take someone basically like him to learn and replace him. However, Im not going to call this pick a bust because i do not know the guy. He seems to have pretty good intangables. I do think it was a bit of a reach but like i said its only because I do not know him. Im not going to join the majority and say I love the pick because i trust Harbalkee based on his past drafts, but like i said im not going to say i hate it Im just going to wait and see what he becomes.
Also, Kiper says he was ranked high in the second round by alot of teams (Not that i trust everything Kiper says). But if that is true would you have hated the pick so much if we traded out of the first into the top of the second and took him? Because if that is the case, i can see them taking him where they did only a few spots higher.
I’ve watched a lot of A.J. Jenkins. He is fast, and he does have good hands. He can’t beat the press and he doesn’t make great plays on contested jump balls. He’s a slot possession receiver, and the Niners already have one of those – Crabtree.
Can’t have great hands and drop nearly as many as you catch in the pressure big moment games Grant. And MC is not remotely near fast. I could cover him.
Have or had? Hmmm. JK In any case, A.J. may be much better than MC who doesn’t get much separation and isn’t fast or quick.
True, he may be better than Crabtree. Still, that doesn’t make Jenkins the right pick or a good pick.
You don’t know what you’re talking about. Again. Baalke specifcally said that one of the reasons they like Jenkins is because can play X or Y.
You believed that?
Last year they said Ted Ginn Jr. could play the X and the Y.
He can’t beat the press and he doesn’t make great plays on contested jump balls.
So, play him in the slot or at flanker and have him run routes that don’t call for jump balls. I understand that Harbaugh has a couple of non-jump ball plays in the playbook.
FWIW, Bill Polian seems to like the selection, even if it surprised watchers.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=7861009
He doesn’t pair with Crabtree because he’s not a vertical receiver, and he doesn’t pair with Manningham because he’s not a split end. He’s a slot possession receiver, and I’m not in favor of drafting those players in the first round. Maybe I’m alone on that.
Shocked you are not employed as a NFL scout. Your vast experience in this game should not be overlooked.
@claude
I thought MC’s new position was going to be the slot? If Jenkins is there, where is MC?
“Last year they said Ted Ginn Jr. could play the X and the Y.”
So you think the Niners spent a 1st round pick on somebody who can’t play the position they say he can? While secretly knowing that he can’t?
They certainly think and hope he can, but I disagree with their projection. They haven’t projected wide receivers well in the past.
What I believe is irrelevant beyond saying I have no reason to believe Baalke would lie about a player assessment. If Baalke says he can play X and Y, they full on expect him too — and he will.
But Grant, all I have heard this whole time was that MC was going to move to the slot.
You don’t spend a 1st round pick on a “slot only” guy as you suggest and keep MC around. Something has to give. Either Jenkins is not “slot exclusive” or MC is gone. How many slots are there? Are we in Vegas?
Jenkins won’t see the field this year unless there’s an injury. He’s the fourth string wide out, which is a big reason why this is a bad pick. Cordy Glenn would have been a better pick. Amini Silatolu would have, too.
@Grant:
Your analysis of Jenkins seems to be overly rigid. If the man has a knack for getting open, who cares how he fits into a traditional 2 WR, 1 TE, 2RB offense?
Assuming you are correct that he will have trouble getting off of the line against press coverage (how many teams play press and how often?), then don’t line him up on the line as a traditional split end. Line him up at flanker; line him up in the slot; line him up off the line in a 2WR, 2TE package (both TEs on the line; both WRs 1-2 steps off of the line).
It seems to me that a creative offensive mind can figure out how to make use of Jenkins’ skills.
You’re right. No doubt the Niners will play to his strenths. I suspect they envision him running the hot route on third downs his rookie season. I don’t like that route or that pass concept on third down because I think you’ve got to throw a pass beyond the markers to give yourself a good chance to convert, but Smith wants to play it safe and Jenkins might be a good safety valve. Still, I don’t think he’ll be that good. He won’t break tackles or consistently pick up yards after the catch. He doesn’t play as fast as he timed.
@Grant
No WR has proven a thing on this team/for this team. Not a one. Neither had MC when we drafted him. But when he finally got his butt in here, he was a starter before long. How is our WR core (the worst in the playoffs) so much better now than it was when MC was drafted?
If they aren’t much better (they are not) then don’t expect this Jenkins kid to sit on the bench for a long time. They got him to play him.
“He doesn’t play as fast as he timed.”
Then how come the KNBR guys all say that nobody is near him? Bad defenses? The whole time?
I can’t speak for them. When I watched him play he got tackled right after he caught the ball the majority of the time. He’s fast, but he’s not super fast or super quick. NFL defenders are fast, too.
@Grant:
Please don’t take it personally, but I hope you are wrong.
Of course. Me too. He seems like a really nice guy.
They say he is 4.3. That seems fast to me.
And no argument about NFL defenders being fast. But this kid seems to have been the only weapon on his team. And he still got open with nobody near him. If he had a VD like teammate, how much better would he be? Because he has a VD on this team.
I’ve said all along that Jenkins is the closest prospect this year to Lloyd and Wallace – two WRs that the 49ers pursued in the offseason. He is a vertical threat – very much so – but his best trait is his ability to make cuts without losing speed, which helps him get open. Grant is correct that he doesn’t fight for the ball in the air, and this has led to some intercepts while he was at Illinois, but how often does Smith throw into coverage?
I agree he may not see the field much this season if the trio of Crabtree, Moss and Manningham are all on board, but Baalke isn’t drafting for this year, he’s drafting for the future.
Jenkins isn’t exclusively a slot WR either – at 6’0″ he’s got the frame to line up on the outside as well. He’s bigger than most quick CBs, and quicker and more agile than most big CBs. He could do with adding some muscle, but that’s what weights sessions are for.
Was unsure about the pick too, but now that I see Grant take on it, it must be a great pick. I mean who else is more wrong on pro football besides Grant.
Oh jeez….
Grant,
Like everyone else – I don’t know much about this kid. Seems to be a very similar prospect to Mike Wallace, in terms of frame and speed. If we just selected the next MIke Wallace and don’t have to pay him the same contract, this is a good selection. Have to wonder though, couldn’t they have taken Fleener, then traded up in the middle of the 2nd to get Jenkins?
A.J. Jenkins is fast but he almost exclusively ran underneath routes in college. Mike Wallace is a pure vertical receiver.
The guys on KNBR keep saying how nobody was near this kid. So if he ran a lot of underneath routes, he played the worse defenses in history. You can’t be all alone if you are running lots of underneath routes. You can be open. But to have nobody around? Come on now. One of you (you or KNBR) are very wrong.
It’s not me.
Did you watch the NorthWestern game film?
Yes. Very impressive game against a horrible opponent. If you take that game away, Jenkins averaged 12 yards a catch last season. That’s not good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O931W3wadpY&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
They are both right DS. Watching this guy on the small amount of coverage available on the internet he looks like a Crabtree clone.
There are a few plays in particular in the highlights of him against Northwestern that look like they were taken directly out of the 49ers playbook.
My take on the pick is that it is all geared toward helping in 2013, when they will need to replace Moss and Ginn. He will develop this year playing about 10-15 snaps per game, and then increase that in 2013 as the #3 guy and possibly take over for Manningham and Crabtree as the #1 guy in 2014.
Jack
The supposed experts say that this guy is really fast and creates separation. Two things that Jerry Rice says MC most certainly is not. Somebody is wrong here Jack.
And I don’t draft a guy #1 to play the slot when I have a perfectly fine slot WR (MC) while thinking about the future replacement. And if MC is going to be a good slot WR, why are they looking to replace him? I get the guy to make an impact. Now. 3rd round picks sit on the bench for a year (Bowman). 1st round picks are either starting, or getting a lot of plays from day 1. If you are projecting several years in the future, you are going to fail more than not. Can’t even predict what happens from one day to the next. No way can me/you/anybody predict what is happening in 2014.
Jenkings accounted for more then half of his teams passing production, that is impressive and indicative of not much talent around him.
True, but that doesn’t necessarily indicate he’ll be a good NFL receiver.
DS, He will be the slot guy early on and progress from there. Like you always say, judge the pick in 3 years, and in 3 years he will no longer be the slot guy, he will be a starter.
Jack
You can start players who you drafted that year. But you don’t grade the draft till later. You can do both without having an inherent problem. See Aldon Smith.
Jenkins was used at all levels of the field at Illinois – he caught a lot of short balls, which kept his ypc average down. But he also ran and caught a lot of intermediate and deep passes.
i was talking up fleener before anyone. i would have loved for the 9ers to pick him. the more i’m hearing about jenkins i’m falling in love with that pick. coming from the 119th ranked passing offense in div. I and still catching 90 balls is incredible. he is faster than desean jackson and supposedly has “great” hands. i remember all the screaming when the 49ers did’nt pick jackson with their 1st or 2nd pick now we get a guy with his skill set and the talkng heads are all screaming again. i hope they start training jenkins to return punts right away he already returns kicks. we dont want to be in the same position as last yr if ginn goes down again
The Colts could pick Fleener and tell him up with Andrew luck. Now wouldn’t that be something?
*pair him up*
That would be a good move.
The problem is not with this kid but rather the amount of perceived value that the Niners left on the board. Given the situation the Niners could’ve clearly traded back and still landed Jenkins.
Mike Silver reported that the Rams would have taken Jenkins at #33
It still feels like we got underwear for Christmas though.
I agree with you that it’s a little too early to call this a ‘reach’, but if the Rams were targeting Jenkins, I would have let them have it. Perhaps a trade down with the Rams would have been better.
Well who is on deck for picks in the 2nd and 3rd round? Silatolu a gaurd from Midwestern State? How about a safety Brandon Taylor from LSU or Trent Robinson from Michigan State in the 3rd round? Baalke-Harbaugh I am sure will surprise us once again lol.
The Niners cut Brandon’s brother Curtis last year. Do you think they want another Taylor?
Hard to say Grant, I have no idea at this point who is up next. As far as sibilings are concerned we are all different one may be a bust while another can be gold.
A.J. Jenkins won’t be as good as Jarius Wright, Joe Adams, Marvin Jones, Rueben Randle or Alshon Jeffery, to name a few.
yea and Keuchly wont get drafted very high and Fleener is a no brainer first round pick. Keep coming up with them…
I completely agree and Would include Mohamed Sunu that list also
Yup.
Grant,
You also said that Kuechly would not be a first round pick. That was the easiest call in the draft besides Luck and Griffin.
He was a higher draft pick than Patrick Willis was. Why????
@Grant:
Because the teams drafting ahead of the 49ers in 2007 screwed up? There were a lot of bad picks early in the 2007 draft.
Jamarcus Russell
Levi Brown
Laron Landry
Jamaal Anderson
Ted Ginn
Amobi Okoye
Kuechly will be good, but he won’t be in Patrick Willis’ league.
Grant,
I think that is the wrong way to look at it. He is a very good player. He is a three down MLB who’s stock probably went up because of guys like PW and NB. They have shown what versatile MLB’s can do for a defense. PW also increased his stock at the combine, he was looked at as a late first or early second round pick before that. The coaching staff wasn’t sold on him. Nobody expected him to be the dominant day one player that he was. To me, Kuechly coming off the board early was one of the safest bets of the draft, and he did. I think he has an excellent chance at NFL DROY.
Patrick Willis runs a 4.3. There’s no way Kuechly will be as good in coverage as Willis is in the NFL.
@Grant:
One can be short of Patrick Willis level talent and still be worth an early first round draft pick.
Adding to what Big P said, Kuechly is supposed to be great in coverage. If Carolina is running a Cover 2 scheme (don’t remember what they run, but recall that Riviera coached under Lovie Smith), Kuechly likely will shine as the MLB.
I want to see this 4.6 guy shine in NFL coverage. Really, I’m dying to see it.
Grant
Where was JR drafted?
Because he is the best player of any position EVER. You can’t judge things like that.
I’m talking about inside linebackers specifically, and Kuechly will not be the greatest football player of all time.
He went at #9 for a reason, just like Jenkins went at #30 for a reason.
That logic makes no sense to me. Did Alex Smith go No. 1 for a good reason? Did Michael Crabtree go No. 10 for a good reason? Draft position doesn’t predict success.
@Grant:
Are you assuming man coverage? Because that won’t be what he does in a Cover 2.
Fair enough. I’m not anti-Kuechly.
Navarro Bowman’s 4.72 speed hasn’t hurt him in coverage. It’s not track, it’s football. There are so many emotional components to a players football perfomance that will never show up in a drill like the 40 yard dash. They do show up on film though, which is why these guys get drafted where they do for the most part.
Bowman didn’t cover tight ends last year. Only Patrick Willis did that.
NB had 8 passes defended last year, which is very good. PW got burned by Jimmy Graham in the Saints game twice. It’s all relevant, you shouldn’t be asking a MLB to cover all day. It’s nice to have the versatility, but that will never be the main priority for any LB. It’s about making tackles, and nobody has been better at it than Kuechly. The fact that he can cover puts him in that special group and increases his value, as proven by his draft slot.
Do you really think Kuechly could beat Michael Vick to the edge like Bowman did?
Luke Kuechly reminds me of AJ Hawk. He’ll be a solid ILB, but not in the same class as Patrick Willis. In fact if you compare the scouting report of Kuechly and Hawk (pre-draft), they’re nearly identicle.
Luke Kuechly
http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/profilexnews.php?pyid=90802&draftyear=2012&genpos=ILB
AJ Hawk
http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=10424&draftyear=2006&genpos=
4.6 or no, Kuechly is fast enough to be a very good coverage linebacker if his instincts and film prep are top notch. I just penciled out that over a 30 yard sprint the difference between a 4.6 and 4.5 is only 2 feet. If a fast tight end is only 2 feet ahead of Kuechly it still requires a perfect throw from the QB. If he recognizes the route he can easily beat the faster receiver to the spot. Of course Vernon is even faster, and his margin for error would be smaller. But there aren’t many guys as fast as Vernon and I think Kuechly will be able to be great pro and well worth the #9 pick in this draft. I am not saying he will be as good as Patrick Willis.
linebackers who can stay on the field for 3 downs are not that easy to come by. Keuchly is going to be very good. His 40 time doesn’t mean much when it comes to LB’s ability to cover. It’s about change of direction, burst, anticipation, and split second athleticism.
To quote Charley Casserley, “I love this guy!”
Let’s not forget S. Hill
Considering your other predictions Grant, it’s a lock this guy will be HOF… ;- )
I’ve seen people pout before when a team doesn’t pick who they want but you take the cake Grant. So much for professional objectivity.
How did those Fleener and Kuechly projections works out for ya?
Oh and sitting in the press trailer pre-announcing the picks was totally lame. Maybe you didn’t get the memo but most media covering the draft were trying to with hold the names until the commissioner read them but clearly you and Paul Allen just want to seem like you are smarter then you are and decided to ruin the surprise for everyone else. DB’s.
Barrows was ahead of the game too…
Why you so nasty?
Not a fun story:
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/27/brother-of-vernon-vontae-davis-arrested-suspected-of-murder/
Crazy, I just saw that. Tragic.
No Bueno.
Drugs and mental illness.
Where do you all buy your crystal balls at. I’m gonna take a GM, Scouting team and Head Coach’s opinion over a wet behind the ears internet sports writer and a bunch of computer jockey’s.
Here’s a suggestion, wait until game 8 and then try and say how he is going to play or who he is better/worse then that way you dont look like such a dink when you are as wrong as you were last night.
New avatar picture or a new faithful?
same, nasty faithful.
Grant your statement that the Niners need to improve on third down is accurate, but what’s asinine about it is that you think the 1st round pick was going to help solve the problem. Then you throw a jab at Crabtree and Smith. Thats weak man.
This just show your level of imcompetence when it comes to football. No one player or draft pick is the solution. Its a scheme, playcalling and execution thing that improves 3rd down conversion.
So if the Niners drafted Fleener, all their 3rd down woes would be rectified? Cmon man! Grow up!
@FDM
When did he jab at MC? He thinks Jenkins comes in here as the #4 WR. I think that is very wrong.
DS Grant says: the Niners will not be respectable on third down this season because Michael Crabtree is still their possession receiver and Alex Smith is still their quarterback.
How is that not a jab at Crabtree?
Neither guy has had success on third down in their NFL careers.
@FDM
If I could have deleted the post, I would have. Less than a minute later, I saw what he wrote. Though a lot of his posts seem to be indicating that MC is better than this kid.
@Grant. I don’t know what you mean by that. If a WR gets opn and catches the ball on third down, he more than likely will get the first down.
When you to start to come to the conclusion that the game of football rests on systems, playcallling and execution and not on individual players, you will appreciate the game a lot more.
If you continue to be stubborn like the haters and deem it to be on one player making the ultimate difference, you will continue to look like a pompus arse. Your perogative, your blog, your perspective, but realize its not working out for you. I give the Democrat the summer to figure out your too green for any NFL coverage.
Trent on Jenkins: Versatile. Character. Sure handed. Carries his speed into and out of the route – and through the catch. Accomplished route runner. Good with the ball in his hands. Needs to get stronger in the weight room.
How is he a MC clone?
I don’t know that he is. I didn’t say that. I would say he is himself. *shrug* ..not Crabtree.
Didn’t mean to imply that you did.
Sorry.
But it is one of the recent ideas now. And judging from your initial post, I don’t see how he is remotely like MC at all.
Right. No worries.
None of you see this as goodbye to whats his name the fumbler? Jenkins might be a good kick returner..
And why are my posts not in order??
49er 2nd rd pick brandon brooks G Miami O or jared crick DE Neb
Everyone keeps giving Harbuagh and Baulke all the credit for last season, but I think the pieces where already there. If you look at Singletary’s tenure, the 49ers were only off of winning 11+ games by 12 points across 5 games. This last year the bad calls and the turnovers went our way instead of against us.
Don’t get me wrong, I think they did a great job, but if you think they are miracle workers, I think you are doubling down on a hope and a prayer. I think they were great for the team. I just think they cleaned up what Singletary had already created.
This season the schedule is much tougher. I agree with Grant that picking up a 14th wide receiver in the 1st round was a little suspect. I think the team would have done better to address guard, safety, or CB concerns.
I don’t think AJ is a bad choice, I just think he would have been available in the second round especially if they were planning on passing on Fleener all along. Just my opinion.
Medic –
(awesome…. just starting to write you I feel like I’m in an old war movie – so thanks for that…… MEEEDDDIICCCCCCCC!!!!!!!!!).
“The pieces were there.” That’s partly right, but the other interesting thing is that the 49ers were missing four very, very crucial factors that Harbaugh and Baalke brought in and cultivated. One was a pass rusher in Aldon Smith. Another was a change of pace back to Gore in Hunter. A third was Harbaugh, Baalke and Fangio fixed the secondary by drafting Culliver, properly evaluating T Brown as the better corner over Spencer, and bringing in Donte Whitner. These moves completed the team. Oh, and lets not forget about good coaching. So some of the credit certainly goes to Nolan, McCloughand and Singletary, but a lot more credit, in my mind, goes to Harbaugh, Baalke and the Harbaugh coaching staff.
How long was the secondary awful? And Harbaugh and Fangio fixed it overnight. That’s competence. Singletary’s idea was to draft Taylor Mays. That’s incompetence.
they also stopped blitzing so much and relied on the front four to get the pressure. part of that was moving Sopoaga to Nose Tackle (who is a better penetrator than Franklin was) and moving McDonald to full time starter at End where he’s a better penetrator and pass rusher than Sopoaga was at End. And finally of course was drafting Aldon Smith and bring him in nickel/dime packages.
This helped the secondary because there was an extra coverage defender and they relied less on bringing up one of the safeties to support the run. That kept two Safeties over the top to help the Corners who played press and inside and underneath coverage. Whitner did a good job of getting the defensive backs into place and knowing their assignments.
I don’t know…. I think they blitzed a lot.
spit, I can’t remember where I read the stat but it said that the Niners don’t blitz a lot. They didn’t need to with Justin Smith and Aldon Smith beating their guys one on one with the occasional sack and pressure by McDonald. I noticed it too when I watched the games last year. When they sent Brooks after the QB in their base package is when you saw Harelson in coverage and manning the 9 outside against the run. The Niners rarely sent more than 4 guys.
I think a better way to look at last year’s rush was that the 49ers just always had something going. I don’t think you can characterize it any one way, and that’s good because it keeps the O line guessing. For instance, the 49ers would go base with a straight rush in the their lanes. Then they’d twist or stunt guys. Then they’d overload a side. None of those are blitzes. But then, when they needed to blitz – like in the Eagle’s game against Vick, Fangio blitzed. Fangio blitzed a lot in the Saints’ game as well. I just think a better way to look at our D isn’t whether it blitzes or doesn’t – a better way to look at it is that there’s nothing they can’t do, and Fangio dials everything up once or twice a game… sometimes more.
Less implementation of the “one and a half yards and a cloud of dust” play calling helped as well……
Singletary is an idiot who doesn’t have the ability to manage game strategy. The 9ers have had good personel for the past couple of years but not the right coaching to succeed. That is why they went from 6-10 to 13-3 in one season.
There is a difference between mere opinion and informed opinion, between a language that makes us react with irritation and even contempt at the person who utters it and a language that makes us think even if we don’t agree. I think Grant is falling into the former category. I used to come here faithfully to read Eric Branch–he was witty, a fine stylist but also someone who looked at different bits of information and points of view and weighed them for our consideration. It took time and effort but he made reading about sports an adventure. In contrast, seemingly without much effort or forethought, Grant takes an idea or feeling and uses this blog as forum to ‘spout off.” The upside is that it brings out some interesting comment, for nobody is intimidated by him. The downside is that his articles seem lazy, dully written and nearly worthless in themselves. At least put in the effort–if you don’t talent, hard work goes long way (MM, for example). In short, Grant needs a mentor.
yup, I came here originally to read Maiocco’s postings. Branch is pretty good too. He and Lynch (whom I’m no huge fan of but he’s at least knowledgeable) bring great view points and analysis together at the chron.
I hate to pile up on Grant but his posts constantly make me wonder at how much football he actually knows. As an example, I disagree with Kevin Lynch pretty regularly but he knows his X’s and O’s and football history, so even if I don’t agree with him he has a good rational reason for his view point that I respect.
You’re right about Gran’t postings bringing out the posters and their comments. I still come here pretty much for their responses as I find them interesting and sometimes informed and creative.
Why do I sense that Grant is upset, or maybe its just me. Oh well!
Grant gotta say I disagree with your opinion on this one. I won’t bash you because everyone has an opinion, but the draft isn’t over yet, and Fleener is still there. I trust fully in what the FO is doing. I remember last year when most was pissed that we picked A Smith.
The redzone issues will be addressed by the qb. Thus the reason that position has been a crazy ride this offseason. If smith doesn’t step up they have some guys ready. That’s a fact!
Maybe harbaugh really isn’t impressed with Fleener. We picked up Moss for the redzone issues, manningham for longer possession receiving, drafted this kid for depth. K Williams is a concussion away from retiring… Maybe they want walker back and really think he will be more of a force in year two in this offense, or maybe they don’t and trade up to get Fleener. This deal if it happens might have been done yesterday. All I know is that I trust our GM and coach of the year. Patience young Jedi. I truly believe any player that comes here will excell, because of the coaching staff and the winning attitude that’s back in sf. Those go a long way.
Look at it this way: If Moss doesn’t work out, the Niners will be just about as limited in the red zone as they were last year.
GC, agree but the draft isn’t over. Who says they don’t deal a TE or WR today then draft accordingly? Anything is possible…
You’re absolutely right. I’m open minded. Baalke could redeem himself. He’s a good late-round drafter, and he’s great at drafting defense.
I don’t know about that grant. I think some of the redzone problems last year was qb and play calling. Height brings you the fade pass. Manningham and moss can do it. This years offense will have no training wheels on it. I think your going to be surprised, and two of our biggest redzone catches were quick slants to tight ends. Our glaring need was wr and they are adding depth. Don’t be suprised if they trade up for Fleener. If the redzone problem is one they believe can’t be fixed with what we got, I’m positive they will address it.
Manningham is 5-10 – he’s more of a big play receiver than a red zone receiver. He’s best with a big field in front of him so he can use his speed.
And I’m expecting the Colts to draft Fleener with the first pick in the second round.
@ninermd:
Are they going to improve the o-line?
Claud. I get your dig, but I’ll answer your question anyways. IMO they wanted the kid from Wisconsin, and were suprised by him being taken already. I think they do draft an o-lineman later. But the o-line wasn’t the main problem last year for once. They gelled nicely as the season went on. If the o-line was the main problem they wouldnt have went that hard for manning. And added J Johnson, manningham, moss, and drafted a reciever. I heard nobody say the o-line was out problem last year. They want another rg because our vet left. That simple. Now I’m going to bet you are going to call me a smith hater, or something along those lines, but I’m the only one on here with the “balls” that’s putting my name on the line saying smith will reach top 7 next year. I know it’s hard for some of you to grasp the fact that smiths play last year was mediocre “better than years past” but not good enough to keep his job after next year. The FO has spoken with the deal they gave him and the manning sweepstakes. Sorry I can keep it real. Smith MUST and WILL improve next year. There are more excuses for him after this season, NO O-Line, continuity, defensive struggles, no wr, coaching excuses to reach for any longer. The smith fans got what they wanted. The whole football universe is aligned perfect for smith to
Succeed. It’s not the way I would build a team, but if we can win a Super Bowl without a top tier qb, and a second tier qb then I’m all for it. The o-line will be just fine, the redzone problems will be fine, the qb situation will be fine with or without smith. Why? Because we have an elite coaching staff and front office.
The Rams had one of the best scoring offenses of all time with Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt as the starters (both 6’0″), supported by Az-Zahir Hakim and Ricky Proehl. These guys were plain and simple too quick for the DBs to keep up, so someone was always open.
With less contact being allowed these days, faster, quicker WRs have a greater advantage.
“I’m the only one on here with the “balls” that’s putting my name on the line saying smith will reach top 7 next year.”
MD, if that is true then he won’t be 2nd tier he would have moved into tier one but not elite – only 3-4 of those guys. But you are right, the team is aligned finally after all of these years for that to happen. Difficult to disagree with you. On a point I will disagree is that I don’t believe they wanted a guard (from Wisc). I think they got the guy they wanted all along otherwise they would have moved up for the guard. They have a history the last couple of year of doing exactly that. It may happen it the 2nd or 3rd round depending on who they are targeting. Possibly an RB?!!
Hoff. I believe top tier are the elite in the qb world. I can see Smith being something like a Big Ben QB. I dont believe BR is an elite QB, But I do think he is one that you have to pay attention to. One that can on occasion kill and carry the team. I think that would be Smiths ceiling. Which isnt bad at all. My boys are thinking Im losing my mind with the Smith prediction. But my gut feeling is seeing him excell next season. If you cant trust your own gut feeling, who can I trust? lol
u were completely wrong in the mock draft and u r completely wrong for not having faith in the 49ers front office..ur predictions r always wrong ur a joke
spitblood i’m sure miaoccos article had nothing to do with grant it was just me taking a bit of a cheap shot but what i liked about MM’s article is he had the courage to admit that he did’nt know enough to make a serious comment
Old Coach,
Any chance I get a shot to take at Maiocco, I’m gonna take it. I can’t stand that guy. Nobody who played on the chess team in high school should give opinions about the 49ers. It just says a lot about the 49er fan base to me.
Yes. Don’t want a rep for being smart and intelligent now.
Spit. You really do make this easy.
DS – you need to play the game at some level, at some point, to really have any insights. Nerds on call don’t bring insights to the game.
@spit
And your wonderous posts have enlightened so many.
Get real. Most of the ESPN guys are ex jocks. Most ESPN guys suck. Figure out the next thought.
@Spit
News alert!!!
Nerds are the only reason why you are on this site. Not stupid dorks who think High School was the best thing ever in their 60′s. While nerds are marring the hottest women, have the best jobs and basically stomping on those dorks who thought High School was the pennacle of life.
If not for nerds, thereis no internet. There is no blog. There is no you. Now. There is a thought….
You just gave yourself away……….. nerd.
What if you were a chess prodigy, class genius, and all-round athlete like me?
@Angus
You forgot Super-spy, actor to your list.
Awww….someone sounds like they’re throwing tantrum like petulant child journalist. Come on Grant put your big boy pants on and take your missed mock and draft logic like a professional. I’m going to hold back at mocking your mock further (trade up for Fleener…hmmm….).
Your reasoning about how the Niners are trying to improve on their NFC Championship losing team does not take into account the signings of Moss and Manningham both big play threats (I don’t put much stock in Moss at this point but you never know….Manningham on the other had is an explosive threat). And the most important factor for improvement doesn’t come from new personnel but a full off season for the team to better learn the offense. You could see the team become more explosive when they had to during the New Orleans game. So you know it’s possible. So the Niners improve their receiving corp and better understand the offense and it should alleviate much of the third down problems you love to cite.
Given that none of us here (I’m assuming) are NFL Scouts or coaches, we can only assume that Baalke knows what he’s doing until proven wrong. As non-experts we can criticize the pick after the pick busts but not before.
We can criticize WHERE in the draft the pick was made. Last year I had reservations about the Niners picking Aldon Smith so early in the 1st round. Smith was projected to go in the mid-teens to 20′s. However, later it was disclosed that the Niners were worried that Tennessee would take Smith a pick or two after the Niners. It turns out the Titans picked another Defensive End J.J. Watt after the Niners took Smith. A.J. Jenkins was projected to go in the late 2nd to the 4th round. So most believe the Niners reached. However the Niners thought the Rams were going to pick Jenkins with their first pick in the 2nd round (far ahead of the Niner’s 2nd round pick). If that’s true, then Baalke made the right call (assuming that Jenkins is the right player to be selected).
*shrug* Mocks. Sheesh. Being able to score well on mock drafts does not make anyone qualified as an expert. I beat McShay, Kiper and totally trashed Mayock — scored in the 99th percentile on the ESPN draft competition. Doesn’t mean I am a GM or that my opinion is any more valid that the next guys.
If you don’t like what is on change the channel. I enjoy this blog for what it is. A place to talk 49er football with other fans and voice opinions and predictions. Grant has his own style and if you do not like it don’t let the internet door hit you in the ass on the way out.
Oooh, Grant… Even Ratto is being more objective right now. As one of my mentors said, “let the meat marinate before you throw it on the fire.”
There is a huge double rainbow around the sun right now where I am at in Mexico. It’s a bright sunny day with no rain anywhere. This must mean something. Maybe it’s a sign that AJ Jenkins was a great pick.
some guys are acting like childs here, ok Grant has his opinion so be it maybe if the draft is finished he will have a better view of the guys that where drafted
Grant:
Now that you know the Rams were hot to draft Jenkins(probably at #33),dont you feel a bit silly for losing your cool last night?
I hope we trade up into the early 2nd round …maybe to get a second Jenkins ?
I didn’t lose my cool. Just because the Rams were supposedly prepared to make The A.J. Jenkins Mistake doesn’t mean it was a good idea for the Niners to make it first.
So instead they should have traded up to get Fleener? RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!
Fleener will be a better player and have a better career than Jenkins.
Grant – the 49ers need to move the safety outside the numbers. Can’t you see that? They need a plan after Moss leaves. That’s what Jenkins is, and that’s why I was calling for Alshon. Spread ‘em out. Fleener may very well have the better career. But careers aren’t the concerns of the good teams. The good teams are worried about Super Bowls. This is what you don’t understand. You think Fleener will be the greatest redzone threat ever, but the kid had Luck and played in the Pac 10. This is what you still don’t understand even though it’s day two of the draft and you desperately cling to Fleener. Your ideas weren’t confirmed. What if Fleener goes to the Jaguars? He’ll be the next John Carlson.
Grant, why do you say Fleener will have a better career than Jenkins? What credibility do you have to make this claim?
And the tone and lack of substance to your post sure sounds like you lost your cool. i’ve posted this three times now…you sound like a petulant child that didn’t get his way.
From Peter King: I think, after a conversation with one club official on a team that scouted receivers extensively this draft season, I felt better about the 49er pick of virtually unknown A.J. Jenkins from Illinois at No. 30. “We had him rated ahead of Michael Floyd,” this club official said. “He didn’t have a good quarterback to get him the ball, and he’s raw. But he’s fast. We liked him a lot.”
He will not be better than Michael Floyd.
You don’t know that, that is your opinion.
Grant mistakes fact with opinion all the time. We’re working on teaching him the difference. He’ll get there. Be patient.
Wide receivers have the biggest bust rate of any position, and Baalke hasn’t hit on a wide receiver yet.
I have no idea. Neither do you.
So Ronald Johnson discredits Baalke? Give me a break. The guy was a fifth rounder. You’re grabbing at straws. …. again.
Here are the pass catchers he’s drafted: A.J. Jenkins, Ronald Johnson, Kyle Williams and Nate Byham. And who gets credit for Crabtree? Baalke was a top scout for that one.
No, no, no….. Baalke gets credit for one, ONE DUDE ONLY – Ronald Johnson.
What are you basing that on? You vast football knowledge?
That list includes 2 5th round picks Grant. Hardly the stuff by which you can heavily grade a GM by.
A GM needs to hit pay-dirt with his first pick. If he can with his 5th, that is just awesome.
And so far, Grant has drafted 3 #1′s. All 3 at this point seem to be heading in the right direction.
Not exactly loving the fact that we grabbed a guy who didn’t see himself as a first rounder. The position takes swagger and attitude. Doesn’t mean the kid isn’t any good but I still prefer a guy with at least a little ego if he’s gonna stand a chance against NFL defenders with the mental as well as physical abuse he’ll take.
I’d love for somebody to tell my why ‘swagger and attitude’ are necessary ingredients to be a succesful WR….people just keep repeating this tripe. There’s braggarts and modest men at every position. Jerry Rice, boy what a pretentious jerk…
Yeah. Because TO got to be such a great guy and teammate we dumped him when he got that swagger.
I just find it funny when you’re talking about Y/C when he played on a terrible offense with a terrible quarterback and the guy accounted for half of his teams passing offense.
That doesn’t mean he’s going to be a good NFL player or worthy of a first round pick. The Niners drafted him because of his measurables – 40 yard dash and hand size. It was an Al Davis pick.
“It’s all a process. There’s many factors that go into it. It’s a jigsaw of factors. It’s a process of putting it all together – the combine, the workouts. The biggest thing is what they do on their college tape. How they perform as a football player. That’s the most striking thing. There’s a lot of factors that weigh into it.”-Jim Harbaugh (about Jenkins)
If they were drafting on measurable then the Niners would have drafted Hill. Niners drafted Jenkins for his measurable AND his overall production at Illinois. The guy had 90 catches and 8 TD’s with no QB. Al Davis would have taken Hill. Once again, what thought do you put in when you make comments like this?
@gregcosell: Really liked 49ers pick. Jenkins very good on film. Nice combination of traits. Think he has chance to be quality starting WR.
I don’t think hes just a measurables guy, if that was the main factor they were looking for they would have picked Stephen Hill.
Wasn’t it the same when you wanted the 49ers to draft Hill so bad?
Grant, based on your argument drafting Fleener would be an Al Davis pick too. He’s on the 2012 all measurables team for sure.
Well,lets learn from Monta Ellis with Fleener..he’s just not thought that much of out of the bay area media. I mean two Stanford players were on that stage..and neither was Fleener.
“I think the Jenkins pick, especially where the 49ers were (in the draft), makes a lot of sense….he’s a good speed receiver, which they need.” From a wise old Bill Polin, who may know a thing or two (if not three) about drafting. Of course, given the excessive delicacy when ex-execs talk, a grain of salt might be called for.
Clayton also didn’t list the 49er pick as one of the three worse, but he didn’t list it as one of the three best. So…more experts, please.
Readers Receivers? LOL
Grant Cohn was destined to be the next Jason Heath Sehorn!!!
“I think the Jenkins pick, especially where the 49ers were (in the draft), makes a lot of sense….he’s a good speed receiver, which they need.” From a wise old Bill Polin, who may know a thing or two (if not three) about drafting. Of course, given the excessive delicacy when ex-execs talk, a grain of salt might be called for.
Clayton also didn’t list the 49er pick as one of the three worse, but it wasn’t also listed as one of the there best. So…there we are, experts.
Hey, Fleener’s still on the board.
I predict Baalke drafts Reggie Smith’s replacement in the second round.
Mike Davis brother of Vernin arrested for murder after a week’s worth of murderous assaults.
All I know is that the Niners could have traded to #35 and decided not to because they knew Jenkins would be gone by #35 and they had decided Jenkins was THE guy they wanted weeks ago.Wed Baakle and JH and the staff allfinalized that decision and Baalke wrote Jenjins name down and put it in an envelope and sealed it and said THIS is the guy we ARE drafting tomorrow.
If they were THAT sure about the pick then who am I to say it was not the best pick they could possibly make,especially when they had so many other top prospects left on the board they could have chosen instead. Its not like they settled because their guy was gone !
what’s goin on with the format today Grant? even replies to threads are showing up as new threads.
and out of order.
Because some of the less-intelligent folk who post once a year popped in and popped off.
Stuff gets deleted and then the threads look out of whack.
I hope AJ reads your thoughts on him cause it would be classic if he told you to go F yourself the first time you approach him in the locker room.
Grant i’m sure you have become as weary as i am with this what do you think about Grant post. lets change the subject. how bout a post on possible 2nd and 3rd rd picks and lets see how totally wrong we can all be on this one [ i do have to take credit for predicting the 9ers making a pick of someone none of us had ever heard of]
For those of you even remotely interested in Grant’s new game. Grant is trying to paint Baalke as a guy who doesn’t know receivers by claiming Baalke responsible for a number of past receiver mistakes.
Let’s be clear about this. Mike Singletary fired Scot McCloughan weeks before the 2010 draft because Singletary wanted control over the draft. This got us guys like Mike Iupati and Taylor Mays. Mike Solari was the offensive line coach, and the 49ers still draft Iupati because of Singletary. Solari would never have drafted Iupati. Solari is known for short, quick guards (see Kilgore). Taylor Mays was drafted in the second round (when everyone else took a pass) because of Singletary.
Some speculate that Baalke was handed the drafted a week before the draft took place in 2010. I disagree. I think Baalke was handed the draft in name only, Singletary drafted and picked while asking Baalke about his ideas on specific players. After Singletary was fired, Jed York clearly stated that Baalke and Singletary didn’t see eye to eye.
There’s obviously enough confusion and wonder to say, “We don’t know, but we do know Baalke was at the helm in 2011, and that’s already a dam good draft.” So, in my mind- that’s when the clock starts ticking on Baalke’s tenure. The only receiver you can discredit Baalke with is Ronald Johnson. That’s it. The dude was a fifth rounder.
And by all reports the Ronald Johnson pick was heavily influenced by the WR coach Morton. I think the one thing that has stood out about Baalke’s picks in the skill positions is he likes fast and agile players. Wonder if CB Josh Robinson is on the radar…?
Grant, with all the ruckus about their not picking Fleener, I would be interested in your thoughts about why they didn’t. There are a ton of possible reasons, one of them being that they don’t want to sit Walker because of the value he adds to the running game. True, his contract expires at the end of next year, but maybe they think they won’t have trouble signing him, or maybe there is another tight end they think can give them what Fleener can in a year. What do you think?
Also, here is the list of the rest of your picks. Any changes you would make? Still think they’ll be interested in Jarius Wright?
2nd round: Casey Hayward, CB/S, Vanderbilt. Replacement for Reggie Smith at third safety/dime back.
3rd round: Brandon Washington, G, Miami. Competition for Daniel Kilgore at right guard.
5th round: Jarius Wright, WR, Arkansas. Competition/replacement for Kyle Williams.
6th round: Greg Childs, WR, Arkansas. Insurance/replacement for Randy Moss.
7th round: Marc Tyler, RB, USC. Competition for Anthony Dixon and Brandon Jacobs at third-string running back.
The Niners must be counting on a huge year from Randy Moss – that’s the only reason I can think of.
I doubt they’ll draft any more receivers. They already have six.
Maybe that’s essentially it. That Jenkins will be the deep threat and also help move the chains, and Moss will play in the Red Zone. Moss is supposed to have bad knees, I believe. Perhaps their evaluation of him was that it would be better for both team and player that he be used sparingly. Their brand of football is not deep-strike, anyway. Taking Jenkins instead of Fleener also lets them use Walker and his skill set. This is making sense, to me at least.
If jenkins is any good in the return game i can see ginn not making the team. They arent high on him and only resigned him for his return capability. I can see him being a return specialist this year and get a few snaps per game and next year take moss’ spot on the outside. IF my THOUGHT is right and they are planning on dropping ginn i think they take a big wide out or TE(possibly the guy from OU) that could compete for a roster spot as a redzone/thirddown guy
lol,either you guys are super hard core…but not one reply to my VD’s brother post??..or out of order someplace?
not much to say…..tragedy all round……just like Lincecum…
How about them Blue Jays!!
After the Treyvon Martin case and the way the media convicted a guy without trial, Im cool on stories like this. Never heard about the 2 AF Americans kids that burned a white kid, for being white. Or the sensless murders everyday commited by Af Americans on other Af Americans. White on Black crimes sell. And Zimmerman isnt White and doesnt look white. Screw the liberal media.
ninermd:
So,you dont believe the whole story about Baalke’s magic trick with Jenkins name in the sealed envelope ?You think that was all a big lie and that Jenkins was just a fall back position because they lost out on the O lineman they really wanted ??? I personally believe the envelope story, but I am an easy mark,lol.
@Tim
No matter what. That envelope story is just awesome.
HINT Grant. Do a blog about this. You want to cover rare events. How often does the #30 team do that? Whether you like the pick or not, there is a nice story to investigate. One that won’t pit blogger against you or other bloggers.
Naaa I think they wanted him, and now will look to the kid from Nwestern, forget his name. I think he is Samoan. =-)
I agree streetglide!
Now that we’ve had closure on the AJ Jenkins pick, it’s time to look forward. The fact that the Giants (who have a solid track record of WR evaluation) – at 32 – passed on all the available receivers, that tells me that prospests like S. Hill, R. Randle, A. Jeffery, M. Sanu, Criner, etc are not worthly of a 1st round selection, even though they have a need at WR.
I think the 49ers will pick another WR in the mid to later rounds. Here are my predictions:
2nd round: they go defense (OLB/DE or CB). Someone like Minnifield or J. Johnson would be great.
3rd round: o-line
4th round: RB
5th rounds: WR, CB, or safety
The Giants need a flanker to replace Manningham. None of the receivers you listed are flankers.
Stephen Hill and Reuben Randle could easily play flanker.
So now the only question is, does having an idiot give you an F mean you did well. cause he’s an idiot and wrong, or that you did badly, because even an idiot knows you messed up, or no difference, because his opinion has no bearing one way or the other, so he could be coincidentally but not causally right. I’ll take door #3.
DS, My mock was nails for the 1st round, right up to the point when Baalke decided to go conservative and select a WR that will be the 4th or 5th guy on the depth chart while having a future All-Pro sitting there for the taking.
Oh well, he will now make the Colts offense very explosive.
And he will ensure Andrew Luck wins the offensive rookie of the year.
They might even take Owusu in the later rounds.
SB Nation posted the transcript of AJ Jenins’ conference call with bay area reporters. No idea if he’ll be a good receiver or not but he sure sounds like a good guy.
http://www.ninersnation.com/2012/4/27/2981173/aj-jenkins-49ers-press-conference-2012-nfl-draft
AJ Jenkins picked number 17… You know what that means!
Grant –
I like your fire. And strategy to take this post to the 1,000 comment milestone.
Let’s do this.
As for AJ, remember that we all have desk jobs. And scouts are paid to camp out in motel rooms like the burbs of Champaign IL and discover playmakers like AJ. He has everything except +20lbs of muscle and +2 inches in height. Our world-class trainers can take care of the former.
Go niners.
The middle ages can solve the “needs +2″ problem.
Interessting to read, just because the writter dont understand or disagree in the choice in the first round, it becomes an F grade… very strange
I am convinced atht whar TB and JH does is wise and we just have to se A.J play before we make any judgements about him.
Blah-Blah-Blah…..Opinions and insights…bottom line is that the Niners fastest receiver last season was not a wide out, it was the TE, Vernon Davis. That to me is a big red flag….Harbaugh clocked the kid at 4.31, but more importantly, he gets seperation, is at full speed 4-5 strides in and maintains the speed in and out of his breaks.
As far a s Fleener is concerned, he would have been the ‘sentimental’ / ‘sexy’ pick. So get over it.
We’ll find out whether or not Jenkins is the real deal, or if he’s the second coming of Rashaun Woods….God forbid.
Nice pic of Matt Hazletine there, 55.
i thought reporters werent supposed to be fans of the team they cover. this sounds like a 12 year old who wanted fleener and just cant stand it that the gm didnt grant his wish. give it some time, kid
Well I hope today the 49ers find a way to pair their first round Jenkins with a second round Jenkins.
Wheres 49er girl been?
i think jenkins will turn out fine,grant is a little off base.although the pick was not expected a few people on espn seem the think it wasnt a bad pick considering where we were. just wait u make ur money in the middle rounds harb and bal got a plan just chill grant.
Spell check, aisle three.
Grant,
You shouldv’e said the 49ers #1 pick A. J Jenkins speedster, blows by the defenders.
I seriously question your football intelligence
If anybody has xbox, another “expert” on ESPN says that Jenkins is not going to be a good slot guy. That he will be a good player, but never great. Pretty much a lot of things that are opposite according to the “experts” on this blog.
So, take from it what you will. I take nothing besides the fact that it appears that the smart “nerds” got exactly what they wanted in the draft. Anything more is speculation.
Grant,
Why don’t you call KNBR and ask for some time then to be interviewed to discuss the Niners pic?. Then we can all hear you guys slug it out.
The National Football Post gave A.J. Jenkins a 5.9 grade: “Has a deficient area of his playng skills that he SHOULD overcome and contribute as a backup and spot player only.”
“Rounds off his breaks consistently and isn’t real clean when trying to change directions on sharply breaking routes… Hasn’t been asked to handle much press coverage and/or even man coverage for that matter playing in the Illinois spread offense. Is going to need time to get used to seeing defenders up in his grill. Doesn’t seem overly physical or quick in order to handle press however.”
http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/college_player_scouting_report.html&player=36122
This is what I am talking about Grant. You didn’t mention anything positive about the kid. They said some nice things as well. Like finding holes in coverages. What I call getting open.
All in all, I counted 12 sentences which seemed positive about the guy. And 6 that are negative.
That is a ratio of 2:1 Grant. Yet you didn’t present a single bit of the majority (2) part in your post.
……that bio sounds like that of Victor Cruz………because of his quickness NFL defenders play off…….
…..to stop him in the 2nd half we had to put a safety on top of him and left the CB under him………….if AJ takes on two players on the field he his worth more than the 30th pick…
Also…
AS would have a WR who had a great half if Jenkins matches Cruz in that game.
If we did have him, VD is tearing the Giants apart. If neither are, then there is no stacking of the box. And our below average OL suddenly looks good when they are not outnumbered by 3 every play.
That is one site’s opinion. National Football Post also has one of your favourites Reuben Randle ranked as the 81st best prospect with a grade of 6.4. They say this about Randle – “lacks great burst out of his breaks and isn’t going to be effective running sharply breaking routes. Looks like a potential NFL starter only”. Why is Randle ranked so highly by you Grant if you are basing your opinion on what National Football Post has to say?
Here is a “revolutionary” strategy on how to do better on third down. Have less of them by doing better on First and Second. That is what this pick could give us.
@tutomate
The one thing MC did say that was 100% correct in that post game interview was “To be better on 1st and 2nd down” when asked about the bad 3rd down conversion rates in that game in particular.
Yeah, Grant, while the post count is cool, the out of order posts are making it hard to make sense of things. You might want to have them flush and restart the server, and then put up a new post continuing our brilliance on a new page.
…cant see us carrying 6 WR’s……with 3 TE’s
Ted Ginn (I will keep him even if he seats on the bench all year)
Mario Manningham (experienced depth – “think Morgan” – keep him)
Michael Crabtree (not going anywhere for now)
Randy Moss (really want him to play one season with Alex)
Alfred Alonzo Jenkins (not going anywhere for a long time)
Kyle Williams (could stay around and replace Ginn in the future)
..it is possible we do…… now that we know Baalke wz really crushed about the loss to the giants………i read he never watched the SB……looks like he was heavily focused on WR’s in FA and Draft all off season ……its makes sense picking a smart talented productive WR with speed……..just imagine if we had that last game…..
@oneniner
I don’t get it. You have us keeping all 6, but your opening sentence says we don’t. Which is it?
..I can’t see because its not normal football roster management sense (6wr’s + 3 TE’s)………but still I can see it because of how Baalke is reacting to the loss against the giants……he seems to putting the blame solely on WR’s…….and does not want to repeat the same mistake….
….which i think is not really the truth…..we lost that game because we stopped running the ball in certain formation that wuz successfully earlier in the game…..
….I won’t be surprised if we pick up WR Ryan Broyles in the 6 or 7 round
@oneniner
I thought we stopped running the ball a bit as well. But then, some reporters were saying that we weren’t as good as many thought in the second half at running it. So, who knows.
But the game was lost on the turnovers. On DG knocking the ball away from CR and TB (while taking him out, the very guy who would have been in coverage on EM’s last TD) and the stupid refs whistle with 4 minutes left that prevented the fumble. I got mad. That is how we won all season. Big play at the end of the game (both offense and defense) removed by a stupid ref.
Then of course the first fumble/touch. If not for the first, the 2nd never happens since we win the game.
I said at least 2 WR’s in the draft. We’ll find out if I am right or not.
…..linebacker Mark Herzlich was invited to NY last yr where he hung around for 3 days and was never drafted….turns out Mark Herzlich joined the Giants…..made the team…..appeared in 11 games….made two starts….and won a Super Bowl ring……….
Grant, you can never be accused of being a shill for the front office!
I love this blog. It’s like someone put acid in my acid.
Didnt the Saints lose there 2nd round pick? If so that should mean that we have the 29th pick?
Don’t really see the difference undercenter.
Undercenter, we do have pick 29.
61-32=29
I want to stab my eardrums out when Alex Flanigan talks. uhhg
Some of you guys are like abused spouses. No matter how much you hate the blog, the blogger or the bloggers dad you just keep coming back for more. Jimminy Christmas this is funny stuff. But it beats you guys getting all amped up over differences that no one will bend on, those get pretty stale after a while.
Next year let’s argue over AJ starting over Crabs, and Moss over Manningham. Beats complaining about AS for 16 weeks.
Stop whining. You didn’t even give the guy a chance to play. There is a reason why THEY are making decisions while YOU watch and whine. I personally like this pick. We have Manningham and Crabtree. This guy is our deep threat opposite of Moss who will mostly be a decoy. Niners Win!
Wouldn’t it be great to see the 9ers move just ahead of StL and grab ASilotulu. The Rams need a WR and a guard. The 9ers supposedly grabbed/drafted their WR of choice now let’s do it again with the guard. LOL
@hof
The Rams have like a zillion picks after trading down 3 times. The draft is deep with WR. We need to worry about ourselves. Not the Rams.
DS, I know. Remember we need a guard.
@hof
I know. Though I don’t know if we need much else. RB was the first thing I said after WR right after the season ended. But people said “NO”. So any threads I tried to put that out there went nowhere.
I’m guessing maybe a safety. But I am really hoping Spillman will become the guy. Thinking of many of the problems DG has, Spillman does not.
After that, maybe OLB. Then it is all WR’s. In a deep draft we can still get good quality WR’s at the end. Then have them (WR’s) battle it out in TC.
I said at least 2 WR’s. Likely 3 before the draft. I have 6 rounds left to get at least 1, and can still see us getting 3.
It is better to let people think you’re an idiot than to post an article that removes all doubt.
Next time a little salt creeps into your vag just delete the article and rewrite it after actual football experts have weighed in on the facts.
Does anyone find any irony in having a bunch of readers telling a writer that he can’t write of a sport if he hasn’t played it? Begs the question; should one have been a professional writer/journalist/blogger before telling one how to be a professional writer/journalist/blogger?
Grant do you read your stuff lately??? Your in “HATER MODE” big time my friend. Its like your a pissy little kid crying cuz you didn’t get what YOU wanted. Who cares about Fleener dude! Believe in what we have baby!!!
Big Frank
Grant, I’m sorry, but this post was idiotic. Slot receivers are incredibly important on third down. Look at Wes Welker. Next time take a deep breath and count to 10 before posting.
Look guys Harbaugh & his coaching staff’s ability to teach defensive tactics, QB subtlies, finese offensive moves, fundamentals, leverage angles, hand position, etc. made this team what it was NOT Baalke?? Dude all he did was pick a Pass Rusher about 7 picks early Aldon Smith’s talent & the coaching staff did the rest!! New England was trying to trade up 2 get Smith??
Just like the media, U blind cowards are blaming Alex Smith for his lack of development? Alex Smith took 44 sacks the last 2 seasons in a row so why isn’t the OL getting better or finding any better talent