If the 49ers have a weak link, it’s not their defense, or their run game, or their receivers, or their tight ends, or their quarterbacks.
If anything, it’s their right guard, Mike Person.
Not to say Person is bad. He’s a decent right guard. The 49ers almost won a Super Bowl with him, so he can’t be terrible. He certainly could start for other teams. But the 49ers can do better than Person. They can cut him and sign a free agent this offseason.
Person started the past two seasons at right guard for the 49ers and, when he was on the field, the offense generally performed well. When he wasn’t on the field, the offense generally performed well, too. Person isn’t an impact player. In 2019, he missed the final two regular-season games with a neck injury and the 49ers were fine without him. Backup Daniel Brunskill played just as well as Person.
Then Person returned for the playoffs and performed poorly in the Super Bowl. Was the glaring weak link on the 49ers in the biggest game of the season. That’s when he finally got exposed.
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They already have their LG replacement in Danny Brunskill, and Benton began training him to be the 3rd pivot. He’ll probably end up at LT when Staley hangs it up. I don’t expect a big name signing at the position or a high draft pick. They’ll probably spend a late round pick on a guard and let the three of them fight it out. I do not expect Person to be on the team next year, saving the club 2.5 million on the cap….
What has Brunskill done to earn that position?
Enough to impress his offensive line coach, not to mention earning every opportunity he’s gotten and seizing it. They’ll extend him and he’ll win the job. Watch and see….
Maybe, but they shouldn’t just hand it to him.
Going to have to go with Grant on this one. Brunskill is a backup who probably earned himself a payday filling in part time. He’s a good backup but he isn’t a star or even a really good player. I’m in favor of upgrading this line. I’m not sure Person is the guy to go. I really think the 49ers need to find the next long term Center. I really wanted the Center from Oklahoma but he stayed in school. I hope the team prioritizes upgrading the line this offseason.
They won’t.
I think they’ll keep Person around. Let him fight for the starting job, and if he loses the fight, he’s a quality backup interior OL.
Why is it that some articles require a subscription and some don’t?
Must be the offseason if were talking about OG position….at least we are not talking about the choke job by Kyle and errhh cough cough you know who else
More worry should be in the cap space and getting more draft picks
“when he was on the field, the offense generally performed well. When he wasn’t on the field, the offense generally performed well, too.”
Can’t you say the same thing about the center and left tackle? They didn’t miss a beat after Richburg went down, and same for Staley.
Can’t you say the same thing about the center and left tackle? They didn’t miss a beat after Richburg went down, and same for Staley.
Say what?
Joe Staley allowed just seven pressures in 240 pass-blocking snaps during the regular season (despite significant injuries), for a pressure rate of 2.9%, 3rd best rate among all NFL LT’s, trailing only Ronnie Stanley and Taylor Lewan. His replacement, Justin Skule, allowed a 9.2% pressure rate (4th worst at the position) despite Jimmy Garoppolo getting rid of the ball in less than 2.5 seconds on average with Skule in the lineup.
Come on JP, if your going to add value to this blog, you have to know these things, don’t you?
And for the record guys, Laken Tomlinson was an absolute rock at LG this season.
And the team has Tomlinson locked up at a very reasonable price through the 2021 season.
Staley was obliterated by Clowney in the first matchup. And yes, I understand that was his first game back from injury. And yes, Skule did struggle a bit and was eventually replaced by Brunskill in the GB game.
Main point was that the offense functioned fine when Staley was out. Didn’t even realize he was off the field in the Super Bowl until someone mentioned it to me and by then he was already back in the game.
Yes, Staley struggled in his first game back from his broken leg, but he bounced back after that, and returned the favor with a dominating performance VS Clowney week 17. Kyle found ways to cover up the drop off at LT while Staley was out, but that doesn’t mean the offense operated at anywhere near the same level. In fact, the drop off in pressure rate at the LT position was still significant while Staley was out, despite Kyle’s best efforts at covering up the weakness, along with Garoppolo’s ability to get the ball out quickly.
To say they didn’t miss a beat without Staley is to misunderstand the adjustments Kyle and Jimmy were forced to make with Skule on the field. I commend Justin Skule’s efforts, and he does show promise moving forward, but he played nowhere near as well as Joe Staley once Staley was back to full strength, and the numbers bare that out. In fact, when fully healthy this last season, Staley wasn’t just an above average LT, he was once again among the best LT’s in the NFL, while Skule was nowhere near that level.
The 49ers need to plan for life without Staley (assuming he returns), and they need to look at upgrading the RG position. That’s where the focus should be this offseason, and they also have some promising depth, and a few young possible replacements whom they have been developing as well.
Right. Staley did well in week 17 when it was Clowney coming off an injury.
Oh I understand the changes that were made. Doesn’t change that they were successful without him on the field.
You’re right. Staley was once among the top LT’s in the game. The operative word being once. And yes, they need to add an OL or two to the roster.
I didn’t say Staley was once among the best LT’s in the league, I said he was once again among the best. No question Joe Staley is entering the twilight of his very accomplished career, but he is also coming off of another fantastic season (he ranked 3rd in the NFL in pressure rate allowed, at 2.9%), and YES, there WAS a significant drop off while he was out. The only question with Staley is whether he’s interested in returning to make another run at a Super Bowl, and whether the front office can make the numbers work, because I think ShanaLynch believe he’s still their best option at LT for 2020.
I sure am hoping Joe returns for the Niners’ 2020 revenge tour, I’m just not sure I’m bringing him back at $11.5M!
They’ll be fine if he retires and can use the the $10+ mill in savings on multiple guys.
“YES, there WAS a significant drop off while he was out.“
The difference with and without Staley was 5.7 yards and 3.2 points per game.
Without Staley they went 8-1, the lone loss being at Baltimore. Two of those games, Baltimore and Washington were in the rain. This in particular slowed the team down against Washington.
With Staley they went 7-3.
I understand liking the vet, but
“when he was on the field, the offense generally performed well. When he wasn’t on the field, the offense generally performed well, too.”
You have to take matchups and strength of schedule into account when comparing the offense with, and without Staley. I don’t think any objective analyst who followed the 49ers all season, would say the offense was as good without Joe Staley at LT. Anytime you have to change your offense in order to cover for a weaker LT, your limiting offensive potential as a result. The 49ers could simply do more with their offensive scheme, when Staley was on the field.
All I am saying is that, when healthy this season, Joe Staley was playing at a pro-bowl level, and I am not sure they currently have a pro-bowl level replacement for him on their current roster. At some point they will obviously have to move on from him, as he is at the very tail end of his career, but he’s also one of the leaders on this offense, so if he is willing to play next season at the right price, I don’t think ShanaLynch should hesitate to bring him back.
What’s the right price at the age of 36?
Well, I am OK with his $4.5M in guaranteed money in 2020, because I think he’s earned that, as long as he agrees to a significantly reduced base salary, with a chance to reach something close to that number in 2020, through bonuses and playing time incentives.
The team won’t and shouldn’t cut or restructure Staley’s contract. When healthy he is still one of the best LTs in the NFL. Definitely the best OL on the 49ers. Last season was one of the very few seasons that injuries have really been an issue for him. If he retires it will leave a big hole.
Arguing that the team didn’t miss a beat without him this season is flat out wrong. Shanahan changed his offense to cover up the absence. Not having Staley had a big impact. That the offense was still productive during his absence speaks volumes for how good an offensive coach Shanahan is, but it is silly to suggest the team wouldn’t miss Staley.
Scooter, I agree that they are not going to cut Joe, that would be a huge mistake. As you correctly stated, he was still one of the very best LT’s in the NFL this last season, and of course it’s hard to put a $ value to his leadership quality, and what he means to the locker room as well. That said, you don’t think there is a chance to restructure his deal, especially if he decides that 2020 might be his last season?
Highly doubtful imo. They restructured/ extended his deal last offseason already. His salary for 2020 really isn’t that high for a very good starting LT – at just under $11M he will be the 10th highest paid LT in the NFL as things currently stand, which seems about right to me. If they restructured his deal, what are you thinking they would do? Ask him to take a pay cut? When he is already on a pretty team friendly deal? Seems like a good way to get him ticked off and feel underappreciated to me. Or do they look to push his cap hit back by converting salary to signing bonus and potentially extend his deal further? That sounds like a bad idea for a guy nearing the end of his career.
Shanahan didn’t change the offense. They ran the same stuff all year long. He may have helped Skule/Brunskill out in pass pro from time to time, but the offense was the offense.
And even if you want to say that he did, doesn’t change the fact that it performed well whether Staley was on the field or not.
Regarding matchups/strength of schedule, they beat the Rams and GB with and without Staley.
The more I think about it Scooter, the more I think you are probably right. Joe Staley means a lot to this team. It would be a different situation if we saw a drop off in his play this season, but that certainly wasn’t the case. Not only is he still playing at a level that is among the best in the league, he’s also one of the most important players in terms of all of the intangibles that come with his leadership and his positive effect on team chemistry. Of course, we do know that 36 year old players tend to be less durable, and he did miss a lot of time this season, so I guess that’s where thing get a little iffy for me. I certainly would try to do the right thing with him, because like I said, he’s still one of the best players at his position and he means so much to the locker room, but it’s still a business. I am sure Joe understands that he missed a lot of time this season, and the team does need to start planning for his inevitable retirement.
Bottom line for me though, I like our chances at getting back to the big dance this season a whole lot better with Joe Staley on the team.
While Staley was out they shortened up the passing game and JG was getting rid of the ball very quick. The offense was changed to get the ball out quick because Shanahan didn’t trust Skule or Brunskill to hold up for longer passes. I am not just making this up to fit a narrative – you watched the games too, I am sure you recall and are well aware of all this.
As for the offense still performing well over this period, yes, it did. Shanahan is a good enough coach, and the players were good enough, to keep running the ball effectively and turn short passes into first downs. It is a good team with a good offensive coach. But there is a reason Shanahan wants to be able to call longer developing pass plays too, and why he does so when Staley is available, and why he rarely did with Staley out.
Scooter, do you think Jimmy can improve his deep ball accuracy enough to instill Shanny’s confidence to call those plays?
You are 100% correct Scooter. The 49ers are superior with a healthy Joe Staley, than they are without him. Left Tackle is one of the most important positions on any offense, and one of the hardest positions to replace. When you have a 3 time All-Pro who is still playing at a very high level, and also happens to be one of the most important on the team in terms of leadership, you keep him in the fold, as long as you can afford him (assuming you aren’t overpaying him), unless you have someone younger who is equally as talented, and cost less money, which the 49ers don’t have.
Razor, JG’s accuracy on deep balls was actually good this season. The main issues the 49ers had with deep passes was Goodwin was out most of the year and their two starting OTs spent a lot of time on the sidelines.
Its not just the deep balls though. Its the intermediate areas that Shanahan loves to attack but the plays can take a little time to develop. Without Staley (and McGlinchey) they didn’t do that as much.
Yes, and other than the two games without Kittle and to a lesser extent when Juice was out I didn’t see much difference.
The only guys that really make a big difference in offense are Garoppolo, Kittle, and Samuel. Would throw Sanders in there because he opens things up for Kittle and Samuel even though he isn’t a burner.
I think we’ve got to establish a threat of a deep play action pass to really open up Shanny’s offense against next years defenses….
Defensively, Tartt made a huge difference when he was on the field as opposed to when he was off.
They don’t take a lot of those shots Razor, but when they did last year they were pretty successful.
Agree with you on Tartt.
Scooter:
My understanding is that Jimmy was quite accurate on deep balls when the “deep ball” is defined as traveling 20 or more yards in the air. However, on long balls of 40 yards or more, it seems to me that his accuracy was not so good, although I can’t find stats to support that. Perhaps Jack knows where to get that info.
I remember Chris Simms saying in a podcast that the average NFL accuracy at 40 yards or more is around 40% and that Mahomes was at that number.
This might help
https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/player/jimmy-garoppolo/GAR363225/season
A drop of 3.2 points per game is a pretty big drop for the loss of a non skill position player.
Playing in a monsoon in DC had a bit to do with it
Thanks, Jack. A quick look at the charts indicates that Jimmy G has improved significantly each year in completing passes 20 yards or more in the air from 2017 to 2018 to 2019 and that’s great. However, there is no dividing line beyond 20 yards, so it doesn’t really answer my question. Simms provided the average statistic and Mahomes’ comparing number, so there must be one out there for Jimmy as well.
The game by game charts show where and the depth of the throws. Last year in the regular season Garoppolo was 1/4 on throws of 40+ yards, the lone completion being to Sanders against LA.
He also hit Sanders deep against the Saints on the 75 yard TD.
Drafting a deep threat wide receiver, Jimmy could work and grow with would do wonders for his deep ball consistency….
Absolutely Razor. Marquise was supposed to be that guy last season, but he fell out of favor for a number of reasons. I’d love to see the Niners add a deep threat to the WR corp, and I have a feeling they will.
OK, make me work for it. :)
So for the regular season only, when the ball was in the air for 30 or more yards, I counted the following:
Completions (not for a TD): 1
Incompletions: 3
Interceptions: 1
Touchdowns: 2
So, Jimmy was 3 for 7 with 2 TDs and 1 interception
When the ball was in the air for 40 or more yards, I counted the following:
Completions (not for a TD): 1
Incompletions: 1
Interceptions: 0
Touchdowns: 1
So, Jimmy was 2 for 3 with 1 TD.
Not very many attempts in either category, but certainly not terrible results; probably about average or better than average at the 30 yard mark and very good percentage-wise at the 40 yard mark.
If you include the playoffs then:
>30 yards, Jimmy was 3 for 9 with 2 TDs and 2 Ints
> 40 yards, Jimmy was 2 for 4 with 1 TD
Great article Grant. A good number of fans believe the secondary is the area that needs to be addressed the most this off-season, but I strongly believe the OL, mainly the guard position, is the area that needs to be addressed the most in the off-season. In the games the 49ers lost or barely won, the pass protection from the guard position was usually part of the reason.
This is off topic, but what do you think of the changes being implemented at this year’s Combine in favor of boosting the viewership?
Grant,
What is the latest word on Richburg’s return. I am not in love with Garland as a long term replacement. I am also not in love with Person or Tomlinson. I say scrap all 3 and move on. I would leave Brunskill at swing tackle until Staley retires.
They’re stuck with Richburg. Cutting him would come with $11.4 million of dead cap.
The 49ers brass believe Shon Coleman is a starting OT in this league. Look for him to be resigned.
You think they will re-sign big Shon Coleman, Razor? I’m not so sure.
I think 2 OL’s they need to bring back are Brunskill and Garland. Shon Coleman is coming off of a very significant injury, while Brunskill is healthy, performed well when pressed into action last season, and is by far the more versatile player. Plus, Justin Skule was not only pressed into action as a rookie, he was also an inexperienced LT to boot. Skule was projected to be a developmental prospect during his rookie season, so I would be comfortable in expecting that he will likely take a big step forward in his second season. As for Garland, he would likely be a very affordable insurance policy behind Richburg, who isn’t going anywhere this offseason, but may not be back to 100% come opening day.
“Skule was projected to be a developmental prospect during his rookie season, so I would be comfortable in expecting that he will likely take a big step forward in his second season.”
Another reason to hope Staley moves on.
According to Benton, Brunskill is best suited to play OT but he’s being trained as the “3rd center”, which tells me they are anticipating him winning the RG spot, which Person held and was the next man up if Garland went down.
If the 49ers believe Coleman is a starting OT in this league, why in the hell wouldn’t they bring him back to compete? Skule may or may not improve. I certainly don’t expect them to make that assumption, and while it’s true Shon suffered a significant injury, it’s not as tough to recover from as Richburg’s will be….
How much do you think it will cost to retain Coleman?
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the team let both Coleman and Garland leave if either guy gets much attention in FA. Let Brunskill compete with Person for the RG spot, loser is the backup guard/ centre. Draft or sign a backup swing OL to compete with Skule.
Coming off that injury, I wouldn’t expect Coleman to be cost prohibitive. I could see a team that doesn’t know how to develop OT’s like the Giants sniffing around him though.
Not so sure about Garland. If he was the next center after Richburg, would they keep Person over him as the backup center if Brunskill won the RG job? Richburg’s injury is the one to really be concerned about. It’s one of the toughest injuries you could suffer to return from….
Person was the starting RG so I suspect the reason they didn’t move him to centre when Richburg got hurt was they didn’t want to weaken two positions. It was the same with not moving the Glinch to LT when Staley got hurt.
Good point.
I wish to propose a trade. Mike Person, Solomon Thomas and Ahkello Witherspoon for the Broncos 3rd, 4th and 5th round picks. Maybe throw in Dante Pettis to sweeten the deal.
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The Broncos are probably losing an O lineman, 3 D linemen and Chris Harris, a DB, due to Free Agency. They traded away Sanders, so many pundits are mocking a WR to the Broncos in the first round. Dante Pettis may benefit, like Solomon Thomas, in moving to a new team, and getting a fresh start. The Niners seem to be playing Thomas out of position, so Fangio may devise schemes that accentuate his talents. Person is the starting RG, so he does have good trade value.
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Person is the weak link of the O line, if Richberg comes back healthy. Maybe slide Garland over to the RG spot, or Brunskill may be a good option. In any case, competition may bring out the best in those players.
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If not the Broncos, the Dolphins may also be a good trade target. They need O line help, have 14 picks and a ton of cap space.
You’re fired. Clean out your desk and turn in your license to make these type of trades.
lol……
As soon as you see the phrase “I want to propose…..” just scroll on past without reading. Same from this source “My latest mock…..”
Glad you learned your lesson.
Stick with your own blog. First you dither about Free Agency on the eve of the SB, now you think one needs a license to post on this site.
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I know this thought never crossed your mind, but I think it is preferable to trade away a player so you get something for him, than cutting him, and getting nothing.
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I think football teams will see that Baseball, Basketball, Hockey and Soccer Leagues have executed multi player deals, and it has benefited both teams. I just wonder if Paraag is clever enough to make it financially feasible.
Smoke some more purple haze and get key board happy. We all love hearing how you are paving the way to a 6th championship. FI!
Seb prefers Mango Haze.
Indubitably.;p
I do not compromise my cognitive faculties with mind altering substances of any ilk, legal, prescription, or illegal. I do not even drink caffeine any more (which alters brain chemistry to a degree but is not classified as mind altering). However, I strongly support allowing others to do so if their use of such substances is responsible and non-injurious to others. Further, I know many people, including my wife, who have benefited from medicinal cannabis use. In my wife’s case, she has been able to forgo using opioid pain medicine, which I count as a win–vicodin makes her mean, but do not tell her I told you that… shhh… ;-)
Vicodin makes me sick.
He can smoke whatever he wants, he’s still an idiot!
JPN001
+++ To you sir and your wife’s health!
Prime
And to you PT, you’re too kind….lol
Yawn, said the guy who bet 200 bucks that the Niners would draft Trubisky.
Hey Seb, smoke another bowl and come up with your 15th trade proposal.
Sebs-
Your almost certainly wrong about Thomas-no matter where they play him, he has not been a difference maker…By now, we should have seen flashes of something–instead, not a whole lot of anything.
Probably wouldn’t draft him anywhere near that high if they had it to do again………..can’t win ’em all.
First, my comment was sarcastic. Second, thinking up trade scenarios is fine and dandy, but the scenario(s) must make sense in the logical and financial categories. Your just released scenario falters in both categories.
The scenario falters in the logical category because no one is going to trade a fourth or fifth round pick for a journeyman OG, a WR who went from the projected top WR for the offense to being an afterthought, a CB who wound up being losing his starting role during the playoffs, and/or a former second pick who has been a bust so far.
The financial category is not kind to your scenario either because the dead money accrued from dealing Pettis, Thomas, and Witherspoon would be over $10 million; only Person would not count against the team’s salary cap.
I am adding a link to an article to help you better understand why trading a player is not that easy to do.
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/why-nfl-trades-are-rare/1fwllykgo2amj1dka7oj352ah6
Hope you think my reply was not too harsh. I try to match the snark.
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In this last draft, there were 9 pre draft trades of players for picks. There were 3 player trades during the draft, and 35 trades of picks.
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So, there were about 7 deals per round.
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In your article, they were mentioning the mid season trade deadline. Yes, those trades before the trade deadline are not common, but I am talking about the trades during the draft process.
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Concerning the cap, I see 9.89 mil in cap savings, but Thomas made most of the dead cap money, at 10.57 mil.
Niners have multiple Free Agents or soon to be Free Agents to sign, its a “brilliant” idea to cut average or below average starting RG just to sign more expensive replacement. Ohh I know he was manhandled by one of the best DT in the league. LOL
ps-he was 34th graded OG by PFF, so I will take for the money he makes, we have other needs
“Person let Jones stand there with his hands raised like an eager fourth-grader who knew the answer to the teacher’s question.” Classic! lol
I agree. Announcers during the game we’re much too kind and throwing softballs saying that Person was doing an adequate job, this nails the hammer on the head.
Be interesting to see if the 49ers bring in WR Taylor Gabriel.
Release Goodwin, bring in Gabriel. Would make sense.
How to upgrade the offensive line? Tag Armstead and trade him and Tevin Coleman to the Dolphins, who will give up a first round pick(26) and a 5th round pick(162) for those 2 players.
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They traded Tunsil and Fitzpatrick away for first round picks, so maybe they value Armstead, who fills a big need, Coleman is a RB that can catch passes, which is what one pundit thought the GM was looking for.
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The Niners should trade back, to get more picks in the second, third and 4th rounds. If the Niners trade with the Broncos, the Niners could trade back and receive their second round pick(46), and the third(95) and 4th(134) round picks they traded away to get Sanders. Those 3 picks balance out almost exactly on the TVC. The Broncos would be happy using 3 of 12 picks, because they would still have 9 picks, with 2 first round picks.
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In the end, the Niners have pick numbers 26, 46, 95, 134, 156, 162, 176, 210, 217 and 245. 10 picks in all. A pick in every round except 3 in the 5th and 2 in the 7th.
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Mocking the first 3 picks, using the Draftek Big Board and trying to pick within 5 of each ranking.
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The Niners could select from 25- Tee Higgins WR, 26- Laviska Shenault WR, 27- Tyler Biadasz C/G, 28- CJ Henderson CB. 29- Austin Jackson OT, 31- Henry Ruggs WR, 34- Jalen Reagor WR, 35- Lloyd Cushenberry C/G and 36- Grant Delpit S.
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At 26, the Niners could select Tyler Biadasz C/G.
At 46, the Niners could select AJ Terrell CB.
At 95, the Niners could select KJ Hill WR.
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There were also – 43- John Simpson OG, 46- Justin Jefferson WR, 47- Bryce Hall CB, 90- Ashtyn Davis S, 92- Ross Blacklock DL, 93- K’Von Wallace S and 96- Collin Johnson WR.
We won’t be prioritizing OL in the draft. That I can assure you. .
They should.
They said the same things last year, and they got us to the SB. Shanny doesn’t agree with you.
It doesn’t change the fact that the OL needs to be addressed, primarily at the OG position.
The OL’s weakness is clearly Pass Pro. Brunskill looked better to my eyes in pass protection over both, Skule and Person. They’ll address the OL on day 3 of the upcoming draft, plus they have Reynolds on the practice squad. There’s 5 players in the league that can wreck the IOL of every team in the league, and that’s part of the reasoning behind Shanny’s philosophy of not prioritizing the position. OT and the Pivot are his priorities upfront….
I agree. This post is about improving the O line. JG was pressured way too much in the SB.
Agreed, razor. I would be very surprised to see the team draft OL early. If they do, it will be an OT to replace Staley down the track (with expectation they would compete for a OG spot initially).
I expect they will add an OL at some point in the draft though.
Seb and Scooter….Strangely, I find myself in agreement with you concerning Jimmy G having to hurry his throws in the 4th quarter….The long pass was thrown in desparation with a dlineman in Jimmy’s face. We do need some fresh Guards ….
His first interception was because he had pressure in his face, so he threw that lollipop, which was bad judgement.
OREGONINER
Your opinion on Oregon’s 3 interior O-linemen in the 2020 draft, Calvin Throckmorton, Shane Lemieux and Jake Hanson and how well they’d fit into the 9er locker room? HC Cristobal appears to run a ZBS similar to Shanahan’s, a 12W – 2L season says they kept Herbert on his feet and they’re all projected
to be drafted in the 3rd to 4th round.
non sense from a guy who THINKS he understands football but really dosent!
teams never make multiple players trades…..
never gonna trade their 3rd, 4th and 5th rnd picks in a single draft in one fell swoop!
never gonna trade picks for average players ( every GM thinks a draft pick is a possible home run)
never gonna trade for a below average rb
the dolphins have a history of trading AWAY good rbs for picks…..not good picks for bad rbs…
no team is gonna do us the favor of takin all our garbage for half their draft capital….
forget purple haze…… this guy smokes meth
NFL teams do not usually, but here have been multi player trades before. Teams also trade multiple draft picks, which turn into players. Most other major sports leagues do make multi player deals, In the NBA, there was a 12 player trade, between 3 teams. I guess the NFL is not smart enough to pull one off.
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The Broncos Have 12 picks. They could bundle picks to move up. Teams did make 35 trades last draft. Several involved bundling picks to move up, or trade back.
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Average players? Armstead had 10 sacks last season and was a starter. Coleman started in the SB. Person played every offensive snap at RG. Witherspoon was the starter for most of the year, until he had ankle issues. Thomas was the number 3 pick in the 2017 draft,had 2 sacks and should have had 3 sacks last season, and played 22 snaps in the SB. Pettis did well before he got into KS’s doghouse. He had 7 TDs and in college, scored 9 punt return TDs, so he is a scoring threat, and like Thomas, may benefit with a fresh start with a new system that utilizes them to their fullest potential.
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Coleman did well in the playoffs against the Vikings. He had 22 rushes for 104 yards and 2 TDs. That is above average.
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The Dolphins desperately need a RB, and Coleman has pass catching skills, too.
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I am not trying to give away garbage, Those veteran players could immediately help the team. They would not take years to develop like rookies would.
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Mango Haze allows me to be creative. I have never used meth before, and never want to.
Creative? Is that what you are trying to convince yourself it is?
Wake up fool. Your delusional. That’s a side affect of weed!
You should smoke some MH. It might mellow you out. Your anger issues are apparent for all to see.
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Yes, being creative entails thinking of new things. Too bad it is beyond your capability to think outside the box.
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I created a scenario where the Niners have a pick in every round, along with 3 in the 5th and 2 in the 7th rounds. I know you can’t comprehend this, but some other people think that hitting the sweet spot in the draft will possibly gain new starting players.
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If they want to keep the cap under control, signing players to rookie contracts will help a lot.
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The Broncos are a good trade partner. They have 12 picks.They are also in the AFC West, Both the Raiders and Chargers may finally get better QBs, and be competitive for a Wild Card spot. The Chiefs are the SB champs, so Elway needs to improve his team. He needs to win right away, because there is new ownership, and his track record is deficient. Adding veteran talent is better than risking everything on unproven rookies that need development. They will possibly lose some players to Free Agency because they do not have a lot of cap space. In this latest scenario, they get another pick in the first round. In a previous scenario I wanted the Niners to trade 3 or 4 players for third, 4th and 5th round picks. I do not think the Broncos or the Niners have unfair advantages, because with the trade back scenario, it almost exactly balances out in the TVC.
dude, you wanna trade 3 bust a high priced rb who will be cut do to salary and a budding young DT whos about to get paid for half the broncos draft……ok……but why stop there? if were just making $hi up from pot land…..how about we just throw in our 3rd rounder and trade the chiefs for Mahomes ?
JL negotiating w Elway….”well ST was the 3rd pick in the draft and he almost had 3 sacks last year” LMAO
They will watch the tape, and see that his job was not to rush the passer, but to occupy blockers and contain the QB.
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Fangio will be able to utilize him properly, like he did with Justin Smith.
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Guess you are denigrating a Niner, which is the last thing that you want to do when trading him away. They should tout his number 3 status, and highlight his potential. According to you, they should only ask for a 7th round pick, or just cut him. That is self defeating.
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In any negotiation, one should start high, and settle for less. Just like this new CBA, The league is trying to lowball the players, but the players should be asking for a lot more, especially if they want them to play 17 games. Lifetime health benefits for football related injuries should also be one of the Player’s demand.
dude, im not bashing ST….im being realistic. He has absolutely zero trade value!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! his large guaranteed salary is preventing him from being cut and also preventing him from being traded!!! plain and simple dude! you can smoke all the weed you want and use your imagination but its a waste of time!
more proof seb is a dip $h!……..he thinks ST job was to occupy blockers instead of rushing the passer……..you couldnt be wronger dude, this aint a 3-4……..its a 4-3 that dosent blitz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that means all 4 men are supposed to not only rush the qb, but do it well……since were not blitzing, only sending 4!
Big words and a strong vocabulary and proper punctuation dont make you a football guy!!!!! a nerd maybe……but thats about it! go join a book club boy!
There are 3 other Olinemen that I like.
Ruiz, Hainesy and Newman.
Ruiz is strong and quick and would fit in Shanahan’ scheme.
Same for Hainesy. What I like about Hainesy is how quickly he can move to cover the outside pass rusher.
Newman is massive and seems to absorb Dlineman.
Biadasz is a very good fit as well.
OREGONINER:
* Your (unbiased) opinion on all three Oregon interior O-Linemen, Calvin Throckmorton, Shane Lemieux and Jake Hansen and how well they’d fit in with the 9ers locker room? Have you watched them play this season?
* If the 9ers draft O-line, all three look to be 3rd / 4th round draft picks, where IMO, the 9ers could draft one?
* Correct me if I’m wrong, but Oregon HC Cristobal looks to utilize a ZBS system similar to Shanahan’s?
* all three are projected to run the 40 in 5.10s – to 5.12s. (the combine will verify their times).
* With a 12W – 2L season, they had to do a good job of keeping their QB, Justin Herbert on his feet?
WRT Person, I agree the team can do better at that spot, but it will be hard to do at a better price/value. Also, while I agree Person was part of the problem in the 4th qtr of the SB, it is easy to dismiss/forget he was playing through a neck injury throughout the back half of the season.
As far as I can tell based on what I have read and seen this draft appears to be very good and deep at WR, CB and OT. All of those are positions the 49ers either need immediate help or will need to look at in the near future.
With only pick 31 and then nothing until the 5th round, the 49ers aren’t currently in a position to take advantage of the depth and quality available. They really need to take a leaf out of the Seahawks book from the 2019 draft. That may involve tagging and trading Armstead for a pick or picks. It definitely means trading back from #31 to pick up some day 2 (and 3) picks.
Ideally the 49ers would end up with at least 2 picks in the top 70 and 3 picks in the top 110 picks. If they tag and trade Armstead they should do better than that. With that they can likely grab a good WR, CB and OT.
If it was me, I would also be trying very hard to add Taylor Gabriel in FA to be the speedy deep threat WR. That way they can add whatever WR they like most in the draft. If they don’t add a speedy WR in FA they kind of need to add that guy through the draft which doesn’t allow them to let the draft come to them and maximise value.
All excellent points. Tag-n-trade for a 2 and move down for a 2 & 3 seems like the best course of action.
Not sure why we need another 8-10 rookies on this roster next year.
With a young roster and depth at most positions, why is trading down to acquire more picks so necessary?
The only reason Seattle did it last year is because their roster needed an overhaul. The 49ers roster does not.
So with only 6 draft picks, most in the later rounds, we can still address the WR, CB and OL positions.
Trading down is not always the best draft day strategy.
Nah, missing the point Prime. I don’t care too much what they do with their 5th through 7th rounders. Sure, the team has had some success finding guys in the 5th, but realisitically that area of the draft you are mostly getting churn guys. The team needs some picks on day 2/ early day 3 where there is going to be lots of good talent available at key positions. Adding just one guy over the first 2 days isn’t enough. And you won’t be able to move up to day 2 with the picks they currently have on day 3.
The key positions we need to address, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be this years draft is WR, CB and OL.
The 31st pick we are going to end up with a good WR or DB or safety.
Then, we are looking at projects with potential in the later rounds. A swing tackle or guard like we have in Skule,who is one of those guys you keep developing.
6th round and looked okay starting last year.
We don’t need starters anywhere next year via the draft. So no need to trade away guys that are in the scheme and playing well. Or trading future picks next year for this year.
“Churn” guys, not sure what that means but everyone thought Kittle in round 5 was one I believe.
Point is, the roster is deep. Unless there is salary cap issues, or depth issues, having day 2 picks is not urgent for the current makeup of this team.
Those 3 positions are definitely the main ones they need to address as things stand. They should look to do so asap. The team will only continue to need to replace guys moving forward.
In terms of new starters next year, I see five potential spots as being open to competition. Starting WR opposite Deebo, starting CB opposite Sherman, FS, DE opposite Bosa in base/ DT in nickel, and RG. They also need a WR that can take the top off the D (doesn’t need to be the starter opposite Deebo), and possibly a RB depending on what they do with Coleman/ Breida/ McKinnon. At some point they will also want to find a guy to replace Staley, though that can wait.
They can address some of those in FA, but not all. They simply don’t have the cap space. The easiest positions to find potential starters in the draft this year are expected to be WR, CB and OT. They should make the most of it. I would definitely try and get one of the OTs this year too – good class and it is a position that can be hard to get a good one most years. Let him compete for the RG spot and swing OT this year.
As for Skule, what about his play made you feel confident he’s a future starting OT? Whatever it was I didn’t see it. Brunskill has potential, but I would still be looking to add at that position.
By churn, I mean bottom of the roster depth guys that stay a few years then move on. I acknowledged the 49ers have had luck finding guys in the 5th, but in general rounds 5 to 7 are not where you reliably expect to find starting calibre players.
Where’s the fire? ASAP? I mean every NFL team, from the 3 win teams to the 13 win teams could say they need to fill immediate holes. Fact is it’s impossible in the NFL to address all your needs every year via the draft and free agency.
The Niners finally remade their roster into a contender and now have to ride it through the times where they have a shortage of picks and cap space.
Sure it would be nice to trade down and acquire multiple picks every year and spend in free agency to supplement guys leaving for other teams. That’s just not how it works in the NFL.
As for Skule, he played well last year in a tough situation. I have no idea if he is a long term answer but even if he was a day two pick, there’s no way to tell after a year if anyone is a future starter.
That’s why developing guys is so important when you don’t have the luxury of cap space and trading down to get more picks.
Why wouldn’t the team look to trade down to replace pick 31 with 2-3 picks on day 2? What is the downside? When the positions they are most likely to look at at 31 are also the deepest in the draft? Is there one guy you think is likely to be there at 31 that you think is going to be that much better than getting 2-3 guys the next day?
You’re acting like you think the team is either perfect already or that there is no way the team can achieve what I am suggesting. Bizarre either way. The team has multiple areas it can improve, and should be aiming to do so. With limited cap space and draft capital available they need to find creative ways to do so. Trading back from #31 is the easiest and most logical approach given the talent available.
If the Niners feel that they need to increase competition amongst their roster and want to upgrade their depth, then trading down from 31 should be done.
I don’t think they need to do that and I don’t believe it’s a necessity.
My point was tagging and trading guys and moving down to acquire more picks isn’t a urgent need for this team. Everyone keeps saying acquire more picks. Why? That means you might be cutting guys that worked well in your scheme already or cutting guys you drafted in prior years and should be developing.
I don’t think this team is perfect but I also think they don’t need to panic and get creative for the sake of getting more picks. They have a competitive roster that’s growing together.
6 more picks where they are at will allow them to continue their build.
I understand where you are coming from, but I think wrt guys they would let go to accommodate new guys, the ones you are letting go will be the ones that haven’t panned out or developed as hoped, or older backups. This is the churn I was referring to. Bottom of the roster guys that for whatever reason haven’t done enough to convince the coaches they are more than that. Sure, you can keep developing them, but realistically most late round picks never become more than depth guys, and those that do usually show something after a couple of years.
It is important to understand I am not just saying trade back to acquire more picks. I am saying they should be looking to acquire more picks in rounds where you should be finding future starters in a deep draft. They should also use their late picks to move up as needed to get the guys they want. I agree the team doesn’t need to be adding a bunch of late round guys just to get more bodies and competition. But at the moment after pick 31 the team is in no position to really be adding guys you expect to be much of an upgrade over what they already have.
Prime,
I think you might be misunderstanding why scooter wants to trade down.
If I’m misrepresenting you scooter please advise.
The reason for wanting more pics is not really for depth it’s for more starters. After all that’s what you want with your picks in the 1st 3 rounds. This is a very talented team… but this is also a draft that happens to be deep at positions the coincide with the biggest weaknessed of this team wr, ol, and db. If they hit big at one of those positions they might be sb champions… so imagine if they get multiple new starters with those picks.
I would understand more if the 1st was in the top 5 where drafting a playmaker is all but assured. That’s not the case at 31, So why not give yourself more darts to throw at the board?
That is correct Shoup. I would prefer to come away with 2-3 guys that can be expected to be able to compete for starting roles this year, and be expected to be future starters, than just 1. And the difference between pick 31 and pick 45-50 generally isn’t that great, and really shouldn’t be this year with such a deep group of WRs, CBs and OTs.
It would be different if we were talking about the difference between getting an elite prospect vs a few good ones, but at 31 it is very unlikely that will be the case. If an elite prospect is available at 31, that guy probably has some significant red flags (see Foster, Reuben).
Here we go again, Scooter. Every offseason for the past five, we’ve had this discussion. When I first started commenting I stated that I believed that 1st round picks needed to be starters. I’m pretty sure you stated that that would be nice but shouldn’t be expected. Every year since, we’ve rehashed this. Now you are saying trade back and expect that the post 1st round picks will compete to be starters this coming season. I have no issue with trading back. It just seems that your stance keeps softening every year and now places more expectations on draft picks, beyond the 1st round picks, in their first season. I’ll just assume you’re coming around to my way of thinking on this. :)
I have an expectation that early picks can compete to be starters in year one (but not an expectation that they WILL start as rookies) and absolutely should be starters in future years. Nothing has changed.
Assuming an early pick will be good enough to start year 1 is a bad plan in my opinion. Always have someone for them to beat out that can also be a serviceable starter if needed. Good news is, that is exactly where the 49ers are going to be.
“Assuming an early pick will be good enough to start year 1 is a bad plan in my opinion.”
Clearly, the team expected Nick Bosa and McGlinchey to start (otherwise it’s not as easy to explain letting Trent Brown go). With Solomon Thomas, I’m not so sure since the team already had Buckner and Armstead. I think they were hoping he could play DE as well, but we all know how that went.
I’d like to know Lynch’s perspective on whether or not early picks are expected just to compete or definitely win their competition. I think in many cases it is the latter as evidenced by Bosa and McGlinchey. Salary cap limitations dictate these expectations to some degree. Let me be clear, that doesn’t mean they won’t or shouldn’t have competition. Every player on the team should have competition, imo.
That’s true. Bosa and McGlinchey were definitely expected to win the starting jobs.
When I first made this statement the 49ers were selecting towards the end of the draft. I will revise my statement to high first round picks should probably be expected to be capable starters. I gave Thomas too much of a pass – they should have expected him to be a capable starter year 1 at that pick. He was a starter, just not a good one.
Scooter, something similar to this?
Carolina Panther trade up to #31 for Love, Jordan QB, Utah St.
Round 2 Pick 6 (CAR): Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU (A-)
Round 3 Pick 6 (MIA): Cameron Dantzler, CB, Mississippi State (A)
Round 5 Pick 10: Alohi Gilman, FS/SS, Notre Dame (A-)
Round 5 Pick 30: Thaddeus Moss, TE, LSU (A+)
Round 6 Pick 31: Damien Lewis, OG, LSU (A+)
Round 7 Pick 3: Robert Windsor, DT, Penn State (A+)
Round 7 Pick 31: Tedarrell Slaton, DT, Florida (A+)
Something like that, yes. I would also like to try and get one of the OTs in the top 100-110 picks as well.
OK, Scooter. I was gonna have some fun with this and chalk up a win for me, but then I remembered that if we were in fact keeping score, you’d be way ahead. LOL.
Cheers.
Got any OT’s in mind that you think they might make a move up into the 4th round for?
I like the look of Peart late 3rd/ early 4th, razor.
Cubus, definitely chalk it up as a win!
Big dude, Scooter. What are your thoughts on Hennessy outta Temple?
I haven’t looked at centres tbh. I just don’t think they will spend an early/mid round pick on an interior OL.
Scooter, he did play OT and DT in high school. Didn’t play a snap at center until he got to Temple. Not saying he could play OT in the NFL, but he’s a fun player to watch on tape. I think you’d like him. Got a feeling he’ll make the team that drafts him glad they did. Looks like he’d be a real good fit in this offense too….
Let’s not forget that we get Jaylon Hurd back this year. WR corps is going to be well represented this coming season. The area of need at WR will be speed.
Jimmy is not a bomber, so the underneath game depends more on the ability for WR’s to break tackles.
Hurd might be able to add this dynamic the way Deebo does. We could conceivably have the most physical WR’s in the league in 2020 and beyond.
*This is in regard to our WR situation.
Looks like there is a reasonable chance that AJ Bouye gets released by the Jaguars. Should the 49ers pursue him? He won’t be cheap. But Sherman and Bouye as starters with EMan and Witherspoon as backups sounds tempting.
Damon Harrison was released by the Lions. Big tackle that could rotate nicely with DJ Jones. Very good run stopper – not so much on pass rushing. Harrison played 300 less snaps than DeFo, but only had 4 fewer run stops.
https://www.ninersnation.com/2020/2/21/21147128/damon-harrison-could-be-the-veteran-presence-the-49ers-need-at-dt
I think it was a mistake to not try Brunskill in the Super Bowl when it became obvious that Person wasn’t doing well. We’ll never know whether it would have made any difference but an extra second or two for Jimmy might have been the difference between winning and losing. When a player is struggling, what’s the downside of trying a different player for a series or two? If it was worse or no better, go back to Person.
As for trading down, the logical approach is that if there is a player at #31 at a position of need you think should have way gone earlier, grab him. Otherwise, if there are a bunch of players of approximately equal value at that point, trade back. Simple.
Posters who surmise the Niners will draft a WR with their first pick, do not take into consideration that Sanders may return for less. They are also ignoring the fact that Trent Taylor and Jalen Hurd should be returning from injury.
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This draft has 20 out of the top 100 prospects on one draft board as O linemen. If the Niners select an O lineman with their first pick, he may start right away and play for years. If they wait until pick number 156 to select an O lineman, all of the best ones may be gone by then.
It is believed that Sanders will commannd at least $10 million/year.
He may take a home team discount, because he thinks his best chance for a SB victory may be with the Niners.
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He was 5 yards from winning a ring.
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He may go to the Patriots, but if Brady leaves, probably not.
Staying at 6 picks and having only one selection in the first 155 picks, may be what they do, but they need to improve, so more picks will help them have a better chance to improve.
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Posters who think that trading back is a bad idea, really do not have a clue.
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Posters who think the roster is set, and they do not need to get more than the 6 draft picks to get back to the SB, frankly do not understand professional football.
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Like some say, there will be roster churn. It happens every year. They will lose players to Free Agency, they will re-sign some players, and they will work the salary cap to make space so they can extend players and get Free Agents. I think they will manage to trade away players, singly or bundled, to help create more cap space, and possibly get more draft picks. Players they cannot manage to trade away because those player’s skills have diminished or their salary is too high, may be cut.
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Some will say that everything is hunky dory, and there is little need to improve. I will counter by saying that they lost the SB, and if they are not shrewd and intelligent, work hard and try everything in their power to improve the team as much as possible, they may lose again.
“Posters who think”, “some will say”
What don’t you just STFU!
Hit a nerve?
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You are too easy. Have a nice day.
If Person is such the weak link, then why did his o-line team mates nominate him for the Bob McKittrick award post-Super Bowl?
The award is not given to the best or most talented lineman, its about courage, intensity, and sacrifice.
It helps that he played through a neck injury in the playoffs when voting on these types of awards… it also helps when McGlinchey, Staley and Richburg all missed significant playing time with injuries.
BTW do you know the other offensive lineman that got an award? Ben Garland.
Person is not a terrible player… but he’s still a below-average offensive lineman.
Grant, on Person..
Have you looked at his film? His body of work for his contract is good.
Do you really think an incremental gain at guard gets past super bowl hump? Jimmy wasn’t getting sacked, its on jimmy not to throw into an obvious wall. he has options each play.
And if you basically do a review on a guy like Person, you should consider including the viewpoint of his teammates and most importantly coach. McKittrick award maybe just a piece of metal, but it tells you about his commitment. Do you think Kyle kept running him out there if he thought this was his weak link? No chance.
A weaker link is Sherman, who got targetted and burned. Sherman is your gap right now. Love my Sherm, but the level of offenses that get deep into playoffs feast on him.
Who else looked bad? Staley. Collapsing pockets you have to look at the source.
Here’s an idea. Publish list of positions/ players in priority order of where there are big gaps in terms of repeating next year. Go ahead and Put Person on that list. I bet he is not number 1. You might put Jimmy and Kyle up there. This is not a position by position review I am requesting, its a specific look at “why we lost, and gaps that must be addressed to repeat”
You can unload Person. Sure, an improvement at any position is good. But it’s lazy journalism (ok you are opinion guy,but opinion guys need an objective basis to bring credibility to their view) to see an obvious bat-down at the line of scrimmage and jump to “theres the reason!”.
I won’t ever dispute the idea of improving a position. But focus on Right Guard?
Reall?
In my business we call this “rearranging the deck chairs”. I think you follow.
Prioritize.
Cohn Zone – Watch and listed to your own recording. You talk too fast at times, often turning your head away from the microphone when it’s harder to hear you and not see your mouth to help understand your words. Your dad also is at a distance when his voice is not as loud as it should be. These are easy fixes.
It all starts in the trenches. The O Line makes everything work. They block for the run and defend for the pass. Person played his guts out, but his overall blocking was not impressive, and gave up too many pressures, while also being rated a mediocre.
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In the SB, he allowed immediate pressure up the middle, which caused JG to throw that floater, which was picked off. The defensive line batted down crucial passes, which some may downplay, but it stopped drives.
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I do not think he was ranked high, so they could improve the position. A lot.
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I agree about Sherman, and think the new DB coach could move him to safety, in order to extend his career like Lott did.
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In any off season, they will be trying hard to improve every position, building for the future. Maybe sticking with a player and teaching him better, or moving on to a better player. Taking umbrage over a fact of life seems counter productive. Sure, it would be nice to keep them all, but they might miss opportunities to improve.
I thought I told you to STFU?
Did I ever tell you, that you are rude and profane, with imbecilic tendencies?
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First you admit Kaep took the league by storm, then you bet 200 bucks the Niners would draft Trubisky.
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Maybe you should take your own advice.
STFU!
Mock draft 3
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The Niners tag and trade Armstead. They get Miami’s 26th pick, and a 5th round pick(162) for Tevin Coleman.They trade back with the Broncos, getting 2nd (46), 3rd (95) and 4th (134) round picks for the number 31 pick.
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The Niners end up with pick numbers 26, 46, 95, 134, 156, 162, 176, 210, 217 and 245. Using the CBS Big Board and trying to pick within 5 of each ranking, the Niners could select-
26- CJ Henderson CB
46- Austin Jackson OT
95- Chase Claypool WR
134- Anfernee Jennings EDGE
156- Shane Lemieux OG
162- Julian Blackmon S
176- Benito Jones DT
210- Michael Warren II RB
217- Khalil Tate QB
245- Derrek Tuszka DE
We all know the Combine won’t change where players are drafted ……Otherwise someone wasted their time?
I’ve always thought the draft shouldn’t help players much but it can certainly hurt them.
– out of shape
– failed drug test
– terrible 40
– Video on draft day of you taking a bong hit from a modified gas mask.
draft = combine
*Ha ha ha *
Nice one Razor that was the second craziest thing I have seen on Draft day… Minnesota missing their pick comes in first by a hair.
Most assessments are made watching game time film. The Combine confirms what they see in the games, and scouts are wondering if his talents can translate to the NFL .
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The Combine could make some players a lot of money, or expose their weaknesses.
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Sure, everything will be changed once they finish the Combine, but they already have top prospect rankings.
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I expect some QBs may zoom up in the draft, and allow some highly touted players to fall to the end of the first, and even the second round.
1. How is Seb already on 3 mock drafts before the Combine has even happened?
2. Why do we think the Dolphins are imbecilic enough to trade a first round pick for a tagged Arik Armstead? Especially when you already pointed out that Dee Ford and Frank Clark went for less.
3. Who is dumb enough to believe that we could get a 2nd, 3rd, AND 4th for pick #31? Especially from a team with holes at CB, edge rusher, offensive line, and wide receiver (and thus need more picks, not less)?
Actually, Frank Clark went for a 2019 first, a 2020 second, and they swapped 2019 third round picks. That is way more than the 26th overall pick. Dee Ford was damaged goods, that the Niners found out afterwards, so a second round pick for his sack production was well worth it, despite the knee.
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Arik Armstead is fully healthy, and had 10 sacks last season. Miami should be jumping at the chance to fill a huge need, with their least valuable first round pick. The Niners would be directing Armstead out of the conference, so they would not have to play him twice a year. If they do not tag him, let him walk, and he goes to the Seahawks, Cards or Rams, that may happen.
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A team that has 12 picks, wants to move up to grab the second player they covet in the first round. It almost balances out exactly in the Trade Value Chart, so maybe you think they are delusional. The Broncos want an offensive lineman to protect Lock, and an elite WR to give him a target. They would benefit from this trade, and still have 9 picks. The Niners would only have to trade back 15 spots, and receive 3 draft picks so they can tap into the sweet spot of the draft.
“How is Seb already on 3 mock drafts before the Combine has even happened?”
It’s all about volume. The more permutations that he can pump on the more likely he can say “I predicted”
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JL said he would consider every mock. I am just presenting scenarios so he can see what is possible, if they think outside the box.
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His first draft, he did many of the things I advocated for, like obtaining second and third round draft picks for the next draft. With one of those draft picks, they selected Fred Warner.
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JL did not follow my advice, and made unforced errors. He did not avoid the red flagged players, so he selected Reuben Foster and Joe Williams. The next draft, he ignored my advice and chose an ACL player, who has yet to really make a contribution.
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Yes, the draft is a crap shoot, and anything can happen. I remember the 2018 draft. Almost every poster on this site wanted a pass rusher, and they went with an O lineman. This upcoming draft, many want a WR or CB, but they may select an O lineman again.
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This past draft, I wanted them to trade back, get a boatload of picks, and select Clelin Ferrell. Ferrell went number 4 to the Raiders, so Mayock and Gruden also recognized his talents. I thought Bosa may be too injury prone, but am glad he stayed relatively healthy all season. Once they selected him, I rooted for his success every game.
They could use some help on the o-line.
But imo their weak link is the run defense.
Might be scheme, might be players.
But they don’t lose the Superbowl if they were halfway decent at stopping the run.
Other than that, I’d say second is the secondary.
Sherman isn’t getting any younger and Ward will probably walk.
I’d definitely go there first.
And tinkering with the o-line can mess up some chemistry for the offense.
Say you take away a good run blocker for a better pass protector.
I mean their running game was the bread and butter of the offense. They can’t afford to lose anything in the run game.
I’d stick with tightening that defense, and if they go anywhere on offense first, it should be at WR. They need that player that can stretch the field and more importantly command double teams and is a real redzone and game breaker threat.
Dane Brugler has linked the 49ers with Michigan’s Cesar Ruiz.
Not sure how credible, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they really do like that kid. My top C/OG in the draft.
The seahawkes are making a lot of moves this offseason. Wolfe was slotted as a top GM prospect prior to Lynch joining SF.
The adage if you aren’t getting better, you’re getting worse has me somewhat concerned with another lackadaisical approach in SF as the division gets tougher.
They also picked up the TE out of Carolina. Olsen.
That same lackadaisical approach that took them to the Super Bowl?
They weren’t lackadaisical last off season. They signed Dee Ford (Via trade). They signed Kwon Alexander. They signed Trent Coleman. Extended contracts to Ward, Pearson, adjusted Malcolm Smiths deal and tagged Gould. They started mid January with signing Joe Woods to upgrade their secondary. They did what Seattle is doing now.
Couple that with Seattle’s 9 picks in this years draft and I’d say they are better prepared for the Super Bowl run for many years to come.
I read somewhere a few days back (FieldGulls I believe) that the Seahawks will go hard after Chris Jones if he hits free agency.
They have 52 mil in cap space.
For an alternative view, check MM’s take on the team’s OL thinking.
Or stay with Sebzoo’s.
MM’s assessment that the line is set, and does not need help, is belied by the fact that JG had a lot of pressure in his face and got clocked so he lay on the ground holding his helmet, then his performance suffered, in the SB.
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I agree that there might be a couple positions that may need additions, because they will lose players to Free Agency. Both the D line and WRs may have needs.
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Still, if one looks at the grading of each individual player, with an impartial viewpoint, the O line could improve.
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By being in the SB, the demand for the services of SB players by other teams, will be strong. Salaries will be increased by the increased success. The salary cap will be a hard obstacle to overcome. They should expect to lose some players, and only be able to sign maybe one or 2 Free Agents.
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However, now that the Niners are relevant again, they are an attractive destination, for a player starving for a ring. With JG and their defense, the Niners are poised to return to the playoffs, and maybe this time, they will complete the Quest for 6.
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Bill Walsh was always looking to replace players. He would cut them a year early, rather than a year later. Roster Churn is a fact of life, and nothing remains static. It is the Niner Front office’s job to be constantly looking to upgrade every position, every year. That is why they have Training Camp and the Preseason. Competition will decide who starts, but they also need to factor in the reality that they need depth. This is a game of attrition. Some one who loses out in TC may become the starter after one play, if a player goes down due to injury.
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Drafting an O lineman may not be the most glaring need, but they do need to find replacements that they can groom and develop. Thankfully, this O line class is deep, with twenty O line players ranked in the first 100 players.