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  1. look at andy lee’s contract he’s gonna make a average of 3.2 million over the next 4 years. sorry time to get cheaper at that position

    1. Lee is regressing and he certainly isn’t helping us win field position anymore. He used to when his leg was a little stronger. He was more of an asset when Smith was at QB and we struggled as an offense. He very seldom pinned teams inside the 10 last year. I know that would be a great kick but he had his chances and didn’t make it happen very often.

  2. Armstead is a project, but one hell of a project. I really think that’s a ridiculous contention that corner was their biggest need. They loaded up in the previous draft. This team has done fine with its secondary when it keeps the middle strong. It sounds like you’re having a conniption and we’ve yet to see any of these guys on the field. Every first round pick that Baalke has made contributed a good portion of snaps with the exception of Jenkins….

    1. Re the quality of our secondary: we lost our #2 and #3 corners in FA. Our #1 and slot corners are coming off IR. Two of the three corners we drafted last year (not counting Ward in the 1st) are coming off IR. The corner we re-signed, Chris Cook, has 0 career ints. The FA corner we signed, Shareece Wright, has 1 career int, but led the league in . . . pass interference calls last year. This isn’t the team that had Carlos Rogers, Tarrell Brown, and Chris Culliver. Corner is easily our most unstable position group.

      1. What happened to 4th round pick DJ? He has all of the talent/smarts/length/speed that Baalke loves at CB…we need to replace one spot on the secondary and have 5 players that can do that.

      2. Rogers and Brown left and the secondary didn’t miss a beat. Culliver and Cox left but were not Pro Bowlers. Strength from the front seven makes the secondary’s job easier….

  3. I was waiting for you to go ‘off’ on this draft. Am wondering what took you so long.

  4. Yeah, would have been kind of nice to hear a serious breakdown instead of all the laughing and joking. Not implying that you didn’t mean what you said or anything, but I didn’t really get anything out of that.

  5. I have been down the drafting a kicker scenario before. The uproar was loud and clear, Al Davis was a laughing stock, name of that kicker, hall of famer Ray Guy. You just never know…

    1. Grant lacks the historical perspective on Janikowski, let alone Ray Guy. He was making progress for a while on Bleacher (mailing it in to the Press Demo), but this isn’t too impressive.

    2. Blah, did the Raiders have an all-pro kicker already on their roster when they drafted Ray Guy or Janikowski? I don’t remember Al David drafting either of those guys to save money.

    1. I was beginning to think I was listening to a bunch of school girls giggling over their first kiss….

  6. I said the other day that based upon our picks this year, we are going to have the best special teams in the NFL this year. That has to be worth at least 2 wins!

  7. Looking at some of these udfa’s is interesting. Patrick Miller may need a year in the weight room on PS.
    Is Marcus Rush an economy version of Nate Orchard?
    Are Dres Anderson and Darius Davis KR/wrs?

    1. Darius Davis’ highlight are killer. He’s my UDFA crush this season.

      It might just be the small school competition. A total mirage… but Darius constantly runs past defenders who appear to have proper tackling angles. They are constantly misjudging his speed.

      There was another small school 49er years back with the same trait… what was his name? Rerry Jice from Mississippi Mountain Alpine Taxidermy and Ski Academy. Something like that.

      But seriously, he routinely splits defenders who seem to have him bracketed. Blows right by them. Oh, and the slant routes and screens, where he turns up field with no hesitation.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smBFQutrh14

      1. That’s a wonderful dream, but Walsh traded up to get Rice in the first round. No one has done that for the 49ers in decades.

      2. Funny name for a school, Brodie .. but
        yer right … like Jerry .. he doesn’t look
        fast … but nobody catches him, either !

        Could be that elusive “diamond in the rough”

      3. his issues are horrible competition and being 5-11 and weighing over 230 lbs on his pro-day…..he needs A LOT of work to even make it on the active roster.

      4. Brodie:

        I posted this yesterday in the previous thread. You might be interested in it.

        Emory Hunt who runs Football Gameplan had Darius Davis as a first round talent. He says that except for Kevin White, Davis is/was the most explosive receiver in the draft (a game breaker). He can play inside and out but doesn’t always run crisp routes yet compares him to Jordy Nelson.

        http://www.ninersnation.com/2015/5/3/8539989/a-wildly-optimistic-look-at-49ers-udfa-darius-davis

        1. Emory is a champion of small school guys and I love that about him,he does seem to get a little shall we say” enthralled” with some aspirants but has an independent take on things which is refreshing.

          1. Yes, he clearly stated up front he doesn’t care which NCAA division a player played in.

  8. Keith Reaser and Kenneth Acker anyone? I feel like I fell asleep and woke up in crazytown!

    1. They don’t exist. Neither does Brandon Thomas or Trey Millard. Next May Deandre Smelter won’t exist.

      Tank Carradine used to exist. Because he had the double hurdle of recovery time for his ACL… and gaining 30 lbs while getting used to a radical position switch… he completely vanished (despite three sacks in his last three games).

  9. Horrible draft. This could be worse than the 2012 draft. I grade it a D-
    Baalke is out of control. The good news is that with a draft like this Baalke is not going to last too long. The bad news it will 49ers years to recover.

    1. You nailed it. This is a dilemma – Baalke gone soon (yeah) and a bottom feeding team (sucks).

  10. So regardless of where you sit on the drafting of a punter in the 5th, it will be the first time in a long time there will be some intrigue in TC regarding the P battle. Here what I see regarding that battle:

    Andy Lee – where he has the advantage:
    – Despite a couple more shanks than usual last year, Andy Lee still has a booming leg and is one of the leading punters in the NFL for punt distance. Lee averaged 4.2 yards per punt more than Pinion in 2014.
    – Lee has plenty of experience in the NFL, dealing with different conditions, including the swirling winds of the Bay Area.
    – Lee has a good rapport with Dawson as the holder.

    Bradley Pinion – where he has the advantage:
    – Does well keeping his punts in the field of play inside the opposition 20, with only 2 of his 28 punts inside the 20 going for touch backs last year. He went 102 punts without a touch back at Clemson, including 42 inside the 20, prior to his first touch back in 2014. This is an area Lee has struggled with, and he had 7 of his 28 punts inside the 20 go for touch backs last year.
    – His nett average was 40.3 yards per punt last year, only 2.3 yards per punt off his gross average. Andy Lee’s nett was 7.2 yards per punt lower than his gross average last year. Pinion would appear to do a good job of getting hang time to let the coverage unit get down field and force fair catches or stop returns for minimal gain, something Lee can struggle with.
    – Pinion is also a kickoff specialist, with a touch back % of around 50% on kickoffs in 2014. He can replace Dawson on kickoffs.
    – Pinion is also a long range FG specialist. He can replace Dawson for very long range FGs.
    – Pinion is a cheaper alternative than Lee.

    1. Now that’s a fair unbiased description of two players. Let the competition begin, May the best leg win.

    2. I have no problem with Pinion per se ,I just think he would have been available later in the draft and the 5th might have been used differently.

    3. Good job Scooter. My one and only problem with the selection is where it took place. This kid was the only Punter selected in the draft and it sure didn’t need to be as high as the 5th round.

      For those that take the “it doesn’t matter where player x was selected as long as he can play” view point, consider that Aaron Lynch was a 5th round pick last year. That is a starting caliber OLB found in the same round they just selected a Punter in. That doesn’t even take into account that Andy Lee is one of the best in the league and makes about 2mill a year which isn’t a huge part of the cap.

      I understand the need by some to validate every move this team makes, but you can’t do it all the time. We have to accept that some of the decisions this front office makes are wrong and ill advised.

      1. I find it rather presumptuous you think when someone disagrees with you, they do it to validate the teams moves….

        1. Don’t start getting sensitive on me Razor. It was not a comment singling anyone out in particular, and it’s not about disagreeing with me at all. It was an observation based on the fact 99% of the people in this forum who commented on the first round pick before the draft, did not want anything to do with Armstead, but now that he’s the pick, some are trying to justify it. You seemed to change your mind right before the draft, but until then you were completely against this move.

          Support for the selection of a Punter in the 5th round is a whole new level of homerism on this board. I’m not saying people have to light torches and march on team headquarters, but for goodness sake there was one freaking punter taken in the entire draft. They didn’t need to use a 5th round pick to get this guy.

          1. “They didn’t need to use a 5th round pick to get this guy.”

            We don’t know that to be true. The fact that he was the only punter selected doesn’t mean another team wanted him.

            If he beats out Lee it will make back to back drafts that a 5th round selection became a starter in year 1.

            1. We also don’t know for sure if Harbaugh is best friends with Baalke, but we can make an educated guess that he isn’t. The fact he was the only Punter selected tells me no Punter likely have been selected and certainly not before their picks in later rounds.

              If he beats out Lee, all it will mean is we replaced a top 5 Punter in the league with a 5th round pick to save about a million and a half against the cap. Could have done the same thing with an UDFA.

              1. He was down in net average a bit, but he’s consistently been one of the best Punters in the league. As I said, it’s fine if they wanted to bring in somebody cheaper to see if they could win the job, but there is absolutely no reason to take one that early.

          2. Yea, I explained my train of thought and how I arrived at that conclusion. Check with Scooter if you’re trying to say something without coming out and saying it…..

            1. Razor,

              I have no idea where you’re going with this and what I’m supposed to check with Scooter about. I mentioned you changed your mind right before the draft. I wasn’t around for a few days so I don’t know why you did, but that’s your prerogative.

              1. Here you are Rocket:

                Razoreater April 30, 2015 at 1:59 pm
                I’ve re-thought through the situation and have come to the conclusion that the chances of Baalke drafting a CB in Round 1 are slim to none, and none has his bags packed….

                Scooter_McG April 30, 2015 at 2:04 pm
                Reason being?

                Razoreater April 30, 2015 at 2:13 pm
                The Condor is in his last flight, Brooks is ready to fly over the Coo Coo’s Nest, Lemonier is really a lemon, with Lynch as the only light at the end of the tunnel. After that it’s daaark. Baalke values the OLB position over CB, and DB/DB/DB three straight years brings me back to a time when an ex-49er linebacker went WR/WR/WR three years in a row….

                Razoreater April 30, 2015 at 2:47 pm
                You’ve got Brock as your starter and then Wright, Johnson, Cook vying for 2, 3, and 4 with Reaser and Acker. I think Baalkes’ board relects the positions of higher value and skill set as follows, DL in the first round, OLB in the second, OL in the third and Saturday after breakfast and before lunch an ILB….

                Razoreater April 30, 2015 at 3:42 pm
                Actions speak louder than words, no cb, no receiver, no ilb in the first or second round. Mark it down. It’s either a trade up for Williams, stay put and Armstead or Brown, and then The Mauldin Falcon in the second round. You can call me the Devils Advocate, but may the best man win fellow 49ers Brethren!

                In speaking with DaNiners after the draft and explaining myself:

                That’s part of what made it so difficult. The masses in here were adamant about the need for a CB or WR in the first two rounds. One or two of whom I highly respect and acknowledge their greater acumen than my own, but in the end, I was confident in my rationale….

              2. You didn’t have to explain yourself Razor, I respect your opinions and believe you without posting that, but I appreciate you making the effort.

                It looks like you wanted a pass rusher, but in the later post accepted that it could be Armstead or Brown based on Baalke’s history. Would you rather have seen them take somebody like Dupree as opposed to Armstead, or is Armstead the guy you ultimately thought was the BPA?

              3. I would have gone with DGB, but deep down I knew that wasn’t what Baalke would do. Armstead was a big, physical specimen that fit the scheme and had a higher ceiling than Preston Smith or Dr. Henry Anderson. Tomsula being one of the best DLine coaches, it just made too much sense. Besides, I figured if Justin Smith were to retire, he could still hang out and assist the kid. No I cannot take credit for evaluating Armstead that highly. I had him in the early 2nd round, however I did notice in the Ohio State game, they double teamed him almost the entire game….

  11. I understand people’s issues with DB not being addressed but we also have to remember that Kenneth Acker & Keith Reaser are basically 2 DB’s that didn’t even play last year. So there are your 2 picks to bolster the DB unit.

    I like the way Baalke went about this draft. Taking BPA instead of reaching to fill needs. I’d be lying if I said I’m not concerned about ILB depth but I think Moody showed improvement last year. Bishop & Wheeler will battle Wilhoite for some playing time. I thought Baalke reached a bit for Tartt but other then that, no noticeable reaches.

    1. I don’t think Tartt was a reach. He’s a big hybrid safety that can cover while not missing a beat stopping the run….

      1. Razor,

        In General you could argue that most of the 2015 Draft was a reach. But I’m not one to have Knee Jerk reaction to these things rather I just wait to see what this Crop looks like once they get on the field in August so we have some sort of Tangible Evidence.

        All that being said I give this Draft an Incomplete with no Grade. I’m at a Loss at most of the Selections as it stands right now.

        But hey….. we’ll see this summer.

        1. The more homework a fan did leading up to the draft, the less likely they are apt to have knee problems….

          1. Unless they think they’re the omnipotent draft guru whose opinions are so much smarter than Baalke or Gamble (or everyone else) that they will sneer and snicker derisively at their picks. Unbridled self esteem from the proponent of Tyler Wilson and Mr. Fails, er Fales.

              1. Compare the reactions to Scooter. He criticized the 5th round pick at the time. After reflection he reiterated his criticism and questioned the thinking. But as he continued to try to get his head around Trent’s thinking (since he knows he’s an established professional and not actually an idiot or egomaniac). So he does a careful comparison of the prospect and the incumbent, which seems pretty objective to me. He gets the parameters straight in his mind and shares his thoughts for those who care. I think he’s still skeptical, but he takes an adult approach.

              2. Cheers guys, and Brotha, you laid out exactly where I’m at right now.

                And dare I say it, I’m actually looking forward to the punter battle this off season… I honestly didn’t think I’d ever say that!

  12. I thght tartt was a reach also. But looking @ the safeties available. I think not.

    The OLB was a steal in the 3rd rd. Guess is cancels the reach

    Just hope they can trade A Lee for some picks nxt yr

    1. “Guess is cancels the reach”

      Exactly what I was thinking. In the end the 2nd and 3rd picks cancelled each other out if one was a reach and the other an “unreach?” Still, I’d feel better knowing that it was part of plan rather than a fair amount of luck thrown in.

      1. cubus, isn’t “reach” subjective? It was a reach for the talking heads, but their jobs don’t depend on drafting these guys. If Kiper, McShay and company are so good at talent evaluation, why are they on television?

        1. It is subjective, George. I was just pointing out that for people who like the picks to be close to the slot projected by most analysts, just reverse the Tarrt and Harold picks and as a whole, it played out well. In other words, pretend that Harold was selected in the 2nd and Tarrt in the 3rd. The result is the same as what actually happened. I’m actually fine with those two picks as well as Mike Davis. Brown looks good in the 7th and how can you not like a guy named “Busta”. Pinion needs to make the team to justify his selection. I speculated earlier that if he kicks off, he might be able to prolong Dawson’s career (maybe that’s part of the plan, IDK). 5th round selection is still a head scratcher especially in light of last year’s 5th round selection, Aaron Lynch.

          Still concerned that we don’t have a #1 WR replacement for Boldin. CB is a bit of a concern but they must think very highly of Reaser and Acker. Fangio and Donatell worked miracles last year with the secondary. As I recall everyone was very concerned with the secondary going into last season, but that group turned out to be one of the best in the NFL. Let’s hope the new staff can do the same. Bethea probably had a lot to do with it as well and he’s still here.

          1. Cubus,

            I don’t know if it helps, but I heard reports that in a number of other NFL FO’s the Tartt pick was seen as a good one.

  13. Great work, Grant!!! Baalke
    is a brain dead clown who knows NOTHING about personnel and
    talent, All of their scouts are useless and did no homework whatever. And the
    coaching staff…..oh, my God!! When will Jed York see the light and make YOU –
    Grant Cohn – Football Genius Incorporated, the new General Manager, Head Coach,and
    Public Relations Consultant?

    Why don’t you start by interviewing Arik Armstead and tell him he should have been the 35th
    pick, is a project, and will at best be a pedestrian backup?

  14. Maw how about tell Jaquiski Tatty that he can’t do this or do that? Cohn is a bum who just likes to say inflammatory comments to get his net clicks up. What a joke, go to Seattle and be a beat writer for them you worthless hack!

  15. WARNING!

    Safeway is noticing a run on Snickers bars…good substitute might be Irish Spring bars….

  16. Looks like Harold got a couple sacks on the Giants pick at number nine, Flowers OT Miami….

    1. Actually one of the reporters checked on that and it turns out not to be true, in fact he never had any sacks in three games playing against the Dolphins.

      1. Um, he’s never played against the Dolphins. You meant Gators, right? Why are the Dolphins called the Dolphins, anyway. It’s not a very intimidating name, just one notch above “the manatees”.

  17. No wide receiver invited to the combine since 2008 has had hands as big as Helter Smelter…

      1. You were the one that pointed him out to the room originally, weren’t you George? Good find. He has some excellent tools to work with. I think with his knee injury that 2015 will be too soon to really see what he can do, but look forward to seeing if he can win a starting role in 2016.

          1. I wonder what his draft projection was before the knee…
            .
            .
            .
            ~ALOHA~

    1. Baalke must have size envy .. long arms, big hands, etc. are used as metrics for making draft selections. Wonder about this Napoleon egomaniac running the team now.

  18. Truly pathetic “journalism” with an agenda, Cohn. Gee, they didn’t follow your advice and proclamations. Go figure. So, to prejudice your column as if to appear vindicated, you take Tomsula’s quote out of context, neglecting to quote earlier (or at least reference or paraphrase) that he was referring to the selections of teams drafting ahead of the 49ers. You want to see how its done, junior? Not that I’m a huge fan of Barrows, but at least he put the quote in context.

    Congratulations. You’ve deserted all literary-journalistic integrity. Flailed your way down to a lowest common denominator, 49er hating troop of misfits, have you?

  19. Who cares about what Grant COhn thinks? I care about what Greg Cosell thinks. Cosell was very high on Armstead and call him a VERY VIOLENT player and destructive in the middle.

      1. For a DL in a 3-4, all you really ask is for them to be disruptive as they will often be tasked with taking on more than one blocker. They aren’t the ones you expect to be finishing plays. Will be interesting to watch Armstead develop to see how disruptive he can be, as he wasn’t overly disruptive in college when taking on more than one blocker.

        1. I think if he brings a lunch pail mentality to practice, his clay might end up turning into one of Tomsulas’ better sculptures….

  20. I wonder how big his toes are. It’s scientifically proven that bigger toes help your horizontal velocity. It’s just physics. Bigger toes equal faster runner- bigger hands equal more catches due higher surface area. There really can’t be anything else to it. If his toes are longer than 3 inches I’m calling hof for him.

  21. Greg Cosell was pretty good on KNBR just now.

    I think 49ers fans are going to look at Armstead the same way Chiefs fans looked at Dorsey.

    1. That’s a pretty good comparison actually. Solid player but who wasn’t worth the pick used on him. That’s the root of my complaint about the pick. If you take him in the second or third – fine – but why take him with a mid first round pick for the role you envision? Henry Anderson could handle the same duties and they could have had him in the 3rd. Both Baalke and Tomsula have admitted he’s a project and we know he’s not much of a pass rusher, so why use a first round pick? That’s all I’m saying.

      1. I think fans in KC didn’t like Dorsey because he didn’t put up stats.

        The biggest problem with the pick is they didn’t take who i thought they should have and it screwed up my mock draft.

        Other than that, based on the total of 3 games available on draft breakdown, I think it’s an ok pick. He shows flashes, and if the coaches can get more of those out of him it could really help the defense.

          1. Beckham. He was the only WR other than Parker that they met with who i thought was worth a rd 1 pick.

        1. “The biggest problem with the pick is they didn’t take who i thought they should have and it screwed up my mock draft.”

          IMO, this probably applies to most people who are unhappy with the picks that Baalke made.

          Many on here and on other Niner blogs/forums thought: CB, WR, ILB and QB in some order.
          Baalke obviously believed otherwise, and his selections in this draft are consistent with a prior subtext that one of the reasons for the mutual parting with Harbaugh was that the team had talented players but the coaches were unable to develop them correctly…..mostly on offense but collateral damage in the fallout took out Fangio and Donatell.

          Not picking on you Jack, just an observation.

          1. Not the guy I wanted, but I’m glad. I don’t pretend to know more than Baalke, and upon further reflection, I think it was a solid selection….

          2. I’m pretty sure that was just Jack making light of the situation skeptic. I can’t see anybody being upset simply because their mock was incorrect. My personal exception to the pick is simply the players on field performance not matching up with the draft slot and the role he is likely to play. I’m not delusional enough to think I know more than an NFL GM, but that’s not going to stop me from questioning their thinking and decisions.

    2. That’s exactly how I think the Armstead pick will be seen by fans, assuming he pans out. I’ve said previously I think he’ll be like Ray Mac, who was perennially under appreciated by fans. Unless he becomes a highly disruptive player he will be seen as something of a bust, even if he is a valuable starting DE.

      1. I agree Scooter and Ray Mac was valuable, but he was a 3rd round pick which is the underlying point here. You can find players to play that role later in the draft. A first round pick should be an attempt to land an elite impact player, and I don’t think Armstead fits that description. If he improves under NFL HCing, then maybe he is more appreciated down the line, but even if he becomes similar to Ray Mac, I don’t think that’s enough to warrant a first round pick.

        1. Yea, McDonald was their best D-Lineman in college, and if not for his medicals, would have gone at least a round higher imho….

        2. I think there are a lot of fans that feel that way about 1st round picks needing to be high impact players their first season (I admit to having been and still sometimes am of that mindset). That was because they really needed to be starters up thru 2010 when rookie salaries were still through the roof. Teams just couldn’t afford to have high-paid rookies sitting on the bench. But things are different since 2011 with the rookie cap. Teams are paying approximately half of what they were paying for 1st round picks. And example of this is Bradford’s 48 million guaranteed salary in 2010. Compare that to Luck’s and RG3’s 2011 salaries, which when combined were about half of that. I think that is why we are starting to see more projects like Armstead going in the 1st round. It just isn’t as costly to take a gamble. If the player turns into the player you imagined, or even a decent starter for a few years, that’s fine; if he doesn’t, well, you haven’t mortgaged the farm either. With the right contract, your team won’t be placed in cap purgatory forever if he doesn’t cut it. So, after considering my old school reaction to this pick on the 1st day of the draft, I’ve decided to just wait and hope the team has it right about Armstead.

        3. Rocket,

          What is your expectation for the 17th pick in the draft? The reality is that one in five first round picks don’t ever start for one full year and don’t play more than 40 NFL games. Historically, successful teams only average 2.3 starters per draft. I would say that if Armstead becomes RMcD that would be an acceptable average result for a mid first round pick.

          1. Rocket,

            You posted under another on of Grant’s “articles” you stated that a lot of people who openly stated they didn’t want Armstead to be the pick are now spinning things to support the pick.

            I guess I fit into this category. My motivation for doing so isn’t to blindly supporting the FO.

            Part of my rethinking the pick is that I didn’t understand Armstead’s role in the Oregon defense and I didn’t know that he had an ankle injury earlier in the season.

            Part of my revised opinion is I’m arguing the optomistic side of the pick, because so many are being way too negative, IMO.

            Finally, yes, part of my change of opinion is because Armstead is the 49ers’ pick, but that has nothing to do with my wanting Baalke and York to look good (unless it’s because the team wins).

            1. BTW, I still wish the 49ers had drafted Marcus Peters, though. But, of course, Baalke knows way more than I do, so I’ll go with that, for now, anyway.

          2. ex,

            I now realize my comments about people changing their opinions came off in a rude way, and that wasn’t my intention. I didn’t single anyone out and that was merely an observation I made due to the fact so many were in favor of the pick all of a sudden.

            For what it’s worth, I understand why it happens. It’s really depressing to find no redeeming value in a move made by our favorite team. This is where the realist in me often conflicts with many other fans. There is obviously some positives to the selection of Armstead, but my belief that he was selected too early based on his film, overrides the ability to focus on that side right away. He’s not a bad player; just not the BPA imo.

            To answer your questions: my expectations for the 17th pick are that a player is selected who is viewed as the BPA, a very good to elite prospect capable of having an impact from day one if needed. I think that has to be the expectation with a first round pick this high even if history tells us it isn’t likely. The biggest issue I have with the selection of Armstead is that from what we’ve heard from Baalke and Tomsula, they know he’s a project and really only fills one role that they defined in their post draft assessment. I don’t profess to know as much as NFL decision makers, but I do know that there are and always have been, players available later who are capable of filling a role like they envision for Armstead. You can find big strong run stuffers who can tie up blockers well into most drafts. Now obviously they hope Armstead is more than that, but he hasn’t shown it on the field and that is why it’s a dangerous pick. To sum it up: I expect more than a developmental project with a pick in the middle of the first round and that is why I was against the pick in the first place. I hope he’s as disruptive as Justin Smith used to be, and that would make him worthy of his draft status. But if I’m being honest and basing my view on what I see on the field, I see a decent 5 Tech who will play the run like Ray McDonald, but isn’t likely to offer much in the way of creating pressure.

            I agree with you on Peters, and while we don’t know as much as Baalke does, it seems Jon Dorsey and Andy Reid do agree with us so we’ll see.

            1. Rocket,

              Do you have links to additional film on Armstead outside of the 3 games on draft breakdown?

              1. Nothing specific to Armstead unfortunately. The best you can find other than those clips on Draftbreakdown are Ducks game film.

              2. Jack,

                Best place to go is WatchESPN. You can watch pretty much any game you want.

              3. Scratch that. Looks like they’ve removed the archives. Not much available now.

  22. Everybody agrees that Justin Smith is valuable, but stat wise he doesn’t put up the STATS that everyone desires. Because that is how many fans who don’t truly understand the game can make sense of it. The linemen cause havoc so that the linebackers can get all the glory. That is why someone like Wilhoite can look productive. They are asked to take up the linemen to free up the linebackers. Much like their OL counterparts, who only get credit when they screw up. If the LB get their sacks and the CB get their intercepts (like last year), and the rushing avg is low, it is cause the DL did their job. Last year, the niners avg against the rush was higher than b4 because Smith was not his usual self, guess what Arik fortay is, playing the run, which we need with what the division has, he will be taught and get more disruptive against the pass as he gains experience.

  23. Grant is just riding the coat tails of his father, who is an idiot also. He knows nothing of football except what he read in a book. He has never played the game, at the high school or beyond.

    He has no concept of following a plan, he is only about name recognition. al reporters talk to some scout or reference some guy like Shay or Kiper and think they know, they will also search the youtube for the small amounts of film, I really doubt they watch all the games of these players, how can you? Even the pros have to have so many scouts and they only see so many games live (usually the big games), the rest they have to get film from the school which is never released to so called reporters. So guys may miss some small detail that many don’t think of.

  24. With regard to the Armstead pick…why is it such a problem that players are drafted for their potential…even if they’re 1st rounders?
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    Of course, production is extremely important–that’s a no-brainer.
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    But potential HAS to play a big role in deciding on a player.
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    And sometimes a team sees potential as outweighing production.

    That’s obviously what happened here.

    And of course, different teams utilize different scemes and have different needs at different times which make for different draft boards and different grades on different players.
    .
    But anyway…
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    .
    ~ALOHA~

  25. AND…Pinion was taken just 23 picks earlier than Andy Lee was back in ’04…so…
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    .
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    ~ALOHA~

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