The name of the QB the 49ers will draft is…

1

I think I know which quarterback the 49ers will take in the upcoming draft.

Before I tell you his name, though, I want to tell you how I arrived at my conclusion and why I ruled out other quarterbacks.

This is my axiom: The 49ers probably want to draft someone who can develop into a franchise quarterback in the near future, but also compete for the starting job this year. And the Niners probably don’t want to draft that quarterback in the first round.

The 49ers own the second pick. The best quarterbacks available according to most draft experts are Mitch Trubisky from North Carolina, Deshaun Watson from Clemson and Patrick Mahomes from Texas Tech. Most years, those three would be second-round picks, but this year’s QB class is weak. Teams probably will draft those three somewhere in the middle of Round 1.

 I’m ruling out Trubisky, Watson and Mahomes. The 49ers will take a quarterback later in the draft. The Niners will conclude those three are not worth the first-round pick.

But the 49ers won’t draft a quarterback much later than Round 1. If the Niners wait until the third round to take a QB, the best ones available probably would be Davis Webb from Cal, Nathan Peterman from Pittsburgh and Brad Kaaya from Miami.

Those three are not good enough to beat out Brian Hoyer for the starting job. And they probably aren’t even good enough to beat out Matt Barkley for the backup job. Barkley is a former fourth-round pick who was much better in college than those three were. He also has playing experience in the NFL. He’s a quality backup.

I’m ruling out Webb, Peterman and Kaaya, plus any other quarterback the 49ers could take after Round 3.

The only quarterback I haven’t ruled out is….

Click here to read the rest of my Wednesday column.

This article has 503 Comments

  1. Grant,

    Do you think Kizer would start this year? It may be better to sit him for a year, but we wouldn’t have to pay Cousins if Kizer delivers.

      1. I agree that Webb played in a tough situation at CAL, vs good competition weekly, but pretty much survived and thrived! Could be another Matt Ryan that Shanahan tutored in ATL! He is very accurate…..a tough thing to teach! The rest of it they can teach this guy. A STEAL if they can get him.

    1. Kizer is not a quick release QB. He has to work on his weight and release mechanism. Definitely not ready for this year

    2. The only blazing fast QB in 2017 draft with 3 step drop is dual threat Deshaun Watson

      1. Watson’s athleticism is over-blown. So over-blown that it’s not funny. His SPARQ rating is 73rd percentile. Lots of NFL QBs are more athletic — Smith, Kaepernick, Wentz, McCown (5th highest for a QB ever), Petty, Mariota and I could go on… But looking up each one is tedious.

        Watson has some speed, but the fact is that he’s okay fast in straight line (4.66), but he’s not terrible agile and is not special as a ‘speed’ guy in any real way:

        David Carr – 4.69
        EJ Manuel – 4.65
        Blaine Gabbert – 4.61
        Cam Newton – 4.59
        Geno Smith – 4.56
        Brett Hundley – 4.63
        Lord Voldemort – 4.53
        Russell Wilson – 4.55
        Tyrod Taylor – 4.51
        Marcus Mariota – 4.52

        There are more, but I got bored and I think my point is made – he’s not special. He’s just yet another over-hyped college star that most people have never bothered to contextualize his athleticism to that of the hyper-athletic NFL.

        Worse, when drafted, he will have one of the weakest arms (starter or back-up) in Pro Football. Seriously, the guys passes were clocked at 45 MPH. That puts him in the 1st percentile (which means 99% of all QB prospects having their ball velocity measured at the combine threw with more velocity). Which means pretty much every pass will be a wounded duck.

        And with that weak arm coupled with not-special athleticism… I just don’t get the ‘great athlete’ hype. It’s obvious that, in the NFL, he’s an also-ran as an athlete.

        And while he might succeed in the NFL (I’m not saying he won’t though I have strong doubts), he’s way over-blown as an athlete. People just need to face it, he’s just not special.

        1. I agree Moses. Watson is also small. People who only watch the National Championship game fell in love with Watson.

          They probably don’t even know that he’s thrown 30 picks in the last two years despite playing in a QB friendly system. That system has throws that won’t work at the pro level.

          1. You need to take a look at DB from the Saints, he is only 5-10, Watson is 6′,
            so, I don’t think you know that you don’t know.

        2. I get it he doesnt throw the ball that hard. But Kaep had the strongest arm in the NFL. Look where he is now unemployed.

          When it comes to QB who ever shanahan wants is who i want.

          1. “When it comes to QB who ever shanahan wants is who i want.”

            I agree, but I don’t see Watson as a Niner. Here is some thoughts from big Shanny.

            “I think the ability to run is always good, but you’re not going to outrun people in the National Football League. And if you do, you’re going to wind up getting hurt.”

            “Sometimes the ability to run can be a hindrance because a lot of guys will take off and run and they don’t focus their eyes downfield; they’re focusing their eyes on where the holes are, Where am I going to run to? If you get into the NFL, and you have the God-given ability that Deshaun does to make some plays with your legs, as you’re approaching the line of scrimmage you have to be looking downfield.”

            “It takes a while to learn to be a pocket passer. You can tell that he struggled a little bit with the intermediate and deep routes.”

            “In evaluating him, the first thing you’d do as an NFL coaching staff is go back the last couple years and look at his interceptions.”

          2. Mc,
            I tend to agree with you. And I’ll take it a step further. While the sentiment here is that drafting any of the top 3 QB’s with our #2 is too high, if Shanny believes one of them has the potential to push for a starters job by years end then I’m good with it as well.

            1. That’s a tremendous amount of faith put into a first year coach. Additionally which QB has he developed into a starter from a mediocre player that has gone on to continue at that level?

      2. I agree, Watson is the only one that is worth the pick in rd. 1, and if the niners don’t get him then maybe they should wait until next yr.

        1. Not by a long shot! Watson has a ton of issues…plus his receivers bailed him out of jams consistently.

  2. In 2014 the Raiders drafted Mack 5, Carr 36. They jump started their rebuild by getting a QB Killer+QB in the same draft. Clowney was the bright, shiny object of the 2014 draft, but the Mack and Carr story turned out pretty well.

    Could Thomas 2, Kizer 34 duplicate the Raiders effort?

    Pick 34 is a major commitment. Almost a first rounder. It might indicate the 49ers giving up on Cousins or drafting QB high in 2018.

    It boils down to assessment. If Shanhan likes Kizer, I’m good with it. QB and QB killer in one draft is a great way to jump

    1. Mack fell into the Raiders lap, it wasn’t like they picked him over Clowney. Same with Amari Cooper, just so happened to be the best player at an area of need for them. Got to give them credit on the Carr pick. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if Carr ends up like Stafford always on the cusp of greatness but no postseason success to show for. I mean next year will be his 4th year and he has not played in a playoff game yet.

      1. He would have played in one this year if he hadn’t broken his leg. Likely would have won too.

        1. Who knows but the AFC West is tough to win. Broncos will be better than last year. The Chiefs are a great team. Miami has a good shot at getting that #2 wild card spot over OAK next year.

          And OAK defense is not very good which means Carr has to be Rodgers or Brady and put the team on his back for them to win a super bowl. I don’t think he is on the same level as those guys.

          1. He was the best QB in the division last year and there is no reason to believe he won’t be again this year. They added a good pass rushing TE and a speedy playmaker at WR to add to his options. Carr is going to be a top 5 QB in this league at some point in the not too distant future. The Raider defense was awful last year and they still won 12 games. The Raiders are only going to get better James.

            1. Cordarrelle Patterson isn’t a speedy playing WR. He can make some plays in the return game but not as a WR. Jered Cook is hype. He is always injured and never produces what his physical stature and speed would suggest.

              1. Patterson can make plays with the ball in his hands. They will scheme ways to get him involved with quick screens, fly sweeps etc. In regards to Cook you need to recheck your facts. He was injured last year, but in the three years before that he never missed a game and had more than 50 catches twice.

      2. “Mack fell into the Raiders lap, it wasn’t like they picked him over Clowney.”

        I know.

      3. does the fact that he was injured this year factor into that? If healthy, he would have played in a playoff game and they probably would have won it with him as the QB.

  3. Even though Kizer may be considered the 4th best quarterback, there’s still a chance he could get taken before 34.

    Teams that need a quarterback now, or have older quarterbacks.

    3 Bears
    6 Jets
    7 Chargers
    11 Saints
    12 Browns
    13 Cards
    17 Skins
    25 Texans
    33 Browns

    If the Browns skip QB at 12, the 49ers might need to trade up to secure him.

    34+66 gets around pick 21
    34+109 gets around pick 28
    34+143 gets around pick 31
    66+109 gets around pick 53

    1. you know F-it,just draft Kizer@2 and not have to worry about who might snag Him before #34,keep your 34th pick and grab a QB Killer, this draft is pretty deep in defense, Hey screw what all the expert are saying about where to you SHOULD draft a QB at,listening to them will get you in trouble and not get you the guy you really want.

      1. Didn’t NE get Brady in round 5 or 6? What round you get them in has little to do with how successful they will be. Look at all the round one QB picks that have failed. A lot more have failed than have been successful. The statistical probability of getting a top flight QB in round 1 is very low.

      2. I like what you say, and I’m big on them taking a QB in the first Rd., and I hope they move up in the draft and do this, two first rd picks you should be able to get two real good players, we will just have to wait and see how they work there draft, and see if they can move there picks around or not, this will tell a lot about how they work the draft, and maybe tell us what the new brass will be like in the coming yrs.

  4. So it’s Kizer? We know Lynch had dinner with him and the 49ers have shown interest in him. His best attributes are his size, arm strength, and experience in a pro style offense. He isn’t very accurate though and didn’t do a whole lot at Notre Dame. I’m not a fan.

    Can anyone find the article Grant wrote that says that Kaepernick is inaccurate and you can’t teach accuracy?

    I was thinking maybe Josh Dobbs since he had an “impressive” pro day today. Maybe he is trying to trick us into thinking it’s Kizer?

    1. Dobbs is a VERY smart guy and maybe teachable after all he is a pace areo engineer

  5. If Kizer is your target, you’d need to have some pretty big balls to wait until #34. I wouldn’t rule out a trade with Denver to move back up into the first, and make sure they secure him guaranteeing that 5th year option….

  6. I agree on Kizer but I don’t think Shanahan is the only coach that thinks he can fix his accuracy. I don’t see him making it to #34. If they are targeting him they’ll have to take him in the first. I’m willing to bet at least a couple teams if not more have him as the #2 prospect, it’s really not hard to imagine if you believe the 49ers have him as their #1. They might feel they have to use their first pick or make a small trade back and take him there. He’ll go before Mahommes does at #25 to the Texans. If the Bears get Trubisky then the Jets could target Kizer. There could even be a twist because the team that met with Kizer the most is in fact the Bears. Could Kizer be the first QB taken at #3? Don’t scoff. It’s really not that hard to imagine.

    Anyway, just be ready for the possibility that if they do in fact covet Kizer they might very well use #2 on him.

    1. Yeah that’s pretty much how I see it too. I’d be really surprised to see Kizer fall to the second round. If he did he would likely be the pick but he will get taken in the first imo.

      I don’t think the Niners will take a QB until day 3. The plan for the future of the QB position consists of Cousins as plan A, and a first round pick on a QB in 2018 as plan B imo.

        1. Kizer reminds me Andrew Luck, without Jim Harbaugh coaching. Their stats may not be close, but stylistically, build, running ability, throwing strengths. For kicks can you do a comparison of the two?

      1. Agree Rocket. Day 3 this year Cousins and a high round pick next year,I like Falk but that could change.

  7. Did someone say pro style offense? Brian Kelly is a spread system guy. Lay of the freaking crack.

    1. Ya that was me. I thought I saw on a Kizer scouting report or maybe from Larry Krueger that he came from a “pro style offense”

  8. Yep, if they take a QB at the top of round 2 it will be Kizer. My guess is they aren’t going to go out of their way to get him though, and I think there is a reasonable chance he is gone before #34.

    1. I have them taking Davis Webb in round 2. He reminds me of Matt Shaub kind of the same weird throwing motion.

      I don’t get the Kizer hype. All the analysts say not one of these QBs warrant a first round grade and Kizer is probably the least ready to play at the next level out of the himself, Watson, and Trubisky. With a much better class next year, why waste a top 50 pick on a player that maybe could be a starter in a couple years? Doesn’t make a sense and I believe that we aren’t going to get Cousins next year.

      1. Webb is great… so long as his first read is open. I’m not a fan, and I don’t understand why he is getting so hyped at the moment.

        I’m not a big Kizer fan either, and personally I think they will end up with Kaaya as I think Kizer will be taken before pick 34. But of the prospects likely to go before the 3rd day of the draft the only guys I think will really interest Shanahan are Trubisky, Kizer, Kaaya and Peterman. And Trubisky will almost definitely be gone by pick #34.

        As for waiting for next year, that’s what a lot of people (myself included) said around this time last year. And this is where we find ourselves. Can’t just assume next year will be better.

          1. Do they have to work a deal to get into the 2nd rd? I thought they were not picking in rd. 2. Davis however would be a great 3rd rd. pick if available.

        1. They will take at least one QB this year and they have to. You can’t wait and hope you have a better option next year. Rarely works. Even if they suspect they will have the opportunity to sign Cousins, they have to protect themselves in the event that doesn’t happen.

          I think Webb could be developed to become a decent backup at worst and maybe a serviceable starter, but he’s a day 3 pick imo.

        2. Scooter – I read that Cal ran a lot of one read plays. Is the one read problem systemic or is it really Webb? I like him in the third and if Shanahan takes him in the 2nd I’ll trust that he has a plan.

  9. Kiser is not worth a 7th Rd pick lynch and Shanahan should be fired if they pick Kiser he is not a starting caliber college player

  10. Colin Kaepernick, for using the NFL as a platform to promote your cause instead of focusing on the job for which you were paid, you can take a permanent seat on the bench alongside other right-fighting luminaries Michael Sam and Tim Tebow.

    Enjoy the cameraderie! Other morons are sure to create a temporary circus and then join you soon.

  11. There is no way niners burn the 2nd round pick on project like Kizer. Especially not when we can draft Ju Ju in the 2nd or a guard or a LB … . This would make zero sense.

    Prediction: Niners trade a 3rd round pick for Cousins next year after he has a miserable season in DC this year.

    1. Cousins will be a free agent next year, no trades needed, just pay for him.

      1. I don’t think that is quite true. Washington could use the transition tag on him I believe which would allow Washington to match any offer made by another team. Admittedly I’m not 100% clear on this.

        1. Technically, they can franchise him, but the cost of doing it 3 years in a row will be prohibitive. There is one more option, and that is the transition tag. Cousins would only get a 20% raise over his 2017 salary. If another team tried to sign him, there would be no compensation involved, but the Redskins would have the right to match any offers. The Redskins are talking about signing him long term. If they realize they can’t sign him by training camp, they might try to trade him, just so they get something for him. On the other hand, they’ll get a 3rd round compensatory pick in next year’s draft if they just let him walk.

    2. Maybe you haven’t read, but if they go after Cousins next yr. they won’t have to give up anything, because he will be a free agent, so where do you get this 3rd rd thing at.

  12. Sigh, Kaep is not coachable?

    Maybe the coaches should utilize him correctly. They should accentuate his strengths and hide his weaknesses.

    I will say it again. Forcing him to be only a pocket passer is like putting an Abrams tank in a pit. Sheathing your most potent weapon is a good way to lose.

    Grant claims KS is a QB guru, but he is not competent enough to coach up a SB QB, has given up and will not even try.

      1. Very puzzling attitude from Kaepernick. Had he wanted to be great, he would have embraced that tutelage….

      2. Or someone who doesn’t have the innate adaptability to be coached up. When someone can’t think themselves beyond their self-imposed playing limitations — or think themselves out of the dead-end corner they’ve painted themselves into — it’s quite obvious. Under ideal circumstances they might do a certain something. But under typical NFL playing conditions their typical performance is dull and mediocre. No thanks, no mas.

      3. I think he was very Coachable when Harbaugh was here and seemed amenable to improving the week spots of his game when he went to train in AZ. He just simply isn’t that type of QB.

        1. He says he isn’t big into mechanics and just needs to go out and play his way.

          1. Here is the exchange.

            http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/colin-kaepernicks-mechanics-need-trip-garage/

            “Matt Barrows of the the Sacramento Bee followed up. “Do you sometimes have to drop your elbow and throw sidearm to adapt (to pressure)?”

            “Once again, mechanics are … I’m not huge on them,” Kaepernick said.”

            ““Is Chris Ault correct in his assessment?” I asked.”

            “Of … ?” Kaepernick asked, Kaepernick being coy, pretending he forgot what we were talking about.”

            “I reminded him.”

            “I don’t look at film that closely about my mechanics of where my elbow is at,” he replied.”

              1. I am with you, Razor.

                Now, I did not see those comments as proof of him being unwilling to work hard at being a QB, as some others did, but it was when I came to believe that he was not going to progress beyond a player who is defined by his limitations rather than by his strengths.

                And I think that is a major factor in why he still is not signed. Sure, the non-football issues are a factor too, but if he were a player around whose strengths a consistently effective offense could be built, it seems likely to me that most NFL teams would not worry as much about any perceived distraction. Unfortunately, I believe that he has cemented himself as a player whose weaknesses have to be mitigated rather than a player whose strengths can be enhanced.

        2. Kap was coachable in college, under Harbaugh and when he went to EXOS (at least according to Warner and others at EXOS). However, it seems to me that his outlook on making improvements to his own play changed a bit after the EXOS experiment failed to garner the desired improvement.

          1. JPN,

            Exactly. The comment he made about not being big on mechanics was a direct result of the changes he tried to make based on what he learned at EXOS. If something doesn’t work for you go back to what you know.

            Say what you will about his poor mechanics but he was better before trying to change and better after he went back to just playing his way.

              1. Some of us have actually touched on this before. There was a clear decline in play once Kilgore went down in Denver. The pass protection from that point on nose dived and Kap’s play with it. The time at EXOS messed him up from a throwing motion stand point.

              2. Not sure that tells the entire story. It is part of it, for sure, but Roman and Harbaugh were putting in very simplistic game plans prior to all of this.

                His decline started before EXOS. It may have been aggregated by it, but it was not its root cause or a dominant factor.

                I think his confidence was shot after the NFCCG and he never fully recovered. He seems like he is extremely sensitive and his game may be affected by it. Other observers have pointed out his poor play in the year prior to Harbaughs departure.

                In terms of coachability, it’s hard to say. Each of the principal players has a stake in the outcome: Ault, Harbaugh, even Warner. Not sure if any of them want to say I couldn’t do anything for him…

            1. Better how? Bouncing it off LB’s helmets?
              Enough already. He’s never been accurate and never will. It’s an innate skill.
              Stop pretending already!

              1. You need to read before responding Prime. He was better before he went to EXOS and better once he went back to his old style of play. Didn’t say he was great, but there was a clear problem when he returned from AZ with a new throwing motion and trying to put more touch on the ball.

              2. Rocket he never got better. Who you kidding?
                He went back to relying on the one thing he does well. Running the football.
                At the end of the day if he got better he would be employed right now.
                Not sure why you Kap lovers can’t just call it like it is.
                Why are we pretending he is or has the capability to be something he never was?

              3. Prime,

                I’m talking about 2015 as opposed to 2016. He was clearly better in 2016. 2015 he could barely function by the time he was benched.

              4. Once again better? Better how? Stats? His TD to INT ratio?
                How did he get better in that year?
                He still could not show definitive accuracy.
                Even with Kelly, they had to dummy down the play book for him.
                He brought an unnecessary distraction to the team, purely selfish.
                So if that’s better in your estimation I’m lost.

          2. No he wasn’t. He didn’t lean any mechanics in college. He didn’t change under Harbaugh. You just didn’t see his flaws because you got man-wood over the junk-offense produced big plays.

            He didn’t regress. He never progressed.

            1. Exactly. I’ll say it again, he took the league by storm, then teams watched film on him, studied his tendencies and figured him out.

              He never changed his game, and that’s why he never got better.
              These idol worshippers like Sebnnoying think suddenly a team is going to come inand revamp an entire offense for a running QB is insane. Maybe that chainsaw did more damage than we think!

            2. I don’t know how I can be more clear, but I will try. The Ault interview I linked was from Oct. 14, 2015. Ault says, “For some reason LAST YEAR his technique throwing the ball . . . he let it go.”

              Ault is clearly talking about Kap letting his mechanics go in the 2014 season.

              1. I understand what you said. I’m saying the downward spiral – including the breakdown in fundamentals – really coincided with Kilgore’s injury in Denver. The pass protection the rest of that season was really poor. The offseason at EXOS resulted in him changing his throwing motion which really screwed him up. Last year he went back to playing the way he was comfortable and played better. Not great, but better than he had when he was messing around with what he learned in AZ. That’s why he had no interest in working on his mechanics anymore I’m guessing.

      4. Your right, Grant.

        Walsh would have given him a bus ticket the moment he balked at learning proper mechanics…

        1. Grant says: “Can’t coach up someone who doesn’t want to be coached up.” Despite the strong arm praise, Patrick Mahomas comes to mind for me. Fixing his mechanics and his urge to improvise on plays seems like a challenge that I would rather others had to deal with. Coincidentally he was also a baseball pitcher. It’s like Rocket said, Kaep reverted to his old self just like most of the other QB busts that come around. I’m probably not the only one who had a sign in the locker room that said: “Don’t be a dinosaur, adapt or become extinct”. I’d keep that in mind before drafting Mahomas, especially when you consider how high he will probably go.

      5. Talking about manipulating throwing motions is like telling a pitcher to change his delivery or a golfer to change his swing.

        It may work, but there are too many cases of players getting the mechanics even more messed up.

        Never ever heard JH or Chip say that Kaep is not coachable, and Kaep did go to the off season training to try and get better. Too bad he had some DJ tell him to throw 15% less hard, and assured him that the square out was always open and should be used as fallback throw. Just watch those interviews.

        In 2014, he had Roman. Nuff said.

        Too bad he had O linemen acting as spectators while watching pass rushers run right by them in 2015. They only succeeded to get him injured so bad he had to have 3 surgeries, but dissing an injured player is about what the level of sportsmanship some posters here display.

        2016 he actually played decently, but his detractors still call him inaccurate after he threw for 400 yards. Yes, the whole season sucked, but I am one who looks at the whole picture, and there was systemic failure from the GM to the players, with brain dead coaching. The Niner defense was so putrid, it set records in futility, but some solely blame Kaep for the losing. Baalke hated Kaep with a passion because he was the last vestige of the JH era. The leaks and smears brought shame not only to Baalke and Paraag, it besmirched the reputation of the whole organization.

        Sounds like some posters are trying to shout me down, but I feel like the one who told the crowd that the emperor had no clothes. They are blustering and bloviating, saying that I have no right to have an opinion.

        I just see the level of blowback meaning that I have hit too close to home.

        Kaep will do well in the league. I was hoping for the Niners, but Kaep is tired of being stabbed in the back. Hopefully, his new coach will utilize him properly. I do not mean rolling him out constantly, but mixing it up to be less predictable.

        Glad to know that KS admits he cannot improve a QB. Kaep is coachable, but the coach needs to be competent enough to accentuate his strengths and hide his weaknesses.

        1. Seb golfers change their swing by tweaking small elements to help improve the swing in its entirety.
          It’s what good athletes do to stay competitive.
          Your guy, is more interested in social issues than football.

          Seb says” Glad to know that KS admits he cannot improve a QB. Kaep is coachable, but the coach needs to be competent enough to accentuate his strengths and hide his weaknesses.

          Always blaming someone else. I hope you teach others close to you the opposite lesson.

        2. Wont work on his mechanics, unlike Walsh students Kenny Anderson, Dan Fouts, Joe Montana, Steve Young……….

          Walsh gives him a bus ticket.

    1. “Sheathing your most potent [one dimensional] weapon is a good way to lose.” Hmm….

      Going further, it appears Seb has ruled found KS incompetent and lazy. Guest that says it all.

      1. Yup, the emperor has no clothes. Declaring that he did not need an OC is a sign of hubris. Bill Bellichick uses an OC. Guess KS thinks he is smarter than BB. Guess being a rookie HC just means that he gets to play OC and forget the rest of the team. KS will turn the defense over to a coach who has never been a DC.

        Giving up on Kaep, and not even trying, is a sure lack of bold aggressive thinking.

        Praising Hoyer and anointing him the starter just boggles the mind. If posters want to parrot those pronouncements, I plan on reminding them of their comments mid season.

        I, for one, will not be a toady. I will state my honest opinion. If KS is immature, he will get upset about them. Hopefully, Lynch will set him straight and have him focus on being the Head Coach. As Head Coach, he should be working hard on fixing the defense.

        Sheathing your most potent weapon, and making him one dimensional, is obtuse. Kaep is a dual threat. He can beat you with his arm and legs. Some competent coaches may think it wise to threaten both, which will stress the defense.

        1. Walsh had no OC that formulated the game plan. Holmgren got to do it much later-but had to bring it to Walsh for approval.

          Kap can not beat you with his arm….not for 4 qtrs, he cant. The
          Rams know this…………

          1. Holmgren was the QB coach under Bill Walsh. He didn’t become the OC until 1989 when Siefert took over for Walsh. Holmgren and 3 other offensive assistants, offensive line coach Bobb McKittrick, running backs coach Sherman Lewis and wide receivers coach Dennis Green — would doodle plays on templates, paste them into a book and make dozens of copies for the players. Walsh would look them over and incorporate some of them into what he had already come up with.

      1. And Abrams hit what they point at-every time.
        Kap does not.

        The Rams know this…………………

        1. The Panzer 68 got people fired because it was not operationally ready, kind of like Kap! He is servicible if you tweak him, like that tank but with a ton of modification. Roman had to change the plays in order for Kap to be successful in the offense, Chip did as well. Kap is a QB with a very specific skill set that works in a very limited set of circumstances. Much of what he does has been neutralized by opposing defenses and he has not been able to adjust, additionally he hasn’t progressed as much as one wished as one wanted given the expectations when he was drafted. KS prefers a different skill set because he is looking for a different type of player. He wants to win like any other coach and to think he doesn’t is foolish. Kap does not put anyone in a winning position. Chip Kelly is living testimony to that as is Tomsula before him. Blaming Baalke and Maarathe is foolish and ignoring the facts of what happens on on the field. Seb you constantly praise BW but he also was his own OC for a time as well as I remember. Maybe KS is taking a page from his book. ;)

          1. Bah, comparing KS to BW is an insult to BW. For years, he was also the GM, but I hope you do not think KS should also be the GM, too.

            Walsh groomed Holmgren and Mike Shanahan. He employed a lot of former OCs like Dennis Green and Pete Carroll.

            Kaep did not get JH fired. Baalke and Jed went emo and fired the first Niner coach to go to 3 NFCC Games in a row. Tomsula fired himself, and Baalke took Chip down with him.

            Do not get me started on Roman, he was Terrible with a capital T.

            Making adjustments is just part of the game, and it is the coach’s job to make them. Too bad they were incapable of doing that. Good coaches will take any players and make them better, accentuate their strengths and hide their weaknesses. Niner coaches did the exact opposite.

            Kaep after getting to the SB after only 10 games, was functioning at a high level. In fact, he took the league by storm like a German blitzkreig, just like the Panzer IV did to France and Russia.

            Do not know if the Panzer 68 ever fired a shot in battle.

            Sorry for the snark, but the revisionist history is a little too much to take. :(

            1. And somehow through it all Kap was never to blame for any of it. The coaches the OC were the incompetent ones. Never mind that Kap could not deliver with accuracy, his mechanics were poor, he could not find open receivers, would sack himself, had happy feet and a host of other issues. It is always someone else to blame, Baalke, Maaranthe, Kelly, OC, Offensive line, etc, etc. Now it is Shanahan who has hubris and doesn’t want to win, but maybe everyone else sees what you have failed to see that while Kap had a good run in that SB run he failed to mature and grow as a QB and he is a se rico le second string QB who should salvage his career while he can. I hope he does.

            2. And the allies, like the NFL, destroyed the nazis and Kap, respectively.

              And while its for different reasons not related to each other, one is in the trash heap of history, with the other is following………

    2. There you go again, driving the wrong way on the freeway.
      (I already schooled you on your stupid Tank in a pit schlock. Give it up.)
      You and CK, always victims. The Grand Anti-Kap Conspiracy, Oh My!!!
      Nobody on this blog (nor !NN) takes you seriously because of stuff like this. Who, besides you, spends their day at odds with two dozen people all day every day? You haven’t been right about a single thing in regards to CK; ever.
      The Niners QB play was the worst in the NFL, and neither of those QBs is currently employed. And don’t bring up the lame out of context Int stats. What defense can intercept a 4 yard pass? Or even cares on 3rd & 8?

      1. BT, you may think you are giving me good advice, but the snark is counter productive.

        Niner Nation? I try to read their posts, but the blather is tedious.

        The QB play of last season just proved to me that Baalke was playing his favorites, and tried to stab Kaep in the back every chance he could. Gabbert’s play proved that he should not have ever started, but Baalke shut Kaep down so he could not fairly compete.

        Did not know it was forbidden to be a fan of a player. Still like Kaep’s skillsets, and think he will be what most future QBs become. The era of the immobile pocket passer is over, and future QBs will be fast and elusive, while also being able to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers.

        Just being able to take on two dozen at once just shows my power, and prowess. Since I have managed to unnerve you so much that you have devolved into cussing me out, I really do not consider you a big challenge. I would prefer that you could be civil and respectful, but guess I will be disappointed.

        I believe JH. Kaep will play, and has the possibility of winning a couple rings. The peanut gallery may howl and screech, but it is my opinion, and nothing you can say will change my mind right now.

        1. The Era of the immobile pocket passer is over?
          Tom Brady, Big Ben, Drew Brees and Matt Ryan all began to differ.

          1. All those QBs are in their 30s.

            Young QBs like Wilson, Luck, Cam, Winston, Mariota and even Dak Prescott are all mobile QBs and will be the wave of the future.

              1. Maybe the league is evolving into having mobile elusive QBs who can also make all the throws with touch and accuracy.

                You forgot another dinosaur. Carson Palmer types will be extinct soon.

              2. Carson Palmer types will be extinct soon.
                Yeah, like Tom Brady?
                Tom Brady will outlast CK.
                Tom Brady is going to the Hall of Fame.
                CK will need to buy a ticket to get in, just like you and me.

              3. East Coast….

                your using logic and truth, discussing Kap with Seb.

                Forget it.

                Sebs prefers emotion, with a heavy dose of no-objectivity.

              4. Tom Brady is a one in a million type QB who was drafted in the 6th round but had the luck to team up with BB.

                He will retire sooner than later, just like Peyton Manning. Those guys are the throwback QBs, and the new generation will be fast mobile and elusive, along with having good passing skills.

  13. Interesting. I’ll have to look at Kizers footwork. Typically you want a QBs front foot a little bit open so your back ankle is aligned with where you’re trying to throw the ball. That front foot should be pointing in the correct direction but it’s typically more open than you’ll find a baseball players front foot. Also, you want good balance, a nice athletic transfer of weight, and then the arm in the hammer position prior to throwing. The timing on that all needs to be synched up to deliver the ball accurately. If a guy doesn’t naturally have the upper and lower body timed correctly, its next to impossible to change. Guys can improve for sure but if an NFL QB isn’t aligning his feet and timing his weight transfer properly I would say he can work on it all day every day forever and he won’t ever be as accurate as a player who has that innate ability already built into their muscle memory. Colin Kaepernick has awful mechanics for a QB. I’m actually shocked he’s as accurate as he is considering he delivers a football like he’s pitching a baseball. The throwing mechanics are quite different but somehow Kaepernick has overcome his deficient mechanics to at least have average accuracy.

      1. Yeah, his mechanics did look pretty good. Just a couple little preference things on my part but overall he looked good. I didn’t like how he crossed over his feet with some of his movement in the pocket. One of his on the run throws seemed awkward with the way he lunged forward. And I didn’t like how he collapsed his back side on some of his deeper throws. I know QB coaches who all have different ideas about every one of those things so it just depend on the training he’s had on his mechanics. I certainly didn’t notice anything odd about the placement of his front foot. He seemed to align his throws just fine to me to allow his hips rotation with a good line to his target. Of course, throwing in a controlled setting vs a live game are 2 completely different things so it’s possible his mechanics break down in live action.

        My problem with Kizer hasn’t been his mechanics. My problem with Kizer is his decision making. The guy seems to be guessing on every play. It seems to me he doesn’t read defenses – ever. He makes some good plays followed by 2 or 3 boneheaded plays. I’m just not a fan.

        1. Kizer’s front-foot issue was evident last season and at the Combine. Maybe he is correcting it already.

          1. That’s one thing through the process that you can easily gauge. How the player takes to coaching, and does he do the things that enable him to showcase incremental improvement….

              1. I thought Kizer’s main footwork issue was his BACK-foot turning towards the sidelines when he threw. What did you perceive his front-foot issue was?

              2. Looks to me like he’s rectified those foot issue. Houston mentioned some things that were noticeable, and will need to be addressed….

              3. Shanahan referred to this issue when he talked about being in a running position.

              4. Right. Getting your feet in a running position instead of a throwing position. I thought Kizer would improve through the process, and it looks as though he’s showing coaches that he can. This draft is dripping with intrigue, A. Because it’s Shanny/Lynch’s first, and will reveal strategy/player targets, and B. Because of Shanny’s proven ability to assess the quarterback position, and skill positions….

      2. Oh, and I CAN NOT believe they posted highlights of Kizer as a holder on field goals as one of his pro day highlights. Who does that? Maybe I’m out of the loop these days but why in the world would you show that as a highlight?

        1. Maybe he can hold on kicks here like the last Notre Dame QB they drafted used to.

    1. Well nobody thought much of him as a QB early on, in fact when he was a Junior, the Cubs drafted him:

      Hughes wasn’t worried about the fact that Kaepernick hadn’t played baseball at Nevada. He was an outstanding athlete. And it was obvious that he could throw. In baseball, that’s the rough description of many 43rd-round draft picks.

      “I ended up watching him play a couple times in football and really liked his athleticism,” Hughes, himself a former quarterback at Louisiana Tech, recalled Sunday in a telephone interview. “But he had a real long arm stroke that’s not very Dan Marino-esque. When he was a sophomore in college, I didn’t know how his game would translate in the NFL.

      “Our NFL sources at the time thought he was going to be a later-round or CFL guy.”

      So he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs to be a pitcher because NFL teams (the Cubs use three different NFL teams as sources for these projects, including the Bears). Then massively over-drafted on his ‘Jim Harbaugh couldn’t get Cam Newton’ jones and wanted the ‘poor man’s Cam Newton.’

      What a travesty all the way around. He was a better baseball prospect than football even in HS. He might have made it as a pitcher.

  14. Good article Grant. You seem to be going back and forth on the taking a QB early debate. What changed your mind from just a few days ago?

    I’m starting to like Kizer more and more, but the others are right, I doubt he sticks around til the 2nd. We could see a trade up, but I wonder what we’d give up to move back in the 1st?

  15. Lynch & Shanny seem to like Kizer, but it scares me that an inaccurate QB in college with a good offensive minded coach couldn’t figure it out.

    1. In Shanny I trust. He’s a proven quarterback guru, unlike his predecessors who were rumored to be. Whichever one he selects will have the best opportunity for success. I think it’s safe to assume that everyone of these quarterbacks secretly would like to be drafted by the 49ers for that specific reason….

  16. “When he throws, he doesn’t align his lower body with the target. Typically, he points his front foot away from the target. Kizer’s arm has to fight Kizer’s foot.”

    Oh boy, just what we need, another project!

    1. The 7 Commandments Of Drafting A Quarterback. Good find. I’m quite familiar with them, which is why I’m not high on Son of a Mitch Trubiscuit like the sheep are. I like Watson, but if his arm is that weak(45mph), I doubt I could overcome my trepidation to draft him before the 3rd round….

    2. Teams lie to themselves. They believe they can change habits, that they can neutralize red flags. They can’t. Miracles don’t happen when you draft a QB.

      It’s not just QBs. It’s every position.

      But the funny thing about the article is that, yes, Parcells and Walsh didn’t worry about arm strength. But while Montana didn’t have a cannon, he could make all the throws. And it was because of his footwork that had his body working to generate power, not just big-cannon-arm.

      In fact I used to compare Montana to Baryshnikov, the great Russian ballet dancer who was one of the all-time greatest ballet dancers. Because when you watch Montana… The sheer grace of the way he played was just amazing…

      And one of the funny things is, we talk about all the slants Jerry Rice caught, but Rice caught an awful lot of 15-to-18-yard outs from Montana. There’s a good one at 0:52, a 16-yard out to Rice from the far hash mark during the final drive in Super Bowl 23.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq9PjJ6tVTU

      Montana has got to be tired Yet the zip is there. The touch is there. The accuracy is there. The ability to perform under the greatest of pressure is there. But there were some other great throws where he placed the in the 12″ window he had against some very good coverage. Throwing under pressure with d-lineman in his face, or wrapped around his legs…

      ‘Ol Wind-Up could never do that. He’d hold the ball too long then run. And he’d never see the defensive mistakes that allowed Montana to make a great play from no play.

      And thread that needle to Taylor to win it? He might have had a 6″ window in the coverage on that 19 yard pass.

      1. Moses, there was only one like him, himself, much like Muhammad Ali was incomparably one unto himself. And as awesome as SY was as an offensive weapon, I’ve never seen another one so cool and intent and graceful as Montana when all the stakes were on the line with time running down. Thanks for that post.

      2. Montana is my first draft pick every single time if I’m forming an All Time Great team.

      3. Yes, Joe could do it all, but it took him 3 years to get to a SB. He also had great receivers to throw to. He had the luxury to throwing to his WRs year after year so they had continuity, increased teamwork and timing. Bill Walsh may also have had an influence in his development.

        Maybe Kaep held onto the ball too long because he saw the receivers blanketed. Sure wish he had a Jerry Rice to throw to. Blanketed receivers and a porous O line is not a good combination. Getting sacked an average of 4 times a game would make any QB uncomfortable. Last season, Kaep had decent protection, and in the first half, he was very productive. Too bad in the second half, the defense made adjustments, and the Niner coaches did not.

        Hopefully, with KS going back to the WCO roots, there will be more swing passes, curls and slants.

        1. You’re kidding right? Game tape does not lie. He would hold on to the ball beyond the open window threshold. Seb, you got to stop.

        2. Maybe? Maybe? Coulda, woulda, shoulda……….

          Maybe I’m the unknown emperor of North America.

          Walsh also had an influence on Deberg………and dumped him.

    3. Nothing Earth shattering revealed here and I don’t remember Michael Lombardi as being much of a talent evaluator, certainly not in regards to QB’s anyway. At least half of the points he makes can’t be determined until after the player is drafted and the team gets to see him every day, which is why so many mistakes are made in these areas. Typical “I have all the answers” piece by somebody who can’t find a job in the league anymore.

  17. Grizzly Adams’ official time of 4.56 improves to 4.38. Not surprising given our recent debate regarding electronic versus hand times….

              1. That’s not how teams view Pro Day numbers. It’s more important to know how fast a prospect runs on his best day than how he runs at the Combine.

              2. You know those Tupperware lids? I’m putting one on this can of worms I just opened;>)

              3. Ha! One last thing. To show you the NFL’s electronic timing isn’t accurate, here is Colin Kaepernick versus Russell Wilson in the 40.

                http://www.ninersnation.com/2015/2/22/8084719/golden-nuggets-watch-colin-kaepernick-vs-russell-wilson-vs-marcus-mariota-40-time

                Wilson clearly wins, and yet the NFL’s official electronic time for him is 4.55, while the official electronic time for Kaepernick is 4.53.

                http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/colin-kaepernick?id=2495186

                http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/russell-wilson?id=2532975

              4. Sorry Grant, the time starts when the player triggers the timer. They’re making these films on THEIR JUDGMENT of the movement of the player.

                This is how the timer works: When the athlete starts running and the hand lifts, the sensor starts the time.

                The people making the film are measuring from when they perceive the athlete starts, not when the athlete actually starts.

                In short, the hand-timed film is hand-timed. And suffers from hand-timing errors.

              5. Good point Grant, in fact, it’s how fast you PLAY that matters. Adams is plenty athletic, and he plays very fast. He’s quick to react and diagnose, and he flies around the field, but never out of control.

                I think Adams is a top 5 talent in this class, and I rarely grade a Safety’s value that high. Part of my reasoning, besides the on-field alpha dog attitude and enforcer mentality, is his leadership in the locker room. I’ve heard from more than one source he’s one of the best team leaders LSU has ever had on their team. EVER!

    1. What debate? This has been studied. Hand times are not valid. The timer starts after the runner starts, not at the same time.

    1. Maybe Redmond beats out Brock, and our starting corners are Robinson/Redmond/Williams.

    2. I keep pointing out to people that Redmond, pre-ACL, was a low Round 1 guy. His big knock wasn’t even coverage, but he missed a lot of tackles because he liked the ‘kill shot’ and didn’t wrap up.

      1. Yea, I liked him but was disappointed he couldn’t get on the field last year. He looks 110%!

    3. Nice. That is why I hope the Niners choose King Solomon, or if they trade back, an ILB, instead of a CB.

  18. On Syria if I’m Trump:

    I deploy missile defense systems throughout the Eastern Block. I call an emergency council meeting with the idea of tightening economic sanctions on Russia, and then use them to control Assad. Thoughts? It will be interesting to see if Trump, and his peeps are smart enough to figure that out….

    1. Since you asked: The cause of this conflict has been support given to terrorists by two morally repugnant nations, Saudi Arabia — you know, the a-holes who financed 911 — and Qatar, so they (SA and Q) can install a puppet to allow them to build a gas pipeline across Syria. This conflict is not due to a natural uprising by Syrians to unseat Assad. This is not the first time poison gas has been deployed in this conflict. The first time Assad was blamed but it became obvious the terrorists did it, and it is likely they’re to blame now. With the help of Russia and Iran, Assad has almost beaten them. Why would he need to employ poison gas and why would he risk losing international opinion. Trump campaigned against nation building. Now he seems to be getting suckered into the opposite. Big mistake. What fool would risk cyber and maybe even nuclear war with Russia over Syria?

    2. Trump is a walking talking contradiction. Want he wants to do depends on what day and time it is and will often be a complete reversal from what he thought previously on the same topic. If you think he and his peeps are smart enough to figure anything out based on what we’ve seen so far…well let’s just say I don’t share your optimism.

      1. Ha! Maybe part of it is his thoughts evolve as he learns, and some of it is as you say. I would point out he was smart enough to defeat the Clinton/Obama machine and 15 other republican nominees for the job. Probably the greatest upset since Dewey/Truman….

              1. If they were Russian. People in the business, like John McAfee, say there is no way of telling. It even came out a few days ago that the CIA has hacking software that leaves phony traces of other parties.

                But if it was Russians, the most they could be held responsible for was the release of the DNC and Clinton emails, and they were self-incriminating. Neither the DNC nor Clinton have ever denied the contents.

                This stuff about the Russians influencing the Election has never made sense to me.

              2. They are still investigating George. It may turn out to be something, it may turn out to be nothing, but either way the Trump Presidency has been – to use one of his favorite words – a disaster so far. He went and accused the previous administration for being weak in not dealing with Syria yet at the time he said Syria wasn’t our problem and the US shouldn’t do anything. He changes his views daily and is a compulsive liar. It was a no win situation with Trump and Clinton as candidates, but Trump is an embarrassment every time he says or tweets something.

              3. Somebody gets their daily fill of CNN and MSNBC fake news.
                And for the record I’ve been blaring mainstream media for years now before it was cool. Thank you Assange for shedding the light on the corruption of the Marxists on the left, the sellout globalists on the right and most of all, the she devil herself Hillary Clinton!
                The Russians” what a joke. Did they cheat Bernie out here in California too? They won’t touch that story though.
                Give the orange guy a chance. It would be better for us all if he does succeed, which I personally think he will.
                That’s my rant on politics. Back to annoying den comments about ck
                And the occasional smart *** remark from Hammer. :-)

              4. Oh, OK, then, talk to y’all in a couple of weeks…….
                Get it out of your systems, there’s a draft coming.

              5. George,

                Good points on the Syrian conflict and the alleged Russian Hacking.

                With regards to Syria, they are questions of where the terrorists got the gas. It could be one of the countries you mentioned or America who called the terrorists Rebels. The Obama administration sent aid and military gear to the Rebels.

                http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33997408

                With regards to the alleged Russian hacking of the DNC. I agree with everything you said. There is no proof that it was Russia. Why would anyone trust the CIA? All they do is lie. Think WMDs or Iraq trying to buy Uranium from Africa. Both of those were outright lies. And they never provided concrete evidence anyway.

                Wikileaks has been 100% accurate. If they weren’t, Wasserman Schultz and Brazile wouldn’t have lost their jobs with the DNC. Wikileaks has said it was not Russia. There is zero evidence of Russian hacking.

              6. >>But if it was Russians, the most they could be held responsible for was the release of the DNC and Clinton emails, and they were self-incriminating. Neither the DNC nor Clinton have ever denied the contents.

                George, you forgot to mention the avalanche of FSB-directed fake social media posters, generating fake stories, fake commentary on those stories that spread like wildfire through social media.

                Political campaigns spend million$ on opposition research. Million$ more on ads that cast their opponent in the most negative light possible. Of course these efforts move votes. Now when you have a 3rd party doing this for you – a 3rd party who is a *US adversary* – doing whatever it can to subvert US democratic process, something stinks to high heaven. The beneficiaries, those in the current administration and their stooges like Nunez, are too stupid to keep this story buried forever.

                What Assange and Russians revealed about the Hillary campaign, the FBI and every other current ongoing investigation will eventually reveal about Trump campaign. ninermd, I’d suggest you prepare yourself for that eventuality. I can tell you will not take it well.

              7. With any of these questions the key question is always…whom does it benefit?

              8. George – As usual you are a voice of reason on the board. People should read this kind of stuff to understand the lengths that the Deep State will go to follow their agenda. Psychologists call what we say about Russia today projection.

                http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2017/04/its-wmd-all-over-again-why-dont-you-see-it-.html

                It is sad that so many believe the nonsense (propaganda) that is fed to us and then uncritically make up our minds about things. Mark Twain said: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

              9. >>understand the lengths that the Deep State will go to follow their agenda.

                And what exactly is their agenda Whine?

                I’m not sure what your Hitchens link is trying to prove. Is he saying the Syrian gas attack is fake news? A false flag engineered by “deep state” actors to drum up a schism between Trump and the Assad supporting Russia? You’ve got to be kidding me. There are definitely lengths some people will go to follow an agenda.

              10. Rib – The reason you are skeptical of the Hitchen’s article is….. How is it certain that it’s not something you are sure of that is just plain wrong?

              11. Rib – Here is one of the commenters said about the Hitchens article:

                “RE: “It’s WMD all over again”—-Yes, obviously. No proof whatsover exists that the Syrian government gassed it’s own people, which would have been a stupid move if true.

                Why does the US always have to constantly be at war in countries the American citizens don’t give a damn about? This is what more and more Americans are asking themselves.

                Trump apparently is knuckling under to the establishment. He can always say “I tried—God knows I tried.”

                Apparently you disagree with us. I was hoping that others like you would start asking the same question about why we have been at war for over 16 years with no discernible results.

              12. “Several countries have now said they believe the Syrian regime carried out Tuesday’s attack, including the United States, Britain, France and Turkey.”

                “US military and intelligence officials told CNN that Syrian planes dropped bombs at the time and place that the chemical attack was reported to have happened. A US official said radar intelligence followed the radar track of regime airplanes and the infrared heat signature of the bombs.”

                “Victims: We saw warplanes. Hospitalized victims told CNN, that they saw planes drop chemical-laden bombs. No terrorist or rebel group in Syria is believed to have the capacity to carry out aerial strikes.”

                http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/06/middleeast/syria-idlib-chemical-attack/

                Even Tillerson is now saying the Assad regime was behind the attacks.

                I’m not saying we have to go to war in Syria over this, and I sure hope to heck we don’t. But to dismiss this horrific attack as something that didn’t happen or was engineered by those who *do* want to is just ludicrous.

              13. Rib – I honestly think you missed the point of Hitchen’s article. When Bush Jr. decided to invade Iraq, the British (Anthony Blair) and same other countries all announced that Saddam had WMDs. Secretary of State Colin Powel also verified that he had WMDs. We now know that he did not have any WMDs. I served in combat in Vietnam and I have two sons in the military who have spent way too much time in combat areas for no good reason (fortunately their time in combat is at about 25,000 feet). Today you are asking me to believe the same characters that lied to us in the past – That is Hitchen’s point – they do not deserve the benefit of the doubt. I don’t really know what to believe any more and doubt I’ll change your mind. I do know that there is a large group of people who make enormous profits off of war and they have been shown to do whatever it takes to keep on keeping on. For me it’s the old saying: You fool me once shame on you, you fool me twice, shame on me. I’m very afraid that those lunatics are aiming to get us into WWIII and I’d rather be paranoid than wrong.

            1. Nonsense George. With all due respect, the Feds have more tools than you are aware of. Besides, follow the dead bodies bro, it’s not that complicated.

              Our intelligence knows with certainty that the Russians used COVERT operations to influence the outcome of the election. They also tried to physically hack our electronic balloting system, but seem to have failed.
              We also know that a number of Trumps advisers are tied at the hip with Putin and Russian Oligarchs (and in fact Trump may be as well, why else would he hide his tax returns?). And we also know there were far more communications between the Trump campaign and Russia than would reasonably be expected unless there was more going on than meets the eye. Another thing that the feds are certain about is that Trump was using the same “playbook” the Russians were using, that is, disseminating FAKE NEWS and false allegations, as if they were real. More than 100 Russian operatives were trolling the internet in order to spread fake stories that appeared to paint Clinton in a negative light. At the same time, the Russians hacked Republican and Democratic emails, but only released the emails that could and would damage the Democratic candidate, while holding the Republican emails in check (for possible use later, if the election didn’t go their way).

              What we don’t know is whether Trump himself was in on it and colluded with Russia’s covert operations, but it sure seems like there are far too many “coincidences” to not believe there was some level of collusion by people high up in his campaign. And all of the shenanigans and classic redirection efforts to deflect attention from the big story, only makes the situation more suspicious.

              It’s not if the truth comes out, it’s when. We have some of the most dogged investigative reporters in the world looking into this, on top of the FBI and congress. There are simply too many dogs on the scent of a bone, for this investigation to be stymied by the White House. People are going to jail, take that to the bank!

              1. And the Lamestream media excuse holds no water. They helped put Trump in the White House. Besides, all of our most prominent media outlets are publicly owned. They have a judicial responsibility to shareholders, called the bottom line. And most of the journalist are almost fanatic when it comes to responsible journalism, because it defines their profession. Why would they all conspire to spread fake news that everyone knows plays right into the hands of right wing, fact denying (climate change is a hoax as the planet burns), intellectually challenged voters that apparently count for a large portion of the uneducated heartland of the country? Wouldn’t these corporations want to play it down the middle, to garner as many viewers as possible, which in turn means more money towards the bottom line?

                It just doesn’t make sense ninermd. Use a little critical thinking and get off the alt-right websites, they are poisoning your brain!

              2. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2016/dec/01/russia-and-its-influence-presidential-election/

                “While investigations may reveal more later, we found that there isn’t conclusive proof of Russian involvement for some of these claims, and whether Putin truly prefers President Trump remains an open question.”

                “Putin believes Clinton stoked protests in Russia surrounding its 2011 elections.”

                “The federal intelligence community, as well as private cybersecurity analysts, are confidant that Russian actors were behind the attack.”

                Being confidant isn’t proof.

                “But claims that the Russian government called for these fake news articles are unproven.”

                “But the FBI looked into the issue and found no evidence of a direct connection between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.”

              3. More from the above Politifact link.

                “Even if something is consistent with Russian government interests, it doesn’t mean the Russian government did it.”

                “But regarding Election Day itself, President Barack Obama’s administration said in a statement that it believes “our elections were free and fair from a cybersecurity perspective.”

                “But claims that Russians are to blame for these vote tally anomalies, through hacking or other means, are baseless.”

                “So what does it all mean?”

                “Based on the evidence, it seems highly unlikely that actions by the Russian government contributed in any decisive way to Trump’s win over Clinton.”

              4. You need to keep up with current events #80. That’s a 2016 article. A lot of new revelations have come to light since 2016. In fact, every week now, we find out 2 or 3 more new connections between Trump associates and Russian operatives.

                Like I said, we don’t yet know just how high up the ladder it goes, but Manafort was Trump’s top campaign manager for 5 months, and Flynn was his Security Adviser with Russian ties, while working as a double agent. And both these guys have resigned in shame. And that’s just 2 of many more connections coming now to the surface.

                STAY TUNED my friend! And if I were you, I wouldn’t bet on Trump making through his first term. Just saying!

              5. And don’t let me even get started on the “I’m going to repeal and replace Obamacare on day 1 scam”. “Who knew healthcare could be sooooo complicated?” LMAO

                Or the “Muslim ban”, that wasn’t actually a “Muslim ban” even though he called it such at least 20 times. lol. It’s a good thing for him that the courts blocked his ban because, the countries who pose the biggest terrorist risk, like the Saudi’s, where Trump just happens to have business holdings, wasn’t even on the list. Yet another scam, or sham, or whatever you want to call it.

                I could go on and on and on about what an absolute failure of a POTUS this guy is, faking his way through every day, but I digress, let’s get back to sports.

              6. I’m aware of Flynn and Manafort. The Manafort stuff was a big discussion during the campaign. He left the Trump campaign in August.

                I’m not saying Trump is a good guy or that he isn’t close to Putin. I’m saying there is no concrete evidence that Russia hacked the DNC or the election itself.

                Do you have proof that suggests Russia hacked the DNC or the election? Do you really believe the CIA? They are known liars and have no credibility.

                Here is a quote from former CIA Director William Casey.

                “We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.”

                http://decryptedmatrix.com/former-cia-director-william-casey-quoted-on-decieving-american-public/

              7. Geez 49, I hope you don’t think I’m a right winger. I voted for Dr. Stein.

                I like Obama-care, but it is flawed. The Republican alternative is disgusting. I believe every American citizen should get the same health care as members of Congress for free, anything else is cruel and inhumane.

                Funny how you don’t mention the Clinton’s ties to Saudi Arabia.

                http://www.politifact.com/arizona/statements/2016/jul/11/donald-trump/did-hillary-clinton-take-money-countries-treat-wom/

                “Nonetheless. looking at the Clinton Foundation’s donor list, Saudi Arabia gave between $10 million and $25 million.”

                Do you see a pattern here? Both parties are corrupt. I don’t support either of the major parties.

              8. OK, so now the CIA is conspiring to commit fraud against the president? Is this the country we live in now? Where a supposed billionaire real estate mogul who’s father spotted him $200 million to start out, and who has to literally hide his tax returns from the public, and can’t go a day without contradicting himself on twitter tirades at 3:00 AM, is more credible than the CIA. Where does it end #80?

                The CIA consists of hundreds of career officials, most of which take their jobs seriously? Sure, the CIA has been wrong in the past, but a giant conspiracy to de-legitimize the president?

                Come on man. It’s not exactly rocket science. Sometimes 2+2 really does equal 4!

              9. When did I say Trump was credible?

                Corruption starts at the top. Sure most Agents are good people, but they are compartmentalized.

                Even if you do believe them, they said they are confidant Russia hacked the DNC. The didn’t provide any proof.

              10. http://www.wired.co.uk/article/cia-files-wikileaks-vault-7

                “Marble is used to hamper forensic investigators and anti-virus companies from attributing viruses, trojans and hacking attacks to the CIA,”

                “it is possible for a person creating malware to set their spoken language as being Chinese, Russian, Korean, Arabic and Farsi. Thus, CIA created malware could potentially be developed to appear as if it was emanating from another country. The CIA has not commented on the disclosures.”

                Beleive whatever you want. If you want to believe an agency that has frequently lied throughout its history, then by all means go ahead. Just remember that the CIA has been creating “fake news” for decades.

              11. Fair enough #80. You make some valid points.

                I think most American’s, including you and I, want to make sure we figure out exactly what Russia did, what they are still doing, and what they intend to do next, regardless of where an investigation leads. If it’s true that Russia is using covert operations to undermine our democracy, it’s vital we have a partial, non partisan investigation, and turn over every last stone!

                Just remember this: Trump works for us, the American people. If Trump is free and clear of any wrongdoing, he should have no problem doing what every other President has done over the last few decades and release his tax returns, especially if more evidence surfaces indication Trump has direct business ties with Russia. After all, he’s done something unprecedented in our nations history, by not separating the presidency from his personal business interests. It doesn’t take a genius to understand the types of potential conflicts of interest he has placed upon the highest office in the land.

              12. And one other thing #80. You may have no faith in the CIA, but don’t underestimate the power of investigative journalism. Sooner or later, we’ll be able to piece together exactly what happened during the lead up to the election. Like I said, there are simply too many dogs on the scent of the bone, to believe we won’t have all the answers we need in due time. It may take many more months, but sooner or later we’ll get to the truth.

          1. What often shapes the eventual outcomes/consequences of an administration’s efforts are those individuals who surround the President–some are capable of constructive thought and action, some are maniacal narcissists, and some are just not up to any task. Happens administration to administration.

          1. Nope nothing but Politics from here on out. Blog is being renamed: Inside Politics.

      2. Based on him comments today about Assad, I’m asking myself why is he caving on no-nation-building.

        1. Good question…among many good questions. America first or not, the US is square in the middle of the world stage and all that stage offers–hope, chaos, charity, genocide, disease, etc. Next few years will be interesting–from any perspective.

        2. >>I’m asking myself why is he caving on no-nation-building.

          Jeez, George. Other than everything and I mean every last thing, being about him, he has NO moral center. Haven’t you sussed that by now? You could just as well ask why he was pushing a health plan that went against everything he said on the campaign trail, why every executive order he’s signed so far goes against the interests of the “working man” he touted on the campaign trail.

          Those of us in NYC have known this fraud as a con for decades now.

    3. My oldest son is currently on his 7th or 8th trip to the desert and his younger brother will soon leave to even the score. We are already involved in the modern version of WWIII. This one is about money and has been going on for about 16 years now. Those on the left wanted an all volunteer military after Vietnam and this is what you get. Mark Twain said: “To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail”. I doubt I will get much agreement among this disagreeable crowd but eliminating the draft goes under the category of be careful what you wish for…

      1. I like the Israeli approach of requiring 2 years of service from its citizenry….

      2. Whine,
        I believe that congress would bring back the draft immediately if it was with no deferments other than physical. The republicans are in favor of a draft and the Black Caucus will vote for the draft if we remove all the deferments that allow the “best and brightest” to avoid service. The republicans so far have not been willing to get rid of the deferments that allow the wealthy to get out of service.

        1. OC – There is no way on God’s earth that we would be at war for 16 years if we had not eliminated the draft. Like I said, be careful what you wish for… Our country was founded on the principle of the citizen soldier for precisely that reason.

        2. The Republican party is like A leach, picked up on the Amazon river….attaches itself to the host and sucks blood-or dollars-and gives nothing in return.

          The modern Democratic party-NOT JFK’s or Truman’s party-I know will be behind me all the way….if I decide to get married to and have “relations” with the neighbors cat.
          Neither of these parties serve a National purpose.

    1. Give me King Solomon over Hooker and Foster. The writer mentioned position need tilts the needle to Foster or Hooker, but I would contend constitution moves it back….

    2. Good piece. I would go with Hooker but there is a strong case to be made for any of them.

      1. I see us all around a huge table making our case for which player we should draft, and Grant Cohn with the final decision at the head of the table….

          1. Mach XI (For Grant/Rocket)

            (1)2. *Trade* Browns trade picks 12th, 33rd and 108th picks this year as well as next year’s first and third to 49ers and select Trubisky
            (1)12. Mike Williams WR
            (2)33. DeShone Kizer QB
            (2)34. Carl Lawson Edge
            (3)66. Jordan Leggett TE
            (4)108. Anthony Walker LB
            (4)109. Julie’n Davenport OL
            (4)143. Shaquill Griffin CB
            (5)146. DeAngelo Brown DT
            (5)161. Jon Toth C
            (6)198. Robert Davis WR
            (6)202. Aaron Jones RB
            (7)219. Corey Levin OG

            1. I concur with your Lawson, Leggett, Davenport, Griffin and Davis picks since I have mocked those same players.

              I have stayed away from Anthony Walker, because I agree with Grant and think there are better options.

  19. This is Part 2 from the author that wrote about the Jags defense and how the 49ers players would fit that mold. Part 1 generated a fair amount of discussion on this board.

    “Part 1 focused on the Jaguars’ defensive scheme in 2016; how the Jaguars’ players were utilized; how the 49ers’ players might fit the scheme and how the scheme might be adapted to them.”

    “Part 2 will focus on prospective draftees for this scheme within the top 3 rounds”

    http://www.ninersnation.com/2017/4/5/15184244/49ers-defense-2017-nfl-draft-options

    1. Meh.

      1.Hoyer: I doubt Shanahan goes for Watson. And he’s years from being NFL ready.

      2. Reid: It’s not that easy to beat out an experienced NFL incumbent unless he’s really bad and Reid isn’t really bad. Out of position, yes. Really bad, no.

      3. Lynch: I expect him to lose his job. He’s just not doing what he should be doing.

      4. Smith: Hated the signing. Don’t think much of him. I expect someone will beat him out, possibly this year.

      5. Brock: Well, it’s possible, but I would look to Redmond not a draftee.

      6. McDonald. It’s possible. It’s supposed to be a great year for TEs and McDonald has suspect hands.

  20. Grant,

    That was a fat pitch and you did not miss. Excellent article.

    Ever notice in high school, losers hang out with losers, pot heads with other pot heads, etc.

    Seb hangs out with the ‘not open mindedness crowd’ of QB dimwits.

    No matter how many times he was told that story of Kap disbelieving in mechanics to fix his accuracy, Seb still clang to him. Like a barnacle on a bilge pump refusing to be flushed with the brackish, fecal mattered waste, it was Seb’s pompous, encylipedic posts that drove posters into the ditch trying to point this out.

    This article was long over due. Now Seb has a choice. Disagree with you (who does this for a living) or Shanahan (same thing).

    1. TrollD, ‘Not open mindedness crowd’ just amply demonstrates your level of intelligence.

      ‘Clang’? Your grammar is deficient.

  21. Report: 49ers have visit scheduled with Alabama O-lineman

    Robinson is 6 foot 6 ¼, 322 pounds with an arm length of 35 ½ inches – the third-longest of any of the 47 offensive linemen invited to the NFL scouting combine. He is projected as a first-round draft pick.

    1. Shanahan is big on O-linemen and I quote:

      ” If your QB can’t go through his reads and get the ball to his playmakers, it doesn’t matter what your offensive linemen or wide receivers are doing.”

      1. Kaepernick, as the 49ers QB, routinely was one of the slowest to throw QBs in the NFL. Frequently leading in the percentage of his attempts that took over 3.5+ seconds.

        For example, in 2013 (Peak Kaepernick) 138 of his dropbacks took longer than 3.5 seconds with a 4.98 second average. That lead to 29 of his 39 sacks.

          1. Prime, you are a legend in your own mind. Considering insults as witty is just pathetic, and defines you.

  22. Two of football’s biggest names have a clear mutual respect for one another. John Lynch recently shared praise for Ohio State’s ability to produce NFL-ready prospects. Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer voiced his admiration for the San Francisco 49ers general manager, tweeting out Lynch’s quote with some context of his own.

    2017-04-04 2:46 PM | Rusty Parker
    Urban Meyer Shouts Out John Lynch on Twitter

    Urban Meyer‏Verified account
    @OSUCoachMeyer

    Wow, what great words from @49ers General Manager & 9 time Pro Bowler John Lynch! Incredible work ethic by these young men in all phases!

    James Menshouse‏ @JamesMenshouse · Apr 4
    Replying to @OSUCoachMeyer @49ers

    That’s great news. Go Buckeyes

    Del Larocque‏ @lawrocket73 · Apr 4

    Replying to @OSUCoachMeyer

    @bucknut1978 @49ers The Bills are loading up on some Buckeyes!!! @awashington_92.
    @Cardale7_

    1. I had a friend at the university, who had an African grey who could cuss like a sailor.

  23. 3. Cam Robinson, Alabama

    6’6″ 322 lbs

    He can be a bulldozer with his power and his burst. Robinson is explosive off the line and gets his hands into the defender with a tight grip. He gets to the second level with quickness and doesn’t have any issue sliding down the line or pulling from the left side.

    His athleticism shines at times and leaves you believing he’s a franchise left tackle.
    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2687979-nfl-draft-400-ranking-the-drafts-top-ots

  24. Peter Schrager‏Verified account @PSchrags 1h1 hour ago

    Here’s one for Wednesday night. Heard from multiple front office execs over last few days. Feeling is now Christian McCaffery goes Top 10.

    1. CM may have lessened his draft stock by sitting out the Bowl game, and there are at least 4 other RBs who may be picked before him. Fournett, Cook, Kamara and Foreman. With this DE and DB talent rich draft, CM may easily fall to the second round.

    1. He’s depressed. Kap signed as a batting practice pitcher with the Havana Gauchos to be paid in plantains and Conch Fritters and Jamaican splibs. But he gets a 57 Chevy Bel Aire convertible with a carbonated 283 and a 16′ surfboard.
      Sweet!

      1. Carbonated! NO!! Carbonated, like Quad, Dual Quad. Six pack; 3-Deuces.
        I don’t think it needs bubbles, hahahahaha.

      2. Those conch fritters can be pretty good… Carbonated? Better use some Gumout!

  25. Seb:
    April 4, 2017 at 10:23 pm

    “McNair may be sick of having the top defense, but lousy QB play has stymied him from reaching the SB”.

    “Think he wants to win too much to have political affiliations stop him from employing some one who may help his team to win it all”.

    “With the top defense, all he wants is for his QB not to suck. I think Kaep reaches that thresh hold, although you may disagree”.

    Seb, I almost coughed up a lung laughing at this post. It is so telling. I don’t even know where to begin. First, know one wants to just “reach” the Super Bowl (see Forty Niners vs Ravens), they want to “win” the Super Bowl. Secondly, if McNair is sick of not reaching the Super Bowl because of lousy QB play, why would he want to sign another lousy quarterback? Al analysis of CK by more than a majority of experts concludes that he is, to put it bluntly, lousy. This is at least half the reason he hasn’t been signed. Film doesn’t lie. We know the other reason why, though many dispute that. I don’t. I think he is being blackballed. But, I also think that if he were an elite QB instead of a doesn’t suck QB, owners would probably overlook the activism. Secondly, teams do not win the SB with great defenses and QB’s who don’t suck (see Forty Niners vs Ravens). I do agree with you that CK reaches the threshold of doesn’t suck. I’d even agree that he is a notch above doesn’t suck. That thresh hold is called LOUSY! While your at it, look up McNair. He was the biggest campaign contributor to Mitch McConnell. He is a big time Trump contributor. He is a staunch conservative. His team resides in one of the reddest states in the union. I can guarantee he will not be signing CK, in the same words as the Jets owner, ever, ever, ever! No way, no how.

    1. Juan, Ya gotta reach the SB before you can win it. Texans have not even reached the AFCC Game.

      Kaep, with a good supporting cast, reached the SB, and was 5 yards from winning it. Texans may want a QB who can make records and win road playoff games. Hoyer threw 4 picks and lost one fumble, so he was not the answer. Osweiler was so bad, they gave away a pick to get rid of him.

      Texans may be content with Savage, but I do not believe they will think that a rookie will become the starter and lead them into the playoffs.

      Teams with great defenses and QBs that suck do win SBs. Just look at the Ravens and Dilfer.

      Many black players come from modest means so may not have staunch conservative outlooks. Still, it is what they do on the field that matters, and I bet the Texans would take a QB who throws 4 times more TDs than picks and has a 90.7 QBR rating if he will lead them further in the playoffs, and maybe even reach the SB, no matter what he believes politically.

      Jets are just cutting off their nose to spite their face if they think McCown is an upgrade over Kaep.

      1. The Jets should get Stephen Curry to play QB for them. He’s a great athlete. He’ll just jump up in the pocket and WHOOSH! Touchdown, nothing but net…

        1. Naw, they should grab Mo Speights. He can take those hits, and likes those long passes.

    2. Occams’ razor.

      1. Few QBs are needed at this time of the year.
      2. Bad QBs, equal (or better) to Kaepernick are available.
      3. No started signed is worse than Kaepernick as a QB.

      The ‘worst’ of the signings, McCown (a WCO QB) has performed as follows over the past four seasons (2013 – 2016):

      60.4% completion — Better than Kaepernick
      42 TDs – 4.1% TD rate — Same as Kaepernick
      25 INT — 2.4% rate — Worse than Kaepernick (1.8% thank to last year’s fluke).
      7244 yards passing – 7.2 yards/attempt — Better than Kaepernick

      And remember, the Jets needed a WCO QB who could serve as a bridge/mentor.

      So where is the blackballing?

      When the worst of the signees is at least as good as Kaepernick;
      AND he is system fit (like Glennon & Hoyer are);
      AND better a QB (Cutler) is on the shelf;
      AND an equal QB (RGIII) is on the shelf;

      Every black-balling conspiracy monger has but bull**** cultural warrior crap for an argument. And, frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cutler, Kaepernick, RGIII AND Fitzpatrick are left out in the cold until someone gets hurt or someone gets really desperate.

      And right, nobody is that desperate to sign any of the four lemons.

      And there is simply put, no tooth to the BS conspiracy-mongered black-balling argument. You may suspect it, but there isn’t a shred of evidence beyond irrational fandom for it.

      He. Just. Sucks.

      1. An anonymous GM admitted he hated Kaep for his protests, so the blackballing theory is alive and well, despite your assertions. Even Juan admits that conservative Trump supporting owners will blackball Kaep from their teams.

        It may not be the total reason for Kaep not being signed, but if you think Hoyer, Osweiler, McCown, and Sanchez are better than Kaep, I will question your football knowledge.

          1. Guess you think the Butt fumbler will lead his new team to the playoffs. Talk about tilting at windmills.

          2. Was Kenny Britt blackballed for his national anthem protest too? No? Why not?

        1. Sebs

          your living in the land of Odd…or Oz. Your back door culture warrior attitudes have given you a penchant for Jim Jones Cool-Aid.

  26. https://www.seccountry.com/lsu/jamal-adams-nfl-draft-top-5

    “The game is definitely changing. I feel like I’m versatile. I can play everything in the back end. I can blitz, cover in the slot. I can sit at 20 yards and go sideline-to-sideline. And I think that’s what sets me apart from other defensive guys in the draft.”

    “I don’t pattern my game after anybody,” Adams said. “There’s guys that I kind of take bits and pieces of their game and try to add it to mine. Whether that’s Tyrann [Mathieu], whether that’s Earl [Thomas] and Brian Dawkins or the greatest, Sean [Taylor]. I just try to take some of the things that I see from them and add it to my game.”

    Miss you Sean Taylor, RIP.

    1. More important than what “draft experts are saying about Reuben Foster’, I’d be interested to know what sports medicine doctors and team psychologists are saying about his NFL career prospects — things that are not on tape.

  27. I must say, Grant is doubling down on his Kaep screeds. Now he is uncoachable and closed minded.

    I beg to differ. Neither Chip nor JH ever said that Kaep was uncoachable. Sounds like Kaep tried hard to do everything they asked, and even trained during the off season. JH never ran the pistol, but I never heard Kaep complain.

    Kaep is not open minded? Yet, he saw grave injustices, and decided to do something about it. He changed his stance by not sitting and only silently kneeling, so he was open enough to change his protest in response to some ones’ feelings. He is open minded enough to see that he has started a dialogue, so he has decided to discontinue his protests. He is open minded enough to see that his protest was hurting his marketability, and was counter productive, so now he will stand.

    1. Screed (source: dictionary.com) — Check no. 5

      noun

      1. a long discourse or essay, especially a diatribe
      2. an informal letter, account, or other piece of writing
      3. Building Trades — a strip of plaster or wood applied to a surface to be plastered to serve as a guide for making a true surface; a wooden strip serving as a guide for making a true level surface on a concrete pavement or the like;
      a board or metal strip dragged across a freshly poured concrete slab to give it its proper level.
      4. British Dialect. a fragment or shred, as of cloth.
      5. Scot — a tear or rip, especially in cloth; a drinking bout.

      1. Hmm, some one said Kaep is Stinkus Maximus, and writes a whole article about how he sucks. Sounds like a screed to me.

              1. At times, Seb behaves as a ‘self licking ice cream cone’, a term found in the military, industry, and government. Defined…

                a) An organization or entity [or individual] whose sole purpose is promoting its own existence and splendor [splendor fits Seb well].

                b) Any act whose primary consequence is the aggrandizement of the actor.

                We love Seb for what he brings to this blog…

              2. Naw, I do not need an excuse to defend Kaep. I just see the unreasoned hate against him, and prefer to defend him by giving my honest opinion, bolstered by facts.

                The level of hate against him has lots of hidden agendas, from both Trump conservatives with racial overtones, and others are trying to curry favor by piling on. Others are just toeing the company line, but will look foolish if Kaep goes to another team and takes the league by storm, again.

                Now KS is pumping up Hoyer, but to me, that is just whistling while walking past the graveyard at midnight. Sounds a little winded and wheezy. Losing Kaep just doomed the Niners to another losing season, but maybe they do not mind because they may be angling for one of next years’ franchise QBs. Hoyer and Barkley along with a spread rookie, will not scare anyone.

                Another factor why the Niners may be dwelling in the cellar again is the division they are in. Both Carrol and Ariens are grizzled veterans who may not be awed by a rookie coach. Mcvay may be younger, but the fact that Fisher is gone may make the Rams a formidable opponent.

                Niners need all the help they can get, so it was refreshing to hear Lynch declare that the door to Kaep is still open. At least that means to me that he may really want to win very much. Despite all the deprecation, Kaep does have skills along with achievements. I noticed that Kaep met with Lynch and KS, and Gamble was let go that afternoon, but maybe that was not enough, and they still kept Paraag, the leaker.

                I can say what I think because I am not worried about my job, and if this team turns south, I can declare that I was the only one calling it correctly early. I certainly am not worried about my detractors, because those are the ones suffering from number 5. Their poor English and misspellings just prove it, along with their unimpressive content.

                I will just continue to post about a team I am a die hard faithful fan of, and my defense of Kaep will be in direct proportion towards the vituperous hate directed at him.

  28. “I think everyone looks at it differently,” Shanahan said. “I personally don’t like to look too far ahead because you never know the situation. If you bank on something completely a year or two years from now, then you get to that situation and it doesn’t work out the way you want it because you can’t control all of it — there are 32 teams — like where we draft. You have got to be fortunate, you have got to be lucky in certain aspects. You can always try to go get that guy with trades and stuff, but it doesn’t always work out. So you have got to take all of that into account. But it’s very risky if the decisions you make in this draft are based off of what is going to happen in the future.”

    http://www.espn.com/blog/san-francisco-49ers/post/_/id/24320/is-patience-a-virtue-in-finding-franchise-quarterback-49ers-still-figuring-it-out

    Good stuff from Shanahan. He knows that getting Cousins isn’t guaranteed.

    1. Yep. Which is why I have always thought the idea of just waiting until next year was ridiculous.

  29. You know what’s weird? The Warriors. Best record in the NBA.

    Again.

    After all those decades of suffering during the Joe Barely Cares era (after trading Robert Parrish & Kevin McHale for him (and helped Anchor multiple Celtic championship quality teams))… The unfilled (and wasted career) of Chris Mullin who was surrounded by scrubs and smurfs… The unforgettable coach-choking Sprewell… The picking up of scrub after scrub… The hordes of bad trades (especially the one for JBC)…

    The Warriors are a great team. And have been consistently great for three years now.
    Which is an incredible thing because until a few years ago I was figuring that Rick Barry lead championship back in ’75 (8th grade) was going to be the peak of my Warriors’ rooting experience.

  30. Listened to the Gary Radnich Podcast with Carmen Policy. He is being inducted in the BASHOF, an honor well deserved. Great interview that was funny and insightful.

    John Lynch, if he wants the Niners to start acting with class, should tell Jed to allow Eddie to design and install a piece in the Niner museum about Carmen Policy.

    It is crass and petty to exclude Carmen Policy, because he was part of those Glory Years, and the Niners may not have accomplished as much without him.

    1. I find nothing conditional or judgmental in your remarks at all.

      I know…why don’t you lead a petition dive to achieve your wishes?.

      1. Naw, when Dwight Clark gets up to speak at the banquet and lavishes praise on Carmen Policy, he will probably point out his exclusion.

        Then the Niner FO will be shamed into doing it. It would better to be pro active and just do it ahead of time, then announce his inclusion during the banquet.

        That way, Jed will look good. It would be a sure sign of the turnaround from petty emo disasters to starting to get back that winning with class mentality.

  31. Moses, excellent case for why CK is not a very good QB. The case has been made too many times to count. That’s not even debatable in my opinion. Those that base their opinion that he is good on what he did 3-4 years ago and blaming everyone and everything for his poor play in the present are presenting a silly, baseless argument. That is also not debatable in my opinion. What is debatable is whether he is also being blackballed, despite his mediocre play. I believe he is. You don’t. Neither of us or anybody else other than the owners really knows the truth, and probably never will. I think his NFL career is over, but I believe it’s because of multiple reasons, not just because he sucks, which he does. What do you think Grant? Is he being blackballed?

    1. Shows how much I know, because I wouldn’t touch him until the 20’s. Hightop takes him at 8, and I gave him an elbow in the side for it. My apologies….

  32. OT, but just wanted to note the passing of Don Rickles. He was a legend and a trailblazer.

    RIP.

    1. Dang. RIP Don. I really enjoyed Don’s appearances on Carson and Letterman. He had great chemistry with both. I’d always laugh when he would rip Dave right to his face. Don, on his own or with Johnny or Dave was elite. Big loss.

  33. If Kaep is being blackballed, than we have to conclude Cutler also being blackballed. Why Cutler? He has talent, lots of starts. Is he being blackballed for whiny-ness and bad body language. Or wait I know of course…he’s a Vegan.

  34. Or he just isn’t very good and he’s too late in his game to change and he’s too old to build around.

    And of course, much more relevant, he’s a Vegan. It always comes back to the Vegan thing. So unfair.

  35. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/04/06/report-49ers-visited-with-dalvin-cook/

    There were rumors about us possibly trading up to get McCaffrey in the 1st round. Would we consider doing that for Cook? IMO Cook is the best of the class and fits our offense.

    Fournette is a great prospect but isn’t a receiving threat. McCaffrey can catch out of the backfield and the slot but I doubt he could carry the ball 20 -25 times a game. Cook can be a workhorse and receiving threat who has big play potential.

    1. I thought he was the best back all year. His vision and suddenness would be a nightmare for opposing defenses in Shanny’s offense….

    2. Jags have been mocked with Fournett, but maybe they will go in state with Cook.

      Of course, if the Panthers leapfrog ahead of them and select Fournett, Cook falls into their lap.

        1. It is, as Kizer in the second would be a good pick, but I still think he’ll go in the first. I predict 4 to go in the first overall: Trubisky, Watson, Mahomes and Kizer. It’s funny because in a year where there doesn’t seem to be any first round caliber QB’s I’m predicting more to be drafted in the first than last season.

          1. This year’s QBs are getting knocked because there are no clear cut top calibre guys. But there is pretty good depth of guys with starter potential.

            1. As we taught our daughters from a young age — ‘potential is a bad boyfriend.’

              If these guys are struggling with major aspects of their games in college (accuracy, touch, footwork, pressure) it’s virtually a certainty that it gets worse in the NFL, not better.

          2. After the 6 names I mentioned it pretty much drops off a cliff in terms of talent and potential. This is why there will be so many taken in the first, the teams that need a QB need to get the best of the few that are available. I seriously doubt teams are seeing a deep QB class and feel they need to act early to get anything even remote decent to work with.

            1. Good points. I see it the same way although I think Peterman and Kaaya have a shot to be as good as any of them if they go to the right team.

            2. Yea, I agree with Peterman. I’m really down on Kaaya though. Him and Kelly I just don’t like.

              1. April 6, 2017 at 3:40 pm
                Kaaya is going to make some people look very silly. ;-)
                —————–
                :)

                One reason I wouldn’t mind that is because I love seeing mid round selections outperform their draft spot. However I think the only people looking silly on this one will be the organization that chooses him.

        2. In so far as it means he may be available at #34. But I question how good a thing that is. I don’t know if fixing ingrained footwork is as easy as Shanahan suggested. Not and have it hold up under fire.

          1. Easier to fix the lower body than the upper body of a quarterback. I agree with Shanahan.

              1. Kizer has already improved it looked to me at his Pro Day. I think he’s coach-able, and it just so happens we have a pretty good one….

              2. Doesn’t matter how willing you are, it is hard to break habits when you also need to be learning and thinking about other things. Kizer may take to training and look amazing throwing the ball in practice, but once it is real it is very easy to revert to habit. In fact you need to. If he is concentrating on his footwork in-game then he isn’t concentrating on the important things as a QB.

                How many repetitions can they dedicate to getting Kizer’s footwork sorted?

              3. Some quarterbacks can pick up new footwork quickly. If Kizer is naturally athletic, he can pick up new footwork over the normal course of offseason practices.

              4. If you believe like Shanny, that he can develop quarterbacks, I can see how he would be intrigued by Kizer’s skill set. Give him a year to get comfy in the offense, meanwhile add offensive weaponry. Keep in mind the 2016 season was so bad at Notre Dame, both coordinators have changed, and Brian Kelly has had to give up play-calling duties. Don’t be surprised if 2017 is his final year….

              5. Play calling had nothing to do with Kizer’s footwork and accuracy issues.

              6. Didn’t say it did, Scooter, but what Robinson and Kizer have done for his footwork to date is impressive. I think Shanny can take him further….

              7. “Some quarterbacks can pick up new footwork quickly. If Kizer is naturally athletic, he can pick up new footwork over the normal course of offseason practices.”

                Sure, it is possible.

                The problem I have is that it isn’t footwork like dropping back that he needs to fix. That’s something that can be fixed fairly easily. However, Kizer’s issue is more about his footwork when throwing. That will be long ingrained in him. People start developing their throwing motion, including footwork, from a very young age. It isn’t that simple to change, as it will completely alter his throwing motion. While he will likely be fine when he concentrates on it, it may take him a very long time for it to become second nature and what he falls back on under pressure.

              8. Footwork in general is easy to fix if the quarterback is willing to change and naturally athletic. Just ask Shanahan.

              9. “Just ask Shanahan.”

                Given my initial statement was I don’t think it is as easy as Shanahan suggests, I don’t see much point! :-P

            1. This is true BUT then there’s Cutler who has had bad foot work since college, regardless of the coaches who’ve tried to change it. The reason is he can get away with bad footwork 9-times-out-of-10. And on the 10th time he throws off the back foot it’s a pick and “Mr. Hang Dog” body language. (Defeatist)

              The point being a ‘chance’ isn’t a certainty and guys with strong arms, like Lord Voldemort & Cutler, etc. are virtually impossible to change. And that’s because all through prep and college their coaches did nothing to change the bad habits of their physically gifted ‘winner’ at QB. And everything they did wrong really didn’t matter against the secord-rate & third-rate college/prep athletes they competed against.

              By the time they get to the NFL. It’s too late. Even if they make changes, they rarely stick when things get tough, like with pressure in the pocket.

              1. “And that’s because all through prep and college their coaches did nothing to change the bad habits of their physically gifted ‘winner’ at QB. And everything they did wrong really didn’t matter against the secord-rate & third-rate college/prep athletes they competed against.”

                When I read that part, the vision of recent 49er QB came into view. Go figure.

              2. Yet, if that QB had been setting records for production, being the first QB to pass for 10,00 yards while running for 4,000 yards, why mess with his delivery?

                It would be like making a pitcher change his delivery or a golfer change his swing. If it aint broke, dont fix it.

                So what if he does not have a Dan Marino quick delivery? Not many do. I did not see very many balls batted down at the line of scrimmage. The better way to help would have been to sign 3 FA WRs or draft a WR before the 6th round to get him some good weapons to throw to.

                But no, do not blame a turnstile O line or cut FA third string WRs, blame only the QB.

          2. Agree, Scooter. IMO, it’s the under fire part I think that affects QBs more than any other position. Defensive players coming from all directions out of what seems like nowhere and sometimes you only seem them at the last second. It’s hard not to respond with an ingrained body position under that scenario. With other positions you have a better awareness of what is going on around you (WRs and RBs less so, but more so than a QB).

    1. Watson and Trubisky in the first. Kizer and Mahomes in the second. Webb and Peterman in the third.

      Most teams will concentrate on getting the BPA, and that means defense.

  36. 6 in the first two rounds:

    Round 1: Trubisky, Kizer, Watson, Mahommes

    Round 2: Webb, Dobbs

    1. I see 4 QBs in the first too. Teams will be moving back into the first to secure their targeted player.

      1. Personally I think these views are inflated because of team needs rather than because of skills of players coming out. Those players are not first round players imho. They are not ready for NFL level play. I will be shocked if they go in the first round but not totally shocked as the league becomes more and more reactionary. To be honest if they do this they ought to pick up journey men who have better experience (cough, cough, Kap and others) but they may be trying to save a buck or two and carry the eve of the future. Dumb move if this is the case.

  37. I think Kizer would potentially be another serial heart-breaker just like Kaepernick and DeBerg were. They play just good enough to take your breath away while compiling highlight reels, then lose the game in the last moments with bad decisions. Please, let’s not go there again.

    1. http://www.ndinsider.com/football/notre-dame-qb-deshone-kizer-a-history-of-c-l/article_193e890a-7b52-11e6-9efa-67495cdcd3fb.html

      “Shine a spotlight on DeShone Kizer, and the results are often C-L-U-T-C-H.”

      “Look, if you’ve got a really good quarterback you’ve got a chance, and he’s a really good quarterback,” Kelly said. “He knows what he’s doing. He knows how to do it and he’s working to get better at it every single day. He gives you a shot at winning every game you play.”

      1. Well the date on that article is middle of September 2016. That was before he had his relatively poor season. And would Kelly say that about him now?

        1. I thought Kelly had his worst season coaching since arriving at Notre Dame, and I get the feeling this may be his last year….

          1. I’ll defer to you on that since I know you’re a big ND fan. Do you think NFL teams can take into account the “bad coaching” that Kizer might have received when they evaluate him. Or do you think Kizer will be the victim even if a part or even most of the relatively poor year wasn’t his fault.

            1. I think they realize the situation. He lost a lot of NFL talent, and Kelly did him no favors with the play calling. As I told Scooter, both coordinators have been replaced, and Kelly has lost play-calling duties….

        2. Cubus,

          Kelly just did an interview a few days ago where he was asked about Kizer and he stated that Kizer should have come back for another year. That is my view as well, but I’d take him if he’s there in round 2.

  38. AZ CARDS WIRE:

    Should Cardinals draft Patrick Mahomes or DeShone Kizer in 1st round?

    Will this be the year then?

    Admittedly, this is not the best draft class, and even though coahc Bruce Arians has complimented it, he may be trying to deceive other teams into thinking they’ll take on at number 13.

    So could they draft Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes or Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer?

    It seems to be between the two of them. They have the size and the arm strength that Arians craves.
    http://cardswire.usatoday.com/2017/04/05/should-cardinals-draft-patrick-mahomes-or-deshone-kizer-in-1st-round/

  39. 49ers worked out South Florida WR/KR Rodney Adams

    The 49ers are looking at a speedy receiver out of South Florida.

    Adams stands 6’1 and weighs 187 pounds. He has been working to put on weight, adding seven pounds this offseason.

    CBS Sports projects him as a seventh round pick or potential priority free agent. With a 4.44 40-yard dash on his side, his best bet at making an NFL roster as a rookie could be in a returner role.

  40. NFL Draft rumors: Another mention of the 49ers and Reuben Foster, Leonard Fournette

    We now have two people reporting on the 49ers interest in Reuben Foster and Leonard Fournette.

    by David Fucillo@davidfucillo Apr 6, 2017, 7:41am PDT

    If Breer spoke with people other than those who Miller spoke with, this certainly adds some intrigue. My guess is the 49ers would like to see someone move up to draft Fournette, so they are happy to put the word out about both prospects. The Carolina Panthers are rumored to be interested in Fournette, and so they might be inclined to move up.
    http://www.ninersnation.com/2017/4/6/15205650/nfl-draft-rumors-49ers-reuben-foster-leonard-fournette

  41. The Niners Wire Seven-Round Mock

    Round 1, No. 2: Reuben Foster (linebacker
    Round 2, No. 34: Joe Mixon (running back
    Round 3, No. 66: Carl Lawson (edge)
    Round 4, No. 109: Corn Elder (cornerback)
    Round 5, No. 143: Joshua Dobbs (quarterback)

    Joshua Dobbs is an interesting pick, as there has been some buzz building the quarterback from Tennessee.
    People interested in the next Dak Prescott should spend more time checking out Tennessee’s, Joshua Dobbs.

    Josh Dobbs 2016 Highlights || “Space Dobbs” ||
    .
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh_TFX3barI#t=40.1875615

  42. Bill Walsh liked his intelligent QB’s. Montana had a degree in Marketing, scoring well in his Calculus Mathematics courses; Steve Young has a Doctorate Degree, JD.

    It’s not far fetched that Shanahan could draft Dobbs and redshirt him a year behind an excellent football mind in Hoyer.

    Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering

    Q&A with Joshua Dobbs
    Aerospace engineering student and UT football quarterback, Joshua Dobbs, took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions about his freshman year.

    http://mabe.utk.edu/qa-with-joshua-dobbs/

  43. Trump Repeals Workplace Protections Set Under Obama

    Women and LGBTQIA employees of federal contractors will become more vulnerable under the revocation of an Obama-era regulation that provides them with more protections in the workplace. Mother Jones reported on the lamentable irony Trump revoked “parental leave and sexual harassment protections the week before Equal Pay Day,” along with other rollbacks of workplace equity and justice:

    “It’s sending a message to these companies … that the federal government simply doesn’t care whether or not they violate the law,” Camilla Taylor, senior counsel at Lambda Legal told Keen News Service.
    MARK KARLIN, EDITOR OF BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT

        1. OK, no problem. There’s been a tad too much of that lately here IMO, irrespective of any particular bias.

    1. Al Davis, back when he was still cogent, said that Top 5 Picks should indeed be a Pro Bowlers. I don’t recall that he demanded they make it their Rookie year, or put any timetable on it.

      1. One can expect all they want. Performance as seasons unfold tells the story. And, we know that performance has many variables. Fun.

          1. What I found interesting was the success rate of UFA’s. Makes since though given you can go after who you want without waiting until it’s your turn….

            1. Also, teams can sign up to 10 UDFAs, but usually only one for each round, so the law of averages help the UDFAs just by sheer numbers.

      1. Yeah, but expectations don’t alway mirror reality. Over 50% of marriages end in divorce, yet few newly married couples think it will happen to them. And that’s probably a good thing for the institution of marriage.

    2. Definitely not. Outside of QB I think the only expectation of a top 5 pick is that they can start their rookie year.

  44. Clever mix of answering the question and injecting politics. Did that just come to you spontaneously or have you been waiting to add that in :)

  45. “Adam Caplan is reporting Hightower received $1,107,000 on his one year contract, with $300,000 of that guaranteed.”
    ————
    Peanuts, no guarantee he makes the 53.

      1. They must like something about Harris they had plenty of other choices and although I agree mostly on Davis we’ll have to see if being in a new offense or having new coaches has any impact.

        They signed Hightower for almost nothing, he clearly didn’t have many(any?) other options if that was the type of contract he was willing to take. He’s hanging on by a thread, I wouldn’t guarantee his spot over anybody at this point.

          1. Probably but that’ll just be a reason for the team to keep him over Hightower.

              1. How convenient then that Harris is making 300k less then Hightower. They can cut Hightower for Harris and it’s a wash salary wise.

              2. The house’s money says they really don’t think much about him at all and if he happens to look better then a two year younger nobody he gets to keep his job.

              3. Not the biggest fan of Hyde personally not really sure how much Shanahan is. We could see one in any round.

              4. I’d generally like a back with more receiving experience for a West Coast offense but I don’t know that he can’t become a good receiver. He’ll have to transition to zone running but again I don’t know that he can’t excel in that area as well.

                I see the RB position as the lowest learning curve in the NFL. Outside of learning to block most of that positions success is based heavily upon the intrinsic instincts and physical tools of the runner.

  46. Who will the Niners draft?

    Well, last year, everyone was hot for Goff or Wentz. However, I preferred Kevin Hogan who was available in the 5th round.

    Baalke chose Rashad Robinson in the 4th, and 2 picks later, the Cowboys drafted Dak Prescott. Dak was the only rookie to lead his team into the playoffs, so 4th round picks do have value. 7 other QBs were chosen before Dak, so the draft is an inexact science.

    Niners waited until 13 other QBs were chosen and selected Jeff Driskel in the 6th, who was cut and wound up in Cincy.

    This season, the Niner QB situation is more dire, so they should not wait 6 rounds to select a QB. However, the QB class has been ranked weak, so selecting the BPA will not be a QB, and the Niners should trade back, accumulate additional second and third round picks and select a QB before the 4th round.

    Grant predicts Kizer, but he has weaknesses, with accuracy being a big one. I prefer Webb, but if Kizer falls into the second round and the Niners traded back, maybe Kizer could be selected with one of the later second round picks. Otherwise, if Kizer and Webb are taken earlier, the Niners should look hard at Kaaya, Dobbs or Evans in the later rounds.

    No matter what, I personally believe Kaep may be the best choice, but KS may want to wait for Cousins, since Washington is up against the salary cap and will not be able to sign him long term.

    1. “No matter what, I personally believe Kaep may be the best choice”

      Nobody cares what you believe!

      1. That’s probably because you think like the Seb-skov. And, like much of the Mighty Quinn’s ramblings, you end it with an insult.

        You must. You have no choice. You can’t sway anyone to your line of thinking, so you have to insult them. No worries……….you’ll do it again and again. Watch for it.

        1. Pot, meet kettle. Saw, you seem to dwell on snark, but you try to hide your insults by being funny, and fail miserably.

        2. L, I hope you post more.

          I agree. Jake Browning is my preference for drafting a QB next year, over the UCLA and USC QBs.

          I also like Lamar Jackson, but think Browning may be more durable.

  47. Rotoworld:

    NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport confirms the Seahawks are likely seeking a high draft pick and “potentially a very good player on a low contract” in Richard Sherman trade talks.
    The Miami Herald had it first on Thursday morning. Even for a player of Sherman’s caliber, teams will almost never part with both a premium player and pick. It’s one or the other, typically a pick. A first-rounder could be the best Seattle could hope for.

    1. They picked the wrong year to expect top dollar, because the talent pool at the position is stocked full in this draft….

        1. Because it’s so appropriate to a football site? NO!
          I don’t want Grant to tell you to stop.
          I want you to exercise context s of-discipline.
          Freedom of speech isn’t free.

          1. Van says,

            “This is a football room!”

            But his last two posts have been about censoring free speech and had nothing to do with football.

          2. Dude, just scroll past. I have not engaged in the political dialogue, but it is not hurting me to see it on here. Sometimes they have valid points.

            However, I am just concentrating on the Niners, and maybe you should do the same.

        2. C’mon, “80……….

          I’m not telling you……….I’m asking you, in all humility, please…No more politics! You just open the door for those who know whats best for all of us.

          1. saw,

            Since you asked nicely I will go back to only talking politics if someone else brings it up, which I rarely did anyway.

    1. Yup, this is why I never include trades in my mocks. The Carolina trade rumor had the Panthers trading up for Fournette or Lattimore. I doubt it happens with the depth at HB and CB.

    2. Brodie, it’s just as we suspected. This draft is a bear market, and might set a record for least amount of trades in the first round….

      1. Two years ago the first trade didn’t occur until pick #15. Funnily enough, that was the 49ers trading back to #17.

        It can be difficult to find trade partners at the top of the draft unless there is a transcendent talent or a top QB prospect.

        1. Last season, there were 2 trade backs even before the draft.

          There are still 3 weeks before the draft so lots can happen.

          1. Yep. The two teams trading up were after QBs. Highly doubt that will happen again this year.

            1. Spot on Scooter. I would add that if this draft had a QB worth trading up for at #2 we would take him.

            2. Both Cleveland and the Jets need QBs.

              Cleveland could be the most logical trading back partner because they have a ton of picks.

              1. 49ers need a QB too. The most logical would be the 49ers just draft a QB at #2, if there was one worth taking at that spot. But there isn’t. Other teams will see the same thing as you are hoping the 49ers will.

              2. When did Kyle S. say that? I’ve seen him talk about him being a quality QB but elite?Seb, you have a fertile mind!

              3. East, just a little Hyperbole. However, it does sound like he is comfortable with Hoyer as the starter.

              4. Of course he is, he has stated as much and has worked with him in the past, though I’m sure if he found an upgrade he would go with it as well. That is why he doesn’t have starter salary.

              5. Like my everybody must get stoned comment, I said it tongue in cheek.

                Of course, you know who I prefer, and if Lynch opens the door and signs him, the Niners can concentrate on trading back and fixing the defense.

                Even with Kaep, the Niners should draft a QB, and Webb is my choice, but Cousins is a wild card and next year’s draft may be the place to find the future franchise QB.

                That is why I was making fun of KS. While he was pumping up Hoyer as a quality QB, they paid him backup money.

      2. Razor, that’s my fear. The motivation for the 49ers to trade back is the same disincentive for teams to trade up… unless a team’s targeting a quarterback.

        On the optimistic side…
        – There are alot of teams than need a quarterback. I can see some teams wanting to make an insurance trade up. Nothing like last year’s booty for the Browns and Titans, but not bad.
        – Just because many press and fans value the players 2-6 fairly equally doesn’t mean Lynch and Shanahan do. There could be one player (after Garrett) that fits what they want to a tee, and doesn’t have injury issues.

  48. Hey Razor, this is for you, straight from Niners Wire / USA Today:

    No player has been projected to go to San Francisco more than Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. The case against that pick is simple for anyone that’s watched Thomas play. He’s not an edge player and not as versatile as his 4.69-second 40 at the combine would indicate.

    He lacks flexibility and technique off the edge to play LEO in San Francisco’s new defense. And at 273 pounds, he would be a part-time player as a 3- or 5-technique in passing situations only, while DeForest Buckner, Quinton Dial and Arik Armstead would all play ahead of him initially. Thomas might turn into a special player, but his in-between frame is a liability until he adds 10 or 15 pounds to anchor against the run while blocked by NFL linemen.

    1. Good find 49. As the draft gets closer, I am becoming a doubting Thomas. In addition to the stuff in your post, Thomas is a one year wonder. The only way that Thomas is a slam dunk is if you lower the rim to account for his lack of size.

      1. Thanks #80.

        By the way, I appreciate our lively but civilized debate. I know this is not a political forum, but I find comfort in debating someone who may have a different point of view, but is also someone who is at least thoughtful and knowledgeable, and is paying attention, and I respect that.

        1. As for Thomas…..while I think he’s got potential to find his niche and become a productive pro, I think he’s a player who would have limited initial impact on the 49ers roster. Because he’s not an edge rusher, I’ve been arguing he’d likely be buried on the depth chart for quite some time while trying to add weight, and I am always weary of the impact adding an additional 15 lbs can have on a players quickness and agility. I’ve heard him compared to Aaron Donald time and time again, but Donald entered the league at least 13 lbs heavier Thomas, stronger than Thomas, and a lower center of gravity than Thomas, giving him a substantial edge on the interior.

          1. That is why I have advocated trading back, with mocking Taco Charlton, and selecting an ILB in the second or third round.

            Taco has the size to play the line, and has shown to be a disruptive element.

            While I would be content to stay at 2 and select King Solomon, he does not fill a glaring need because of Armstead and Buckner. Trading back would leverage the number 2 pick into additional second and third round picks.

        2. One more political point. For the record, I am also not fond of either political party. I think our political system is a broken shell controlled by big money and special interests. However, I do find I have more in common with the Democratic platform.

          When the day comes where a 3rd party can actually compete on a national level, I’ll be first in line to change my political affiliation.

          Unfortunately, until we overturn Citizens United, we are stuck with our broken, 2 party democratic system that, thanks to recent changes in the way the Senate operates, now more closely resembles a Parliamentary system.

        3. Thanks 49.

          Yes, it was a well informed and healthy discussion from both of us. Good job, and I can tell you are a news junkie like me. We both want the truth and accountability.

    2. I am ignoring Niners Wire’s view of the prospects because they have shown an obvious bias towards Thomas and other draft prospects in favor of pumping up their draft crush Hooker.

      1. Niners Wire just laid out 5 possible trade back scenarios. Too bad they were totally unbalanced and the Niners would lose from 400 to 900 points on the draft value chart.

        They advocated the Saints trade, but ignored the fact that the Saints have 2 first round picks. They advocated the Titans, but they too, have 2 first round picks, and both of the Titans first round picks would balance out exactly on the draft value chart. Then they want to let Carolina steal Fournett for a song.Then the trade to Washington would benefit Washington, when the best strategy would be to wait and not give up a single pick for him. The Broncos trade assumes the Niners trade back with the Saints, which may be unlikely considering the compensation.

        They forgot Cleveland, which has 2 first round and 2 second round picks.

  49. As I continue my draft evaluations, I am consistently impressed with the depth of quality RB’s in this draft class! The 49ers can land a very, very good RB as late as the 5th round. Lot’s of options.

    1. I agree. This draft class is deep in talent. The only 2 areas that are weak are the QBs and O line, and even some O linemen look good with 300 pounders running 5.1 forties.

      Jeremy McNichols, Brian Hill, De’Angelo Henderson and T J Logan may be later round draft gems.

      1. +1 Seb. McNichols in particular, looks like a very good fit with Hyde, and the 49ers new offense.

  50. http://www.ninersnation.com/2017/4/5/15184244/49ers-defense-2017-nfl-draft-options

    “In the end, I went with Foster for several reasons:
    A: The 49ers run defense was putrid in 2016 and Foster should instantly upgrade that particular area.
    B: Linebackers are absolutely crucial to the success of this scheme and this is an area with major question marks over it, at all three positions. Even the supposed surest thing – Bowman at MIKE – has some uncertainty surrounding his availability and performance levels, as he is coming off his second major injury in four seasons.
    Foster could play MIKE, or alternatively be a force at WILL against the run, as a blitzer, as well as in coverage on tight ends, running backs and even slot receivers. Shutting down the short to intermediate areas of the field should be the bread and butter of a defense and it is not clear if the 49ers have the personnel to do that at any of the three linebacker spots.”

    1. I would certainly be on board with Foster. He’s everything you look for in a 4-3 Linebacker, IMO. A rare blend of physical attributes, combined with instincts. Like you said, he’s versatile enough to stand out at multiple linebacker positions on this defense, and, IMO, Linebacker is the teams biggest, most urgent need, just ahead of a dynamic edge pass rusher.

      Just curious #80, do you have a strong preference for where and who the 49ers should draft at WR and RB?

      1. After the Bowman and Armstrong injuries last season, I found our ILB Corp to be nearly unwatchable last season. After those injuries I can honestly say the 49ers group of starting linebackers were the worst I can remember watching in memory. I don’t recall ever seeing the 49ers field a more inept, ineffective, and athletically challenged group of ILB’s over the last few decades of watching the Niners.

      2. I think we have to go defense at #2. My top 3 WRs and RBs are Ross, Davis, Williams and Cook, Fournette, and McCaffrey. I don’t think any of them will be there at #34.

        Kamara is intriguing, but I think you can find similar talent later on with a deep RB class. Also, Bobby Turner has turned late round
        talent into stars.

        Although he hasn’t been linked to us I would target Donnel Pumphrey in the 4th. He is a great fit with excellent vision and receiving skills. He has big play speed. He is a bit small but he would share time with Hyde. He would have this offseason and next years to bulk up and take the starting job, allowing us to let Hyde walk as a FA.

        The are many 2nd tier WRs, so I would target Josh Reynolds in the 5th. He is tall and a deep threat. He is a hard worker and a quick study. I think he would eventually have a route tree with many limbs. Shanny would love him.

    1. For me, Tartt is puzzling player. He doesn’t seem to be developing as a player since he was drafted. That said, he certainly has intriguing athletic qualities. It appears to be a mental thing for him. Perhaps he’s a late bloomer, but I am not holding my breath. It

    2. I totally agree that Baalke was playing his favorites and players were playing out of position, but the tape on Tartt showed him a step late and taking bad angles.

      Being from a small college, he had great success, but up against pros, he did not shine. The Niners should not count on him, and I hope they draft Obi Melifonwu, and let Tartt back him up.

      1. You people are clowns with this idiotic Baalke is Lucifer mentality. If that was true, Carradine would have been on the field. Jenkins wouldn’t have been traded. Garnett would have started Day 1 instead of just 11 games.

        I mean, really, just take a reality pill or something.

        1. Baalke as Lucifer…great comment! Even Baalke as Voldemort would a bit much.

          1. Cassie, since you are representing yourself as the daughter of Baalke, your comments are too predictable.

            1. Friday morning, beautiful day, come on the blog and guess what?
              Sebnnoying still snivelling over mindless things. Wow!

              1. Prime, you are the one sniveling. Whining and complaining about my posts is getting irritating, but I do not think you can talk cogently about anything else, so you devolve into hurling insults.

                Have a nice day.

              2. I’ve been complaining about your posts since you got here. So has everyone else.
                That’s why you’ve been baptized as Sebnnoying!

        2. Tank could not get on the field because he was another Baalke ACL pick. Baalke gave him every chance in the world, but he just could not do the job.

          Jenkins was traded for another draft bust.

          Beadles was the sole FA acquisition (Other than DEVEY), so Baalke made sure they played him. In fact, he put Beadles at LG, Garnett’s natural position and sat Garnett, until they realized that Garnett should not be sitting on the side lines. Then they made Garnett play out of position. Once Kilgore went down, and Beadles moved to center, did Garnett finally start at LG, and they actually won a game.

          Quit kissing Baalke’s rear end.

    3. I think he’s not really worth of much thought.

      His tackling in space is terrible. He lead the 49ers in missed tackles in 2015 (13) despite only 8 starts. Don’t know how many he had last year, but it was bunch. He can’t cover receivers though he’s adequate against TEs.

      He takes too many bad angles which lead to too many lunging/arm tackles. He also, stupidly, fails to wrap sometimes when he wants to make the ‘big hit.’ And this is a problem he had in college as well. Even in his last college game against Oklahoma he missed multiple tackles and blew an number of coverages.

      At this point, I just don’t see the love.

  51. Tank is non-op. Get him the F out of there. Another annoying choice Trent made.

    Plus Carradine is a Vegan. That’s the fork he’s done.

Comments are closed.