The draft is always filled with surprises, meaning after the first two rounds the Niners might not have Von Miller or Patrick Peterson or Christian Ponder or Andy Dalton. And they might not draft Owen Marecic in the fifth round, either.
Stanzi lacks sizzle, but evidently has 49ers’ attention
Jim Harbaugh, who attended Iowa’s second pro day on Monday in Iowa City, prefers football-obsessed, film-room junkies at the quarterback position and Ricky Stanzi grades well in that area.
Mailbag: No Patrick Peterson or Von Miller … then what?
Due to popular demand (one person on Twitter), we present the inaugural Inside the 49ers mailbag. If your question doesn’t appear below, it could appear in Mailbag No. 2:
NFL Draft: Niners could gamble on a slot
A No. 3 wide receiver isn’t the most pressing of the Niners’ draft needs, but it’s likely somewhere on the list. And with a pair of big-bodied wideouts in Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan, it wouldn’t be a surprise if San Francisco targets a slot receiver.
NFL goes to court; what teams will go to Canton?
If the labor impasse wipes out offseason minicamps, it’s likely many teams – particularly those with first-year coaches such as the 49ers – would want to be playing in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 7 in Canton, Ohio (assuming the game isn’t wiped out by a lockout).
Week 1 starter: Bulger? Hasselbeck? Johnson?
Assuming Alex Smith heads elsewhere, one of the five quarterbacks below could start San Francisco’s next regular-season game. Here’s a look:
Davis replaces Plummer in booth; Harbaugh in Iowa
The team announced today that Eric Davis will replace his former 49ers teammate, Gary Plummer, as the radio color analyst for Niners games on KNBR. Ted Robinson will remain the play-by-play man. Davis has served as a color analyst for preseason games on CBS 5 for the past three seasons and has been a 49ers analyst for CSN Bay Area the past two years.
49ers backfield: Gore, Dixon and one of those little guys?
The Niners, presumably, are looking for a back capable of complementing their present power duo of Frank Gore (5-9, 217) and Anthony Dixon (6-1, 233). They are in the luck given the depth of this year’s class. The problem? Which pint-sized back should they pick?
A breather for the Bell Cow? It could finally happen
In the 23 full games Gore has played since 2009, he’s had 426 of the 466 carries given to 49ers running backs, or 91.4 percent. Is that a lot? Well, it’s a higher percentage than Kansas City’s Larry Johnson had in 2006 when he set the NFL record for carries. Johnson had 416 of the 470 carries given to Chiefs running backs, or 88.5 percent.
Draft analyst: Light’s coming on for Jake Locker
Locker completed 38 of 40 passes at his pro day and Rang says he’s seen him look better on just one occasion. That would be Locker’s performance in the final game of his junior season when he completed 19 of 23 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-10 romp over Cal (he also rushed for 77 yards and two TDs on 14 carries).
The best of the last, Part 2: We have a winner
The Niners, for all their Raushan Woods-esque bombs, have actually drafted fairly well long after the commissioner has left the stage at Radio City Music Hall. In fact, they’ve drafted enough late-round players — ranging from functional to very good — to inspire “The 49ers’ Top-10 Sixth- or Seventh-Round Picks Since 2000” series.
The best of the last: Rattay, Battle among late-round finds
In a highly anticipated two-part blog series, we present “The 49ers’ Top-10 Sixth- or Seventh-Round Picks Since 2000.”
Reported visit underscores Harbaugh’s emphasis on TEs
Brackett’s visit would seem to underscore Jim Harbaugh’s desire to stockpile tall, athletic and versatile tight ends. The 6-foot-6, 248-pound Brackett, who ran a 4.53 40-yard dash at his pro day, certainly appears to possess the preferred attributes.
Question to Ponder: Will Niners trade up to get QB?
In this article, Pete Prisco of CBS Sports quotes an unnamed NFL coach as saying he prefers Ponder to Auburn’s Cam Newton. Ponder’s stock is rising as he’s put to rest questions regarding lingering arm issues. In addition, he presumably impressed teams in one-on-one meetings at the combine with his Xs-and-Os smarts.
PFW suggests Harbaugh remains big Josh Johnson fan
In 2006, Johnson’s junior season at Division I-AA USD, Harbaugh declared that Johnson was the best quarterback in college football. Yes, that included the quarterback who was on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy at Ohio State with 86 percent of the first-place votes. Some guy named Troy Smith.
Niners add two compensatory picks to late-round collection
The NFL announced its compensatory draft picks today and San Francisco was awarded two seventh-round selections, Nos. 238 and 249 overall (they lost free agents Arnaz Battle and Tony Pashos and only signed David Carr). With the additional selections, the 49ers have a league-high 12 draft picks, five being sixth- or seventh-round selections.
Lombardi identifies Bulger as likely Niners’ QB target
In looking beyond the draft at the Niners’ quarterback situation, Lombardi sees San Francisco as potential players for Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer, assuming he’s on the trade market. And he also “fully expects” the Niners to pursue free agent Marc Bulger, not a name that’s generally been linked to San Francisco.
Vernon’s tweets also hint at possible violation
Vernon Davis’ tweets would seem to offer more evidence that Harbaugh was unaware of the dead-period rule and hadn’t issued a hush-hush edict to his players.
Rocket-footed Niners kicker undeterred by rule change
Let’s see … the Fort Pierce Fire to the St. Lucie Bobcats to the Arizona Rattlers to the Sacramento Mountain Lions to the San Francisco 49ers practice squad. After the one-of-a-kind road he’s traveled to the NFL’s fringes, what’s another five yards to rocket-footed kicker Fabrizio Scaccia?
26-27-60 theory not quite as simple as 1-2-3
Sure, it can reasonably said that most successful NFL quarterbacks can check two items off the list (a Wonderlic of at least 26, at least 27 college starts, a minimum 60 percent completion rate). But so can many ordinary NFL quarterbacks (see Palko, Tyler; Davis, Nate).