Vernon Davis (6-foot-3, 250 pounds) and backups Delanie Walker (6-0, 242) and Nate Byham (6-4, 268) are the type of big-bodied, athletic and versatile tight ends that Harbaugh targeted at Stanford: The Cardinal’s tight-end trio this past season featured Coby Fleener (6-6, 244), Zach Ertz (6-6, 249) and Konrad Reuland (6-6, 257).
Locker, Kaepernick and Ponder! Oh my!
Rang considers Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert the only quarterback worthy of the Niners’ No. 7 overall pick. He doesn’t view Auburn’s Cam Newton or Arkansas’ Ryan Mallet as good fits for the West Coast Offense.
NFL Draft: Calling all first-round QBs … hello?
Lande doesn’t see a potential franchise quarterback in the draft. In fact, he currently doesn’t see a quarterback worthy of a first-round pick, although he’s reserving some judgment on the top-32-worthiness of Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert.
Power ball: Harbaugh played smash-mouth at Stanford
Banker, who served for one year as the Chargers defensive coordinator, described Stanford under Harbaugh as a smash-mouth running team with a sophisticated NFL passing attack that made effective use of its tight ends.
Hoener to Panthers; Young gave Rodgers an assist
As if it wasn’t painful enough for Niners fans to watch Aaron Rodgers flourish, here comes this revelation via SI.com: Green Bay’s quarterback received important career advice three years ago from Steve Young, one of his boyhood idols when he was growing up in Chico.
Did Harbaugh mean what he said?
In other words, when Harbaugh said he thought Alex Smith could be a winning quarterback in the NFL he meant this: He thought Alex Smith could be a winning quarterback in the NFL.
Harbaugh: ‘I believe that Alex Smith can be a winning QB’
On Friday, Harbaugh reiterated that the Niners “would uncover every stone” in finding a quarterback. But he also indicated that he’d started his evaluation of Smith. And his initial review was favorable.
Niners hire Bobby Engram
Engram spent eight seasons with the Seahawks (2001-08) and played in the West Coast Offense, a system the Niners will implement this season. At 34, Engram set career-highs in receptions (94) and yards (1,147) in 2007.
A mock draft to Bank(s) on?
Sports Illustrated’s Don Banks broke the Jeff-Fisher-is-out-in-Tennessee story on Thursday. Banks evidently had the news before some of the Titans assistant coaches. With Banks’ obvious connections in mind, perhaps his mock draft (click here) is actually more like the answer key.
It’s Miller time. Again.
For his part, Watson ticked off a variety of attributes – acceleration, technique and a “great motor” – but he kept coming back to Miller’s hands. At 237 pounds, Miller isn’t huge, but Watson made it sound like he could crush skulls with his meat hooks.
Senior Bowl standout Miller stood out on film
Von Miller, by many accounts, has been the star of the Senior Bowl this week in Mobile, Ala. And the Butkus Award winner figures to be moving up draft boards as a result. The 49ers, in desperate need of a pass-rushing outside linebacker for their 3-4 defense, surely have Miller among the candidates to select with the No. 7 overall pick, if he’s available.
Baalke: Harbaugh’s first QB project was Harbaugh
Baalke said Harbaugh knows how to maximize a quarterback’s talent because he did it himself as a player. In other words, the first quarterback Harbaugh developed was Jim Harbaugh, who parlayed average physical ability into a 15-year NFL career.
NFL Draft: Have West Coast Offense, need quarterback
Or will they draft for defense at No. 7 overall and target a potential second-round pick such as TCU’s Andy Dalton? And what’s up with Washington’s Jake Locker, who was viewed as a potential No. 1 overall pick at this time last year? And could Auburn’s Cam Newton really be a West Coast quarterback? And …
The latest Niners legend: Patrick Willis
Maybe it’s because he bolted into the backfield with an impossibly large black cast on his broken right hand. And maybe it’s because, looking back, I know he suffered further damage to his hand and needed a second surgery following the game. Or maybe it’s just because, in my mind, everything about the Niners was substandard and embarrassing in that game until Willis, like a Porsche surrounded by Pintos, made that play.
Patrick Willis named to AP All-Pro first team
Willis is the first player in team history to be named All-Pro in each of his first four seasons. Running back Hugh McElhenny was an All-Pro in his first three seasons (1952-54), earning first-team honors his first two years in the league.
Report: Bengals’ Palmer wants to be traded
Palmer, who turned 31 on Dec. 27, has endured a steady stream of dysfunction and defeats during his eight-year career in Cincinnati. The Bengals, who went 4-12 in 2010, have had two winning seasons since 2003.
Spikes nominated for NFL Man of the Year Award
In 2003, Spikes launched 51 Ways, Inc. with former NFL linebacker Carlos Emmons. Spikes and Emmons have lost family members to cancer and their foundation provides financial, spiritual and physical support to families of children with cancer and blood disorders.
Four coaches will be retained, but will Alex Smith?
When asked about being a first-year NFL coach and dealing with the uncertainty regarding the league’s labor situation, Harbaugh busted out one of his mottos, coming, perhaps, to a T-shirt near you, “All obstacles can and must be overcome.”
NFL Draft: A pass rusher, please
San Francisco hasn’t had a player record more than 8.5 sacks in a season since 2002 when Andre Carter had 12.5. In addition, Parys Haralson is the only San Francisco linebacker to rank higher than 29th in the NFL in sacks in the past eight seasons.
Report: Niners contact Browns’ Seely
During his tenure in New England, the Patriots led the NFL in kickoff-return average (23.5) and ranked eighth in punt-return average (9.9). New England also ranked second with 11 returns for touchdowns, including eight on kickoffs.
