San Francisco 49ers NFL Column

   By Frank Misaege

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Niner Draft:  How Was It?

The 49er draft has been called “unsexy”, “boring”, “F-150”, and a number of other terms.  It’s true, it was a “no-glitter” kind of draft...but what does that really mean?  Well, I’ll explain.  Many forecasters had predicted the Niners would go after one of the marquee WR’s, an OT, a pass rusher, etc.  Watching the first round, when no receivers were taken for the first time since 1990, and seeing all the top OT’s come off the board, I grew increasingly excited at the prospect DT Kentwan Balmer could fall to us.  Fall he did, and most Niner fans are ecstatic about what he brings.  First of all, size...6-5, 300 lbs and versatility...he can play DT/NT and DE.  He and newcomer Justin Smith represent a significant upgrade to the Niner DL.  Balmer was Scout.com’s #3 DT after Dorsey and Sedrick Ellis.

By the time they picked again in the 2^nd round, all the top OT’s were gone...many thought they’d go after Quentin Groves, the OLB/DE from Auburn.  Nope...they took OG Chilo Rachal from USC.  Some Niner fans gasped...they were sure GM McCloughan would take the best pass rusher on the board.  Rachal was taken because 1) he was arguably USC’s best all-around OL; 2) didn’t allow a sack in 21 games; 3) he routinely “pancaked” opponent after opponent.  Last year, Niner QB’s were sacked a league-tying 55 times...the rest of the time, they were running for their lives.  So, Rachal makes perfect sense to shore up what was an extremely porous interior OL.  Rachal was the 2^nd rated OG in Scout.com’s NFL Draft Rankings behind only Branden Albert.

Ok, 3^rd round...surely they’d take a WR or a pass rusher...nope, wrong again.  They took Reggie Smith, CB/S from Oklahoma.  Smith is a big DB...6-1, @ 200 lbs...and is a physical DB, something Coach Nolan wanted, as his team competes in the pass-happy NFC West.  Smith also has kick return skills, so has very good ST value.  Opposite Nate Clements, CB Walt Harris turns 34 this year, and nickel back Shawntae Spencer can’t seem to stay healthy, and plays @ 180, so is at a disadvantage when they play teams like Arizona, with their big WR’s Boldin and Fitzgerald.  Smith was the 2^nd rated S by Scout.com.

4^th round...ok, no kidding, definitely a WR, right?  Wrong!  They picked C Cody Wallace, from Texas A&M.  What?  Again, we go back to the 55 sacks and porous OL...Wallace makes perfect sense when you realize he’s the only “pure” C on the team.  Incumbent Eric Heitmann is a converted OG, as is David Baas.  Wallace is outstanding in pass blocking...extremely strong, he’s benched close to 500 lbs.  He’s a blue-collar kind of player...no nonsense, just goes out there and does his job.  He was among the top-rated C’s in the country.  Another piece in the OL puzzle.

6^th round...who knows now...but the pick is, WR Josh Morgan.  The Niners were surprised to see him still on the board, and didn’t hesitate to grab him.  He’s got a nice combination of size (6-1, 220 lbs), speed, and athleticism.  He also has kick return skills.  One of at least seven VA Tech draftees, he’s anxious to show Niner coaches and fans he’s a player.  Under the tutelage of WR Coach Jerry Sullivan and the “Madman” himself, OC Mike Martz, Morgan should develop into a nice receiving threat and further improve what has been a substandard receiving corps.

7^th round...one of those catch-as-catch-can kind of rounds.  SF picked Ohio St LB Larry Grant...a very versatile defender, he played all three LB positions for the Buckeyes.  He’s what they call a coach’s dream...put him anywhere out there and he’ll do the job.  He’ll likely compete for the “TED” ILB position, but can fill in anywhere.  He was one of Ohio St’s best ST players, so he’ll be another guy for ST Coach Al Everest  to add to an already very good  ST squad.

So, in summary, the Niners feel good about their draft.  They got one of the top DL in the country, two top OL, a physical DB, athletic WR, and a jack-of-all-trades LB.  It may not be “sexy”, but any time you can draft players who can not only make your roster, but have an impact, you’ve had a very good draft.  Given that, I’ll take “unsexy” every time.

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San Francisco 49ers 2008 NFL Draft Analysis

1- Kentwan Balmer, DT, North Carolina.  Niner GM Scot McCloughan and Head Coach Mike Nolan had to be excited at how the first round unfolded...and DT/DE Balmer fell into their laps.  He’s the 3^rd rated DT in Scout.com’s NFL draft rankings.  6-5, 300 lbs, he’s got the size and strength to play either DT/NT or DE.  Early indications are he’ll compete at LDE, to replace the retired Niner legend, Bryant Young.  DC Manusky now has a versatile big body to beef up SF’s DL, which saw not only Young retire, but lost RDE Marques Douglas to free agency.  He could well pair with newcomer RDE Justin Smith to provide the Niners with a significantly upgraded DL.

2- Chilo Rachal, OG, USC.  Because the marquee OT’s were already taken, the Niners turned their attention to Rachal, arguably the best all-around USC OL.  He was the 2^nd rated OG in Scout.com’s NFL draft rankings.  He’s a beast...6-5, 315 lbs...who excelled in both run-blocking and pass protection.  Reportedly, he didn’t allow a sack all season.  He came out of Compton, CA, an extremely tough community in the LA area, so the Niners are happy to have him to shore up their interior OL.  They tied for the most sacks allowed last year (55), and most of those were through SF’s interior OL.  Rachal also has the versatility to play OT, should the need arise.

3- Reggie Smith, CB/S, Oklahoma.  A versatile athlete who played both CB and S for the Sooners...he has good size at 6-1, 197.  He’s the 2nd ranked safety in NFL Draft Dog's player rankings and he was also ranked 2^nd  in Scout.com’s NFL rankings.  He’ll get a look at CB for the Niners...because it’s proven year after year, you never seem to have enough of them.   Smith is known as a physical defensive back, another essential playing in the pass-happy NFC West. Smith also has special teams skills as a kick returner.  

4- Cody Wallace, C, Texas A&M.  Head Coach Mike Nolan says Wallace’s leadership skills remind him of former Pro Bowl C Jeremy Newberry.  If he develops to Newberry’s Pro Bowl years, the Niners have a winner.  Wallace is big..6-4, 300+ lbs...and is athletic enough to also play OG.  He’s another player earmarked to shore up SF’s interior OL, which was a sieve last year allowing many of their 55 sacks.  He could challenge incumbent starter Eric Heitmann.

6- Josh Morgan, WR, VA Tech.  Morgan was VA Tech’s leading receiver, with 46 catches for 555 yds and 5 TD’s despite missing three games.  He’s a big WR at 6-1, 220 lbs, with great leaping ability.  He also returned kicks for the Hokies, so has definite ST value. He had some character issues, which undoubtedly caused his draft stock to slip.  Niner management discussed those issues when he visited their Santa Clara training site and were convinced they’re behind him.  He got OC Mike Martz’ endorsement to join their revamped receiving corps.

7- Larry Grant, LB, Ohio St.  Grant’s a versatile LB, having played all three positions as a Buckeye.  He blocked 3 kicks last season and is a ST terror.  At 6-1, 234 lbs, he’s a little light to play ILB in SF’s 3-4 defense, so would likely play OLB and on ST’s.  He’s one of those athletic players who’s all over the field, but really hasn’t stood out at any single position yet.  His value with the Niners would likely be mostly on ST’s.

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Niners Off-Season/Draft Prognosis

It’s been a busy off-season in San Francisco. Head Coach Mike Nolan pleaded his case to team owner Dr. and Mrs. York.  He convinced them to give him another year to get the team back on track.  Their next move was to promote Personnel Chief Scot McCloughan to General Manager.  As GM, he now has final say in all personnel actions.

One of  Nolan’s first actions was to fire OC Jim Hostler and hire Mike Martz.  It was a bold move, but one Nolan thought was necessary to jump-start his pathetic offense.  Also fired was RB Coach Bishop Harris...Tony Nathan was brought in to replace him.  Added to the coaching staff was OL Coach Foerster from the Ravens.  He’ll coach pass protection while incumbent Coach Warhop will coach the running game.

There have been a number of players signed this off-season...they started with one of their own, DT/NT Isaac Sopoaga.  Nolan wants to play the huge DL at the LDE spot, previously held by now retired Niner legend Bryant Young.  They also re-signed QB Shaun Hill, who finally got a chance to show his talent late last season.  They signed former Steeler KR Allen Rossum.  Even though he’s 32, he still has the speed to take kicks “to the house”...in fact, he did just that against SF last season.   Apparently, GM McCloughan and Coach Nolan remembered that.  As soon as the Rams released WR Isaac Bruce, the Niners contacted him...and signed him shortly thereafter.  Arguably there isn’t another receiver in the NFL who knows Martz like Bruce does.  Another key acquisition was RB DeShaun Foster...he became excess to Carolina’s needs and salary cap, so he was quickly signed to provide the team a quality back-up for Frank Gore.

Once the unrestricted free agent season began, the Niners got busy.   They quickly signed Minnesota ILB Dontarrious Thomas.  He’ll compete with incumbent ILB Brandon Moore for the starting position.  The team also brought in QB J.T. O’Sullivan from Detroit.  Coach Martz was impressed with him last year, so was instrumental in getting him to S.F.   He says he’ll compete for the starting QB position.  The “big fish” FA signing has to be DE Justin Smith.  He’ll play RDE in Nolan’s 3-4 defense.  He’s a genuine “blue collar” DL...he plays through pain at a high level, so is being counted on to bookend DE Sopoaga and upgrade SF’s DL.  Lastly, they signed WR Bryant Johnson from Arizona...he’s seen along with Bruce as definite upgrades to their receiving corps.

So, next up is the draft...if you’re like me, you’ve read dozens of Mock Drafts.  Some are very interesting...and they all reflect a wide variety of players the mocksters believe SF management will draft.  Team needs include OL, DL, OLB (pass-rusher), & CB.  There could be a WR somewhere in the mix, but OC Martz feels good overall about his receiving corps.  Following is what I think GM McCloughan and Coach Nolan will do on Apr 26-27:

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