Overall Thoughts on 49ers 2012 Draft?

49ersfan_87 · 05-08-2012, 06:34 PM

I don't really see them discussed on the best of/worst of draft lists. I was just wondering what everyone here thought of them, for better or worse. Full draft class is below

1.30- AJ Jenkins, WR
2.61- LaMichael James, RB
4.117- Joe Looney, OG
5.165- Darius Fleming, OLB
6.180- Trenton Robinson, S
6.199- Jason Slowey, C
7.237- Cam Johnson, DE/OLB

Full list of 18 UDFA, if anyone is interested.

-Cameron Bell, FB
-Kortnei Brown, OLB
-Patrick Burtrym, DL
-Garrett Celek, TE (If anyone asks, yes he is Brent Celek's brother)
-David Gonzales, OG
-Jewel Hampton, RB
-Joe Holland, OLB
-Matt Masifilio, DE
-Anthony Mosley, CB
-Kevin Murphy, OT
-Al Netter, OG
-Chris Owusu, WR
-Nathan Palmer, WR
-Deante Purvis, CB
-Giorgio Tavecchio, K
-Michael Thomas, S
-Bryan Tyms, WR
-Tony Jerrod-Eddie, DE

What does everyone think of the draft, the players, and the strategy employed by SF this year?

farfromforgotten · 05-08-2012, 07:34 PM

Coming from a 49ers fan... I thought we'd go Guard/WR in the 1st/2nd rds. If we went Guard, I knew that meant they didn't have much faith in Kilgore. If they waited until the middle rds to pick a Guard, I thought it'd be someone to possibly challenge Kilgore... which is what they did.

WR was not a surprise. Jenkins was. Of course we all had hard-ons for Hill, but my thought was if the coaching staff likes this guy then I like this guy. Turns out he wasn't really that much of a "reach" at the end of rd 1 if you believe all the talk about other teams liking him a lot as well.

Following the James pick, it immediately became clear to me that the 49ers wanted offensive playmakers that could gain seperation. Signing Moss and Manningham. Drafting Jenkins in the 1st instead of one of the other WRs. James' athletic ability will be used. Even if he only touches the ball a handful of times a game, it will be looking for the home run. Defenses will have to account for him. If Moss is ready and willing to play defenses will have to account for him. Then we'll still have Davis in the middle of the field.

Its a pretty picture in my mind. We'll see if it works out.

Rosebud · 05-08-2012, 08:48 PM

I think they did pretty well even though I'm not in love with any of their picks. They addressed their major areas of concern although I would've liked to see them stock the secondary more as a lot of their DBs had career years, something that usually doesn't replicate itself.

They did however add guys that can help that team as rookies by adding that big play ability. If you're gunna try to ride Smith as far as he can go while Harbaugh grooms Kap, you need to give him guys that'll make plays with the ball in their hands, Jenkins, James and Mario will do that.

villagewarrior · 05-09-2012, 08:09 AM

I like the James pick, and I get they were going after speed with Jenkins, but Reuben Randle is a much better receiver overall, so I'll give them some flack for that. At the same time, Harbaugh can seem to do no wrong right now, so it'll be interesting to see how the Niners fare with this class.

Razor · 05-09-2012, 08:36 AM

I don't like it. I think the 49ers were desperate to add the explosive element to their offense. However, I don't think that plays to their strengths. Imo they should've focused on their defensive backfield more and their OL. I doubt that Alex Smith is capable of running an explosive offense in the NFL.

Matthew Jones · 05-09-2012, 08:44 AM

I'm not a big fan of San Francisco's draft...A.J. Jenkins seemed like a reach and LaMichael James seems unnecessary with Gore/Hunter at running back. I don't know much about Joe Looney so I can't really comment on that pick. I like the value on Darius Fleming as well as Cam Johnson. Trenton Robinson seems like a decent value (although I'm not a fan of his tackling), and I have no opinion on Slowey. I could see Kourtnei Brown, Garrett Celek, Chris Owusu, and/or Tony Jerod-Eddie making the final roster as an undrafted free agent. I would give their draft a C/C- or so.

bucfan12 · 05-09-2012, 09:22 AM

I'm not a big fan of there draft in terms of the players they got weren't worth the value.

I liked AJ Jenkins, but I saw him more of a guy in late 2nd/early-mid 3rd type prospect.

LaMichael James the same thing. He wasn't worth a 2nd, plus they have Kendall Hunter, who did a good job last year behind Gore, and added Brandon Jacobs as well.

I like the value of Trenton Robinson was a nice value there.

I think they could have went OG in round 1 regardless. Kellechi Osmelle , G from Iowa State would have been a better value there at 30 than Jenkins.

I give there draft a C-. I don't know if they really found any starters. Even Janoris Jenkins would have been a better risk there because it would have been in a good and sound environment as well.

farfromforgotten · 05-09-2012, 10:20 AM

All these are fair point of views. I don't know about the reach parts on Jenkins and James though. That's the tricky thing about picking at the end of rounds. If Jenkins goes mid 2nd, he isn't considered a reach and we miss out on him. Same thing with James. If he goes mid 3rd, he isn't considered a reach and we miss out on him. You can't always find trade partners and its a risky business trading down and potentially missing out on the guys you really like. Would rather the team just take the players they were targeting in the early rounds, rather than chance it. In the mid rounds we did trade around quite a bit. From peoples views of Baalke's reaction in the draft room it looks like we ended up just missing out on a couple players he really wanted.

farfromforgotten · 05-09-2012, 11:34 AM

Dang it. I typed up an immediate "edit" to that last post. Its not there though. Was just saying to not sound too homer-ish that my initial grade for this draft is a C+. I thought/hoped we'd go a mix of WR/G/CB in the first 3 rounds. We only did 1 of those, thought the G did come in the 4th. I was not a big James fan coming into the draft, but he will see the field in a variety of ways. I am a big Hunter fan and think that when Gore is done that he and James will be able to carry the rushing load.

Regarding Alex Smith. I'm not the biggest Alex fan or basher. I don't see any reason why he shouldn't improve in his 2nd season with Harbaugh. He'll never be a 4000 yard 30 td guy, but I can see him maxing out around 3500 and 25. With our D and kicking/punting game, that will be just fine.

BamaFalcon59 · 05-09-2012, 11:50 AM

What was the point of getting LaMichael James?

Also, I don't like the AJ Jenkins pick. Don't think he ever does too much. Could be wrong though, maybe a little bit of Victor Cruz in him.

Flyboy · 05-09-2012, 01:29 PM

I think Jenkins seemed like a bit of a reach, but when I see his highlights I see some Robert Meachem in him which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

mightytitan9 · 05-09-2012, 02:10 PM

Jenkins was a bit of a reach, but trading down may not have been an option and he wouldnt have been there round 2 in their opinion so I can't argue too much with it.

LaMichael James really had me scratching my head, is it to allow Ginn to possibly have a bigger role on offense. Insurance for the future? Whatever it is, Kendall Hunter is there and a similar back. I think this could have been a better selection.

Cam Johnson was a nice pick late in the draft

stl9erfan · 05-09-2012, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razor

I don't like it. I think the 49ers were desperate to add the explosive element to their offense. However, I don't think that plays to their strengths. Imo they should've focused on their defensive backfield more and their OL. I doubt that Alex Smith is capable of running an explosive offense in the NFL.

So I'm a 49ers fan, admittedly, so I might be looking at this through rose colored glasses. But I have to say I don't understand this viewpoint... and I've heard it a lot, not just from you.

With regard to the defensive backfield: The Niners needed to add a backup safety, which they did in Trent Robinson. Other than that, where was a DB going to play? The team has franchised Dashon Goldson and signed Donte Whitner to a sizeable FA deal. And CB is probably the deepest position on a very good defense. That wasn't nearly the kind of need people were making it out to be.

As for the OL, at some point, you've got to be able to find a guard in the middle rounds. You can't have every starter on the OL be a 1st round pick or you'll never have the resources to devote to anything else. The Niners invested heavily in the OL in the past few years. 4/5 positions have a solid or better starter. And there were already two decent young players competing for the RG spot. Then they added Joe Looney in the mid rounds to also compete for it. Again, despite the fact that everyone was mocking a guard to the 49ers, it really wasn't anywhere near as pressing a need as people made it out to be.

The fact of the matter is, this was a good team last year. There weren't a lot of holes. If you want to slam the Niners for drafting players you didn't like, or picking guys too early, I think that's a fair complaint. But slamming them for not hitting needs doesn't make any sense, IMO. There simply weren't that many pressing needs to be addressed, and what needs there were did get addressed.

phlysac · 05-09-2012, 09:47 PM

And "they reached" was all that many were saying last year in regards to Aldon Smith, Chris Culliver, and Kendall Hunter. All 3 contributed significantly and will be expected to do so, again this year.

holt_bruce81 · 05-09-2012, 11:10 PM

I actually loved the Jenkins and Looney picks. Jenkins was being pretty underrated on most draft forums I thought he would go somewhere in the 2nd round and some reports said he was the Rams target at #33.

I really wasn't a fan of the James selection, to me he was more of a 4th round guy and the niners already have a really solid running game. But hey I understand wanting to add homerun threats to the offense.

49ersfan_87 · 05-09-2012, 11:25 PM

Thanks for all the responses everyone! Hate it or love it (or in between), at least its sparked some discussion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyboy

I think Jenkins seemed like a bit of a reach, but when I see his highlights I see some Robert Meachem in him which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I kind of see a Santonio Holmes or Brandon Lloyd without the character or work ethic concerns.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mightytitan9

Jenkins was a bit of a reach, but trading down may not have been an option and he wouldnt have been there round 2 in their opinion so I can't argue too much with it.

LaMichael James really had me scratching my head, is it to allow Ginn to possibly have a bigger role on offense. Insurance for the future? Whatever it is, Kendall Hunter is there and a similar back. I think this could have been a better selection.

Cam Johnson was a nice pick late in the draft

Reports are STL liked him a lot and may have taken him 33rd overall. As for James, its insurance if/when Gore leaves. Despite his production his play really tailed off (especially as a receiver). And its also to add a homerun threat, because as the +28 TO ratio is sure to decrease, so too will the margin of error, meaning SF will need big plays. Interesting stat- in the 2011 regular season, the 49ers had 2 TD's of 50+ yards. Jenkins and James alone had 9 in 2011.

Quote:

Originally Posted by holt_bruce81

I actually loved the Jenkins and Looney picks. Jenkins was being pretty underrated on most draft forums I thought he would go somewhere in the 2nd round and some reports said he was the Rams target at #33.

I really wasn't a fan of the James selection, to me he was more of a 4th round guy and the niners already have a really solid running game. But hey I understand wanting to add homerun threats to the offense.

What is it you don't like about James, if i may ask? Not trying to be combative, just genuinely curious. I've mainly watched his highlights but from what i can see, despite his size, he has good vision, is physical and tough to bring down with insane acceleration and 4.3 game speed. Which would seem to make him both a homerun and a short-yardage/redzone threat. But i haven't watched much of Oregon football from 09-11 so i'm hardly an expert.

PossibleCabbage · 05-10-2012, 01:34 AM

I like Jenkins more than most, but I don't really care for the 49ers draft. I think James wasn't worth a second round pick, and he was kind of redundant with Kendall Hunter on the team. I really don't like the spending all your day 1 and 2 picks on WRs and RBs.

Iamcanadian · 05-10-2012, 01:39 AM

In the end, it all rests on Alex Smith's shoulders, if he can match or better last season, the 49ers will remain a very good team, if he falters, the 49ers will become just an average team. The draft didn't change that one way or another.

49ersfan_87 · 05-10-2012, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PossibleCabbage

I like Jenkins more than most, but I don't really care for the 49ers draft. I think James wasn't worth a second round pick, and he was kind of redundant with Kendall Hunter on the team. I really don't like the spending all your day 1 and 2 picks on WRs and RBs.

Speaking strictly from a needs standpoint, there wasn't much else to address. They just needed depth and tried to address it (2 OLB, S, 2 OL) in rounds 4-7. No WR under contract after 2 years. At RB, Gore and Jacobs are on their last legs. They also needed to add to their offensive playmakers to offset the expected decrease in +28 TO ratio. So the positions picked hopefully set themselves up for both to make an impact now, and in the future replace departing players in the starting lineup with a seamless transition.

Also, if the 49ers didn't trade the 92nd pick away, they would probably have taken Gino Gradkowski or Joe Looney.

SF Dolphin Fan · 05-11-2012, 10:09 PM

The 49ers have been making all the right moves in recent years, so I'd give them the benefit of the doubt. That said, I was surprised that they didn't move up to get David DeCastro when he started falling. That seemed like a perfect fit for Jim Harbaugh. Then again, maybe a trade partner didn't emerge. Overall, this kind of looks like an average group but the first two picks are potentially explosive players and that was obviously the focus of this draft.