Oft-maligned AJ Jenkins showed up in Atlanta to work out with Colin Kaepernick. Kappy, seen here hanging with the flotus (http://instagram.com/p/WVGSuGNBNd/) will hopefully get back to Atlanta and get AJ on schedule to make an impact this season. He’d better be all in, otherwise he’ll be cast out with the rest of the WR corps.
As it is now, the Niners need to pick up at least 4 WRs. Mossy Randy and Ted Ginn will go their own way, and Kyle Williams and Mario Manningham are coming off pretty substantial injuries.
In other words, we are back to ground zero in regards to wideouts. Crabs had a very good year, and Manningham was doing very well before he was injured. He’s got the longest rehab, and last I heard he was out of his cast and boot, but other than that, no idea. The WRs in the draft aren’t fairly impressive, but there are some intriguing FAs out there.
Namely, the guy I liked in the 2008 draft, Ramses Barden out of SLObispo. He’s 6’6″ and is buried on the Giants depth chart. He had one start and had 9 catches for 138 yards. Decent route-runner who has great hands. He’d be a red zone wonder. The other guys are either very pricey (Mike Wallace, Wes Welker, Victor Cruz, Greg Jennings) or very brittle (Danny Amendola, Danario Alexander). Dwayne Bowe is available. How good is Bowe? He puts up big numbers, but I haven’t seen him play. I hear things like he doesn’t go after balls and is overrated but who knows? he’d help, but again, he’d be a big $$$ guy. Not sure if he’s worth it.
There are plenty of 2nd-tier guys like Brian Hartline, Michael (Hey!) Spurlock, Manny Sanders, and David Nelson who could be signed fairly cheaply to provide depth. I’m sure there are fliers in the draft we could get, but I haven’t looked into that yet.
Forty Niners Forever 
Tell you what, there was a DT from Samford, Nick Williams, that held his own with all the big boys in terms of measureables in Indy too.
Guys like him and Brandon Williams, Bennie Logan too, could be nice options in the Mid to later Rds if we don’t grab some of the more popular names early.
Anyone know how the deal for Alex impacts the $1mil Roster Bonus he was due?
Has Baalke managed to avoid paying it on the day FA opens on March 12?
Genius if he did.
I thought we had to retain him with the Bonus on March 12.
http://www.ninersnation.com/2013/2/28/4038592/alex-smith-trade-49ers-salary-cap-2013
NJ – Looks like they avoided it, but it depends on when the deal is “officially done.”
Thanks Spit,
I’ve sorta thought it was avoided by all the reports suggesting the entire Contract will get pulled from the Cap.
Nice move by Baalke with honorable mention to Paraag for the Contract language apparently.
WRs aren’t getting drafted tyl end of the 3rd. If they learned anything with AJ, it’s that these guys may or may not hit the ground catching passes and being dominant. They should really take a look at Ramses. The Giants aren’t too keen on keeping him, and he’s nothing if not a chuck and duck down the sideline. He’s got size and reach over everyone. Great RZ guy as well.
Seymore? Don’t see how the D line needs a presence like his. Situational maybe. Moss said all the right things until it really mattered. In the end, he ended up being his usual idiot self, so that comparison doesn’t wash. Amazing how quick one can revert to form so fast and in such a grand way. Fucking tool.
So you make a blanket statement because AJ wasn’t ready his first year? There are plenty of examples of rookie receivers who WERE ready their rookie years. Nolan used to say some players are more NFL ready, and others aren’t. We don’t know who this next bunch of receivers will be. I tend to agree that the kids from both Cal and Tennessee respectively will be gone by 31, and that the 49ers will be looking at receivers in later rounds. But I don’t think AJ creates a rule that Harbaalke will follow from here on out. We’re going to lose Walker, Manningham is iffy, Moss is gone. Who knows about Kyle Williams? For receivers, we have Crabtree and Vernon…… and Jenkins. That’s about it. There’s a huge hole on this team still at receiver, so let’s not just come to the conclusion we aren’t going there early because nobody knows until the kids from Cal and Tennessee…. respectively……are gone.
As a general rule, guys don’t come in and dominate at WR, and the kid from Tenn is greener than your teeth. We don’t need another project. Allen’s a much better prospect, but if anyone needs a WR (hello Jets, Rams, GB and Minnesota) he’ll be gone. Besides, AJ ain’t the only example, skippy. He’s fresh in their minds though. Better to get a couple proven WRs rather than reach with their 31 for a guy like Patterson.
Simply an example of an aging Vet at a position of need Chuck.
Like Randy, he could be a mentor figure.
Unlike Randy, he’s got hardware from his years in NE.
Baalke usually waits until the first wave of popular FAs get signed, then he goes bargain hunting.
We’re in a position now where we’re viewed as a contender too.
Unlike those years when we stunk, and everyone held us hostage.
Say what you will for Moss, by all accounts, guys respected him while he was around this year.
If those reports were accurate, AJ and Crabtree saw how he trained and conducted himself in terms of preparation.
Not so much in terms of attitude on the Field.
Hey, Moss fooled me. I thought he was going to be fine in the end, and I was all for re-signing him.
Til the Super Bowl.
Yeafh, free agency starts March 12. The mill doesn’t kick in til March 14th. So they get something like a $10 mill cap reduction by trading Smith with all the contingencies thrown in.
Cool thx Chuck.
Excellent news for us in terms of saving some Cap space while also moving on from Alex.
If this guy’s there at 31, I don’t think the 49ers can go wrong drafting him. He’s exactly the type of receiver we need – big body, leaper with hands. I wouldn’t have any problem with the 49ers drafting him at 31 or 34….. provided he’s there.
Spitty, there are too many teams (see above) that need a WR. He’s the only good one (1st round worthy) worth that pick. If he’s there, great. but i’d say there’s a 99.5% chance he’s gone.
And I don’t seriously think we trade up to get him.
There are two other receivers who are first round grades. In the later half of the first round the Vikings and Seahawks need receiver help. So, all three receivers could be gone by 31, no doubt. And I’m with you,Chuck and Grump, that odds are we pickup other receivers later because these guys are all gone. And I also agree we shouldn’t trade up. But…. let’s not forget what the Falcons did for Julio Jones, and we could get Allen for a lot cheaper. Trading up to say the Bengals pick (who don’t need receivers and pick ahead of the Vikings and Seahawks) might be something Baalke does. It really just depends on whether or not Allen is healthy (he’s coming off a knee injury and didn’t workout at the combine). I don’t think much of Kyle Williams as a receiver. Moss is gone. Manningham is hurt and might not be ready for the season…. or ever again. Walker will probably be a cap casualty. Our receivers right now are Crabtree, Vernon and AJ Jenkins. That’s not depth. Again, I’m not saying we should do this. but it wouldn’t surprise me if we traded with a team like the Bengals to get Keenan Allen in the first round. I’d rather we had him than the Seahawks.
I can’t see a Trade Up scenario in Rd 1 for a WR either.
Too many Mid Rd guys to choose from.
Justin Hunter from TN would be an example, as would De’Andre Hopkins from Clemson.
I like Hunter, just not sure if we’d see him at the end of Rd 2. Tavon Austin is ranked by most sources as a 1st Rd talent with the only knock being his height.
What he lacks in size he makes up for in sheer production.
Like LMJ, he makes people miss because of his ability to change direction like a cheetah.
Hunter was a Track guy too.
Excellent vertical and flat out speed.
Another guy that deserves some consideration is Josh Boyce from TCU.
Smaller speed guy that also put up very impressive numbers.
I think we’ll get a WR or 2 from this Class.
Hard to say how high Baalke will rate them this year but, there’s plenty of depth beyond Rd 1.
Minnesota and GB are desperate for wideouts irregardless of StL, the Jets, and Chicago. And Allen is the only guy I’d go after. The others are too raw. Austin has speed, but what else? That’s the only reason he’s jumped in the ratings.
The point being, Allen won’t make it to seattle’s pick.
If I was Baalke, I’d at least talk with the Bengals about trading for their pick. What can it hurt? Allen isn’t a top fifteen receiver. He might not be top twenty.
Chuck Tavon Austin had over 3400 receiving yards and 29 TDs in College.
He is Welker with P/KR ability.
Straight up weapon.
I like him more because of Kaeps’ ability to stick a throw too.
The Rams have a lot of “other” needs. Jeff Fisher isn’t the type of guy to go receiver until his team is set, and even then he doesn’t go receiver early. If Chicago doesn’t go offensive line they’re the dumbest organization since the Raiders. And really, they might now hold that crown hiring Mark Trestman. LMAO!!!! Chicago will go O line or Cutler will revolt. The Jets just used a first round pick on a receiver last yea in Stephen Hill (sp?), and they have so many holes on their roster they make Swiss Cheese jealous….. in addition, they have Sanchez and Garrard. They need a run game. Not a passing game.
Green Bay needs defense, unless you missed the Niners / Packers game. They’ve lost Woodson and their D line and linebacking corp stinks on ice. Sure, they’re losing Driver, Jennings and Finley isn’t a team player, but they still have offensive weapons with Finley, Cobb and Nelson…. and the used car salesman. That’s more firepower than the 49ers have on offense, with a ton of holes on defense. I think Ted Thompson goes D with his first round pick.
The teams that you mentioned who will go wide receiver in the draft are Minnesota (because they have a complete team and just need a wide receiver, and Seattle (who you didn’t mention). Just jump ahead of them at the last minute and grab Allen. Not too difficult to figure out.
The Jets are crazy. They could do anything at this point. Besides, yer the one saying it won’t happen.
He’s as high as he goes. The Jets could take him with the 9th pick.
I’d laugh my butt off too Chuck.
Sanchez can’t hit anyone.
They’d be better off sticking to the Defensive side early in this Draft.
So with all the holes the Jets have on their team, your strategy is to get two terrible qbs a wide receiver to compliment Hill and Dustin Keller? That’s like getting Alex Smith a Micheal Crabtree. How’d that workout for five years? LOL. Amazing coincidence that Crabtree took off when Kaep took over. The Jets aren’t going wide receiver in the first….. neither are the Rams, Bears or Packers. The Jets need a run game and a defense.
Rams will address the OL and Secondary early IMO.
They could grab a WR if Amendola moves on though.
Wouldn’t surprise me.
I’d like to get in front of them if it meant having a shot at Rhodes or Vaccaro.
Question is of course, does Baalke put value on either guy that high?
With the Picks last year of AJ and LMJ, I think there is a definite indication that Harbaugh and Roman are looking for speed.
I wouldn’t mind adding more on the Offensive side but, I think we can get it later.
NJ – I think so too. At least I hope so. But here’s the thing. From what I can tell, there’s a lot of talent for teams in the later rounds this year. You never know when there will be a run on a particular position. Sometimes teams get focused on offensive tackles. I remember the year Micheal Oher came out there were a lot of other tackles in the draft and they all went quick. I called it. I almost made a bet with Del that five or six tackles would go in the top ten. They almost did. Micheal Oher dropped to the Ravens at 22 or something. I didn’t bet with Del, and was lucky.
Then two years ago I was saying there would be a run on quarterbacks. I said Locker was a top ten pick and still think he’s worthy of his selection. I said Dalton was a first round pick. Again, I was closer than most but this time I made the mistake of betting with the opportunistic Del whose alcoholic nose knows when there’s blood in the water and you can literally get drunk off hyperbole.
This year what I’m saying is that Baalke had better trust his draft board because a good cornerback, safety, D lineman or wide receiver could fall right in his lap while other teams are going after a particular position. Would I love for the 49ers to jump up and grab Star? You bet. But sitting and waiting could land the 49ers a huge hall…. and that’s exactly what I’m betting they do. If a guy like Keenan Allen falls in their laps, you don’t pass him up.
Counting your almost-got-it-rights?
That’s where these GMs earn their paychecks Spit.
Knowing how to place value on a guy and slot him.
Star could be the guy that slips a little, but probably not much.
His situation is all about the medical.
Unlike a knee, he’s either cleared or he isn’t.
There won’t be much waffling on that.
Allen had a knee already, tough call on his medical but I agree, his numbers were above average but, he didn’t run in Indy.
If I was a betting man and he made it to 31 with Tavon, I’d bet on Tavon simply because he’s more versatile.
I’ve changed my posture a little now that Alex is moving on.
Kaep may not need the tall WR as much as Alex might have.
Kaep can throw to a spot and allow his WR to get there.
Remember that throw he made to Kyle? Bears game?
Thing of beauty.
Because the depth at WR looks heavier in the Mid Rds, I think we can wait for someone.
Chuck – I was light years ahead of you.
Spitblood
2009 NFL Draft
How did 5 or 6 tackles go in the top ten when only 3 were chosen in the top ten and 4 total in the entire first round? Of the first 50 picks 6 were Offensive Tackles
Man you are just full of shit with your I got it right back then claims of BS that you called it.
Star, for all his troubles won’t last past 15.. The draft board is dogshit for the first 20 picks. But the middle to back end is full of talent. This, along with the Alex Smith deal, could not have worked out any better. Some luck? Sure, but Baalke has done a superb job in his short time as GM.
DIdn’t know Austin had those numbers, NJ. I saw Allen a little and he looked like the real deal.
My oldest Son is a WVU Alum Chuck, we tend to watch them as often as we can.
Austin is like Sonic the Hedgehog out there.
Honestly, he comes to play.
I could see Harbaugh and Roman having a good time with him in this Offense.
Guys like Swope and Tavon are starting to gain traction in the NFL now.
More and more Teams like to spread and attack from the slot.
Speed kills. Deep threats are necessary but, so are those 6′ guys who change direction like waterbugs.
Put that kinda guy on a LB, game over.
Having a dart thrower like Kaep makes it all the more attractive.
Wide receiver is one of the…. if not “the,” … last positions a team should draft. Building a team is like conducting a concert, and it’s why I’m so pissed I’m not a GM. Maybe in another life.
If you were to take a team that really sucks….. like the Jets. In fact, let’s take the Jets… please…. and my wife. The very first thing you do with the Jets is build their offensive line. As we saw with the 49ers, it takes a while for an offensive line to jell. You need to weed out the stinkers. You need to create line chemistry. It’s a process and it takes a while. After you have some nice pieces in place along the O line, you can find running backs in the later rounds who can pound the rock and move the chains. Guys like Arian Foster, Blount, Gore, the used car saleman are out there.
After you’ve established a run game, then you can go play action and you can draft a tight end. Not a wide receiver, a tight end. You don’t have to have a qb yet because any scab qb can hit a tight end off play action.
Then you start building your defense. You obviously first go with D linemen. Once they can plug the holes and keep guards off backers, then you draft linebackers. In the NFL you can always find guys to play any position, and sometimes you find gems while focusing your attention else where. Goldson was a fourth round pick. Brown was a fifth round pick. And there’s always free agency. But what I’m writing about right now is where you focus your attention on the draft when your team sucks. It all starts with running the football, and stopping the run. Then, when your team can run and stop the run, that’s when you start developing your passing game, and start trying to defend the pass.
And that’s why I hated Alex Smith so much. The 49ers were good in all other aspects of their football team, but they couldn’t throw the football. They could run, go play action, defend the run and defend the pass, but the qb wasn’t getting the job done. The team grew past Alex Smith’s abilities and luckily Harbaugh had a plan for that and he brought in Kaep a little late for my taste.
Either way, the passing game is one of the last things a team develops (like the 49ers are still trying to do), because smart teams that are building play Bill Parcels, ball control football, without high risk passes to wide receivers that might get returned for touchdowns. Some teams, like the Niners with Smith and even the Houston Texans now, can’t play from behind because they don’t have good enough passing attacks.
But the interesting thing is that teams can get too focused on the pass and forget about their defense entirely. This is what happened to the Packers and Lions – although the Lions tried to skip the “we’re good part,” and went right to passing…… again. The Packer had a good defense when they won the Super Bowl, but lost some of their defensive players like the recently visited Cullen Jenkins, and instead of replacing those defensive players, they fell in love with their passing game. Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson were both guilty of thinking their passing game would overcome defensive deficiencies. Two years ago the Packers were great during the regular season because their passing game won them games. But in the playoffs, when the Giants got to Rogers, their defense let them down. This year the Packers’ D let them down again.
The 49ers need defensive linemen and secondary players…. no doubt. But with Willis, Bowman, Brooks, Aldon, Justin and Tim McDonald, the 49ers could compete with anyone if their passing attack was a little bit better. There’s a fine line between a need for D linemen or secondary players and the 49ers’ need for a big target at the wide receiver position. For me, it’s a toss up that comes down to best player available. But I don’t think many NFL teams are ready to draft receiver in this upcoming draft. The Vikings and Seahawks are ready. The Jets, Bears, Rams and Packers aren’t.
The NYJ got D’Brick and Mangold but never solidified the OG or RT positions.
I’m with you, OL / DL is where you build from.
We’re now down to a young starting OC to complete the youth movement up front.
OGs are where you make the running game go.
You need athletes that can hit a moving target.
Anthony Davis is a stud on the move.
He lacked balance in pass Pro but is coming along very well.
Are we sliding Kilgore or Looney to OC?
Guessing it’s Kilgore with Looney fighting Alex Boone for the RG posiition.
That could mean Goodwin is on the bubble already.
Otherwise, I’m down for stealing Barrett Jones, Travis Frederick or Brian Schwenke in April.
The 49ers do need to make a decision on Goodwin, and someone just wrote a nice piece on other NFL teams dumping their high priced centers. Problem is, Kaep’s young. He might need Goodwin for another year. I could see, though, Harbaugh trusting Solari and dumping Goodwin in favor of Slowey or Kilgore to save some cap space.
Keep JC Tretter in mind in April too Spit.
He’s a guy that looked pretty impressive at the Sr Bowl and could make an excellent swing OL-man for us.
Kind of a tweener OT/OG guy. Moved very well.
Certainly won’t cost us much either.
Spitblood
Jason Slowey plays Offensive Tackle. Forty Niners cut him in August 2012.
He is now a member of the Oakland Raiders. How do you expect him to play Center for the Forty Niners as a member of the Raiders and as an Offensive Tackle?
GB, Detroit and NYJ don’t have a solid running threat either.
Teams sit on the pass and usually shut them down.
We have balance. We also have speed. We lack a deep threat.
Most definitely see us shopping for that piece this Spring.
I also think Lockette is in the plans for that position as well.
Tim McDonald? Is he making a comeback out of retirement? Isn’t he 50 years old?
Hey Spit I’ve started checking into the QB Class a little more.
Since there was really no reason to look until you mentioned Matt Scott, I’ve been ignoring them for the most part.
Have you seen the kid from So Utah, Brad Sorensen? 6’5″ 230
Over 9400 yds passing on 1254 attempts. 65+ Comp pct too. 61 TDs too.
Get this, he red shirted a yr and transferred from JUCO and put those numbers up in 3yrs.
SICK.
I’d add him to the list of project QBs just to see what Harbaugh could get out of him.
Spitblood
It is way too easy and not much of a challenge to match wits with you because you have no game.
Of teams needing a wide receiver you forgot one team that traded away Brandon Marshall and are losing their top receiver Hartline to free agency.
Foolish of you to omit Miami from teams looking at receivers but omission and selective memory are your strongest attributes in an otherwise empty toolbox.
Unca – it’s nice that you want to be my fact checker / editor. Thanks.
Spitblood wants tosign Jared Cook to a 5 million dollar per season long term contract.
Jared Cook is a Tight End who doesn’t block and has made little effort to improve.
A four year career averaging 32 balls caught a year and 2 Touchdowns.
So why on earth does Cook deserve 5 million dollars?
Because he’s good. I watch games outside of Niner games, Chuck. You don’t. You can only rely on numbers.
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/92769/nfl-econ-49ers-sustainability-rams-plan
Excellent article by Sando. The article underscores the even higher priority of coaching youngsters and drafting well. Could mean goodbyes to guys like Goodwin, Haralson, Akers, Soap, Ricky, Moss and others. Not a big deal if you draft well. It could also mean the 49ers don’t trade up at all and use all of their 15 picks on guys the coaching staff needs to train and coach-up in a hurry.
Hey TT, how about less criticism of others and less bullshit. Yer acting like bullit again.
If you’re happy and you know it share your meds…..
I guess too many normal posts for ya, skippy? You have to psycho it up some?
Spit this Draft is the turning point of 8+ years of futility for us.
Baalke has stockpiled multiple Picks to flip this Roster and get younger.
I have no problems moving up, down or, sideways, if the right guys are obtained.
FA is becoming the modern age Plan B, where Teams are unloading the older higher priced, less productive Contracts, in exchange for the Rookie Capped younger talent, that bring speed and versatility to the game
Goldson will be a perfect example to watch.
He’s a scheme specific fit with us.
I don’t see him as a solid SS or a versatile, rangy FS.
He’s got limitations elsewhere IMO.
Not to say someone won’t overspend.
Been done plenty of times before but, I seriously think the FA Mkt is correcting in a big way.
Jake Long thinks he’s worth $14Mil/yr.
Flacco just signed for $20Mil/yr.
All we can do at this point is to sit back and wait for the bargains as guys get desperate.
After the Draft casualties will only serve to further water down the Mkt.
NJ – The more I read today about the salary cap, the more I think the 49ers should just use all their 15 picks and dump Soap, forget Walker, dump Goodwin, Manningham, Akers, Rogers, Goldson, Moss and other and honestly go with a youth movement while also forgetting free agency.
Could very well go that route Spit.
We discussed Goodwin last night a little.
If there’s a younger guy, (Kilgore?) ready, I’m sure it’ll happen.
Baalke has done a great job of buying time with FA Vets, while getting youth developed behind them.
This Draft is just a larger scale opportunity to do that in all the areas we need to have it done in.
I don’t see 15 Picks being used as much as I see the Picks used to further stockpile for the future.
We have leverage on Draft Weekend by having them.
Baalke knows what he’s shopping for and isn’t afraid to jump around the Board.
I don’t see a RB in the mix so much as I think he’ll grab an OT bargain if he has the chance.
I’m higher now on SMU DE Margus Hunt after seeing him in Indy too.
He could be the Baalke equivalent to Walsh’s Pierce Holt.
An older College DL-man that could be used as a situational pass rusher while he develops his game further.
A converted Discus Thrower/Track athlete, he’s 6’8″ and ran a 4.6
You can teach football.
You can’t teach size and athleticism.
Seems to me “hitting” on your picks is less important than before as they are less damaging to the cap. I don’t see throwing over the roster for a plethora (15) of college kids Spit, as in the past a balance of youth and vets is called for. Niners already have a good group of developmental kids on the roster. I would guess Baalke will package picks for 1 or 2 targeted guys, probably 2, draft for depth after that and trade some picks for next year.
I would target DE/DT and DB/S and only take a high WR if an unexpectedly high pick falls down the board a ways.
Niners have cap room for 2 or 3 free agents capable of contributing now.
I was less than impressed with Goodwin, he messed up a bunch of snaps, kind of an important skill with a pistol O.
Goldson gets to find his value again, could well be he ends up back with the Niners again but I doubt it.
Walker probably signs a 3 year 4 mil real contract, he and Kap are working well together and I am guessing he expects that to improve.
Looks like Moss is gone and ditto Ginn. Manningham is a big ? Mark. KW should make it back to TC where he can fight for a roster spot. We have to hope Baalke got it right with AJ but the draft and free agency will show just how confident he really is.
Such an unpredictable draft and off season this year.
Good news for us too 12th.
Depth in all the areas we need to shop.
Good value on the OL as well.
No doubt we’ll find the right pieces since we really don’t have too many places to fill.
Those extra Picks also afford Baalke some latitude to overload at positions to create further competition for depth too.
Grab a couple of each like Noah.
It’ll shake out in Camp.
Very unpredictable draft and off season. This off season is about priorities because you’re gonna lose some people because of the low cap. I’ll be pissed if the 49ers make Delanie Walker a priority.
Delanie isn’t a major expense for us.
I think he stays on at a comfortable Contract number.
He’s a solid guy in terms of versatility for us.
I’m wondering whether we lose both Ice and RJF actually.
With Dobbs, Jerod-Eddie and Ian Williams waiting to step up, we certainly have capable fill ins but, will need more depth from the Draft.