Well, well. In a reversal of the usual obscure/odd/baffling 1st round pick, Trent Baalke went with the guy who most of the draftniks predicted would come here. And that would be one Arik Armstead, the defensive lineman from Oregon. He was able to get his guy and get 2 picks from SD in the process. A 4th this year, and a 5th next year. Not bad at all. The guy hasn’t put up huge numbers, but is very big and very fast. The intriguing numbers for him are 6’7″, 295 lb, with room to grow. Fast enough to play power forward for a Division 1 basketball program for 2 years. His 40 times are of the 5 second range, nothing spectacular, but his value is in his burst and his quickness off the line. Something he’s shown flashes of.
There are concerns about his commitment and his motor at times, and he does have the dreaded work-in-progress tag on him, but still and all, Jim Tomsula has certainly gotten a lot more out of a lot less. This doesn’t look to be Baalke’s Balmer . . .
Today? Well a lot of guys I thought would be available, aren’t. Byron Jones being the biggest surprise to me. Dallas needed a running back and a pass rusher, so they took a CB. The guy I wanted. Another guy who went in the 1st who I wanted was Stephone Anthony. He’s going to NO as part of the Jimmy Graham trade. I think NO got the better end of this deal, as Seattle doesn’t look like a good fit for a non-blocking TE.
My wish today? Jalen Strong. Maybe with the extra 4th round pick garnered in trading down 2 spots can yield Jalen. If not him, then maybe Sammie Coates from Auburn.3rd round? Well, I’d say CB. Still hoping Alex Carter is still on the board.
Forty Niners Forever 
Still trying to digest all of the picks the last two years. Fangio needed perfection on the field with little game time for them. Medical red shirting. On DLine starter ability for Tank and Dial still a question. Okoye still an athletic promise. Huge potential added yesterday needs development. 3-4 DE takes longer to develop than 4-3 DT. IMO this unit drags down the defense and coupled with the ILB exodus and Bowman’s miracle recovery yet to be seen it cannot be assumed top 10 is achievable.
My naive wish for today is bundling of all day 3 picks into today. We have all the day 3 depth players still from 2014 draft. Future WR1 in Darren Waller. A day 1 quality Chris Conley hidden at a UGA caveman offense. Jesse James a possible Graham-Gronk pass TE. Expect a run on ILB before pick #46. These better targets are needed to overcome an unproven OC and QB coach.
I’m in for the same effort bakkentom.
Baalke maneuvers the Board very well.
It’s all about finding willing partners of course.
Great value in RDs 2-4.
Have to stick in RD4 and 7 with Comp Picks.
Everything else is open for moves for me as well.
I’m the end, Arik didn’t excite me.
I hope he proves to be a Scouting highlight over an overhyped ‘potential star’.
Show me some heart and desire and I’m in
College talent is one thing.
Few make it big as Pros.
A GM has to have a crystal ball to determine how many guys have the work ethic to succeed at the NFL level.
As was said last night, it’s not the end of the line to get selected, it’s the beginning of the toughest job to master.
After Aaron Lynch to me no worries about D staff and D locker room to get their heads straight and motivated. AA needs to transform his body with diet and weight room. His basketball days are behind him.
Repetition breeds instinct. None of these guys can perform this year like the best years of Justin Smith and Ray McDonald. Need these guys to occupy blockers in the run D so ILB’s can clean up. The talent should be up to speed for 2016. It starts up front and just do not see our LB’s doing well with a young DLine in front. Most snaps need to go to the young, not the old DD.
Interesting – I looked up a guy I really wanted the Niners to get in 2010. Jason Pierre-Paul went 15th (!!!). Two-time Pro-Bowler DE, he suffered a herniated disc in 2013, but came back to get 12.5 sacks in 2014. A herniated disc is a killer for any guy, but especially a D-lineman of his height. But – he’s still a Giant stud. Chalk one up for me.
Armstead can’t or hasn’t pass rushed, but he’s going to be a run-stuffing nose and we all know how Walsh loved to stockpile quality noses. It’s a lot harder to sub players now with the proliferation of hurry-up offenses, so it’s a open question if, on the series he plays, Armstead will be useless on pass rushing downs.
I’ll never criticize a run-stuffing nose as a choice, though – especially not with the imminent (eventual?) retirement of Justin. We’ll just have to wait 2-4 years to start judging the pick.
Here’s an excerpt from an article in csnbayarea. Of course in the article Baalke gets the player wrong.
“Perhaps Baalke was also alluding to Richard Seymour, whom the New England Patriots selected with the No. 6 overall pick in 2001. Seymour (listed at 6-6, 298 coming out of college) recorded just 1.5 sacks in his final season at Georgia.
Here’s what draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. wrote about Seymour in his 2001 Draft Report:
‘Finished the past season with just 1 ½ sacks, appearing at times to lack the burst to the QB that is necessary to wreak havoc against quality centers and guards on a consistent basis. . . While his physical ability speaks for itself, there is room for improvement. Whether he has the closing ability to become a dominating inside pass rusher is up for debate.’
Seymour left no room for debate during his 12-year NFL career, though. Playing the same position in which the 49ers envision Armstead, Seymour recorded 57.5 sacks and was named to seven Pro Bowls and first-team All-Pro three times.”
Mel Kiper, Jr. strikes again! How does that dude have a job?
Like I said, RTF, Tomsula has gotten a lot more out of a lot less. I think AA should be fine. And if he can come on late in the season, having AA and Aldon as bookend pass rushers, shit could get pretty interesting.
Yeah, I was picturing him as a nose because I read he’s a (very rare) five technique lineman. Now, I don’t have a clue what that means so I’ll leave it to Berger to translate. Where is Reno? I would’ve thought he’d have chimed in on Armstead by now…
All a 5-technique lineman means is that he is lined up outside the outside shoulder of the OT, as opposed to a 4 where he would line up directly opposite the tackle.
Well, I hate to break it to you, Chuck, but Harbaugh was forced out. Willis and Borland retired because we are now in full rebuilding mode. Gore didn’t even for a second consider staying because Harbaugh/Roman are gone.
5-11. Someone has to be the voice of reason on your blog.
Why would Borland lie about his reasons for retiring? Coming off a promising rookie season and with a tremendous upside, he fabricates a story about possible future head injuries to cover the fact that he thinks the 49ers are now in “rebuilding mode” because Harbaugh was “forced out?”
Not buying it dude.
” I think AA should be fine.”
What the fuck do you know about AA? Ever attend a meeting? Ever bring the donuts and make the coffee? Ever listen to the same sorry POS sob story over and over and over again about how some fucking well-educated mook who had the world by the short hairs only to waste his talent and throw away his life’s ambitions because the only solace he found came from the bottom of the bottle?
I want devin smith
Fuck off, Dennis. I didn’t make the call, dumbass. Baalke did. What do you know? Except for hurting yourself whe sitting an feeding the ducks is too much for you to handle. You and the hipsters can happily beat tbe anti-Jed drum and feel like part of something.
Still waiting for the 2010 Giants to loae the World Series?
Jesus H. fucking Christ. Check your goddamn spell-check/auto-correct or whatever the fuck it is that you don’t use before you post. This *is* your blog. Show a little pride for chrissakes. Trying to read your jumbled and misspelled entries is frustrating beyond belief.
HOF’er Willie Brown just announced the Raiders 2nd rd. pk. I met Willie on many occasions as his son, Willie Jr., also attended St. Jerome’s in El Cerrito. He was a year ahead of me so we didn’t interact much.
Brown’s career ended in ’78. His son was an 8th Grader in ’79. I in ’80. That SOB picked up his kid on a daily basis in his yellow 500SL Mercedes Benz that entire year. I’ll give ’em that.
Sorry ROB!!! Jets got Smith
Funchess to the Panthers. Burn baby burn, Reno inferno. Burn baby burn, burn that Mother down…
There goes DGB
Like it would have fucking mattered. We don’t have the QB to deliver him the ball in the first place.
Strong’s the best left.
Sad sadsad, Dennis. I’m sure your mom is spinning right now.
A big reach from the Tree. Another S was our biggest need?
Changing my prediction again; 2-14. Hey! That’s OK. I’m well versed with 2-14. That’s when Moms got our season tix — ’78. 2-14, 2-14, 6-10 and then Heeeeeeeeeeee!
It *could* happen again.