Word on the street is that the 49ers are very interested in Ezekiel Ansah, FA DE who played for the Lions, amassed 12 sacks last year, and 14.5 the year before. More than enough for a team that ranked 26th in sacks with 30. He’ll cost, but one thing the Niners have is a shit-ton of cap space. Somewhere in the $100 million range.
Seeing as this is the brain trust’s 2nd go-round in free agency, it’s fairly easy to see their previous track record. They got (minus a couple no-names):
- QBs (Hoyer and Hot Tub Mat) – Nice try but pfffffffft. The draft of BeatHard and the steal of Garoppolo made these guys moot and expendable.
- WRs Pierre Garcon, Marquise Goodwin and Aldrick Robinson – Garcon was playing well before he got hurt, Goodwin became Jimmy G’s go-to guy once he got in there, and Aldrick Robinson showed some decent play after struggling through a lot of the season. Robinson looks to be odd man out if we improve this position
- FB Kyle Jusczyk – A very solid pickup as he made some nice catches coming out of the backfield on sideline routes.
- OLB Malcolm Smith – Hard to say, but he’ll hopefully be ready when this season starts. May be relegated to backup depending on the draft and other FA moves.
- TE Logan Paulsen – Blocking TE that made some big drops this year. Surley we can do better.
- K Robbie Gould – Huge success. 39-41 is flat fantastic. 4-4 from 50+.
ILB Brock Coyle – Good backup who was exposed in coverage early on. Should stick for ST role and depth.
So, four of these guys were big successes, and M Smith very well could be a keeper. Not bad for their first try. Thing is, the Niners still have holes to fill at guard, CB, WR, possibly RB, OLB, and ILB. How much of this goes to free agency?
OLB – Well, I like this guy Ansah. Dee Ford of KC is young but coming off a back injury, and Anthony Hitchens of the Cowboys is also a young guy who is available.
WR – There are a lot of intriguing guys available. Notably Jarvis Landry of the Phins, and Sammy Watkins of the Bills and Rams. They are all 25 so there’s a good chance one of these guys would be a great addition to the team. Then there is Josh (hold my joint) Gordon. He of the spectacular play, and equally spectacular penchant for getting into trouble. Terelle Pryor thrived in Cleveland, but failed in Washington. Cameron Meredith (da Bearsss) could be great but he’s also coming off a big injury.
TE – We should focus on Zach Ertz’s backup Trey Burton, who shined when Ertz went down with a concussion. Fuck Jimmy Graham.
CB – Well, there’s Malcolm Butler, though NE likely keeps him, Rashaan Melvin of the Bills, Trumaine Johnson of the Rams, and Patrick Robinson of the Iggles. All these guys are young and have enough years left.
I think Landry is gettable. As is Ansah and Ford. Burton would be a great addition to the TE ranks. Patrick Robinson as well. Those thrfoure would be a great start to free agency.
I don’t know who’s available at guard in FA, but I’m tired of typing so, have at it. I think we are in a MUCH better place than last year, but who do you think we should sign?
San Francisco 49ers Forever 
The only FA WR that I would really want is Allen Robinson from the Jags. The guy catches everything and he’s had Bortals his whole career. He is a true # 1 WR. Watkins maybe but I think he is a head case. Jarvis if we could get him on the cheap he’s a good slot receiver but we have a good slot receiver already in Taylor, and anyway they are a lot easier to find than true # 1 outside WR’s. Garcon is gonna be magical in this system with Jimmy and he can play the slot to.
All gonna depend on the money left after getting Jimmy done.
Nothing matters until the QB is secured for the future.
Not a fan of Landry TBH. I think he carries some baggage, ala OBJ.
Tim Ryan nailed several of the guys I’m planning on putting in my Draft List.
He also makes a very good case for Dontè Moncrief from Indy.
He certainly has ‘under-produced’, as did Goodwin in Buffalo.
We need a bigger target or 2 in the WR Group.
I’m all in thus far for Courtland Sutton/SMU and Equanimeous St. Brown/ND.
More research work to do but, both of these guys are big targets.
My first Sleeper is a converted basketball player turned OT from Wagner.
Greg Senat – 6’6″/322.
Likely a late RD/UDFA project, but I’ve always liked OTs with BB experience.
They tend to have the athleticism to do well at OT & TE.
Sorry…forgot the link to the Tim Ryan piece –
https://tinyurl.com/y86njuna
What about Tyler Eiffert from the Bengals- if his Medicals check out
Yeah, dude, welcome.
Hey England. Welcome! He’s fine if he can stay on the field. He’s had the same problem Hyde has. When he’s out there he’s great but he’s missed a ton of games. That would keep his cost down I’d think. So, sure.
We desperately need a dependable TE that can catch,. I’m not sold on Kittle yet.
We probably will get rid of Paulson(sp) but I think we are pretty set with TE’s already. Don’t think it’s a major concern. I kind of figure we will draft the BPA in the first couple of rounds and then go for needs. I kinda doubt we will see a top 10 draft again for awhile. I figure with FA and the draft we will go with the best players we can get and hopefully find some gems in the later rounds and UDFA’s.
I don’t think we are that far off from being a really good team. Draft/FA a bunch of monsters for the Oline, OLB/DB, a RB, and a WR are pretty much all we need.
We need depth everywhere. Last year showed that, but it also gave a lot of young guys playing time. As you said the top 5 needs are:
CB
OLB
Guard
WR
RB
We have 9 picks and a ton of money so we CAN take a flier on a Burton/Eifert type guy plus get a backup center, a couple LBs, O and D linemen, and kick some ass.
Yeah, with some depth we might have won a couple more games. Coyle really turned out to be a good pickup and I think this next year CJ will have the reps and experience to handle the job if Jimmy gets hurt. Just hope that Joe Williams turns out to be what was expected.
A topflight pass rusher would be huge for this defense. I don’t know much about the guys mentioned, but a guy who can get to the QB plus a very good corner would be a big help for the D and help them take the next step. As good as they were against the run, improving over 2016 I mean, they were still something like 23rd in the league overall. Not very good. Seriously upgrading those two positions could really put them over the top (depth too).
We’ve got other guys coming back off injury too, Tartt, Ward, etc. With Colbert, I think safety is pretty well set. Malcolm is a savvy veteran who will be a starter next year. Coyle’s year showed me that he can be more than just a ST guy. He was very solid the last half of the season, with a good nose for the ball and solid tackling. He’ll at the very least add depth to the LB position.
Am I missing something? Can the 49ers sign JG now, or do they have to wait until the free agency period? That’s, what, in March?
I am pretty sure they can sign Jimmy when ever they want. I just hope they pay him and not throw the tag on him. He’s already proven what kind of player he is and we need him long term.
Yeah, me too. My only concern is that he wants to play the field and see what else he could get. This would seem like the perfect situation for him and the team, so that seems unlikely, but you never know. If I was him, however, I’d be squeezing every guaranteed dollar I could out of the team. He’s a hot commodity and in a great bargaining position. I will breathe a lot easier once he’s signed.
Yeah, it’s gonna be an interesting year. The guys that didn’t even play (like M Smith and Williams) stand to be pretty impactful guys.
Guys that shone in their shots due to injuries were Colbert, Witherspoon, Brieda, and Coyle.
CJ figures to improve a lot playing behind JG, just like JG did behind Brady and Rodgers did behind Favre. All the nuance and ins and outs of the position will be there for him to absorb, every day. That’s another huge benefit to getting JG locked down. He’s already shown his presence makes the whole team better, imagine what it’ll do for a young QB. Assuming JG’s signing pans out, we may be on the verge of having two legit NFL QB’s a couple of years after having nothing. My how our fortunes have changed.
Breida showed me a lot this season. He could be a nice, speedy weapon moving forward, running and catching the ball out of the backfield. I’d bet Shanny is drooling at the prospect.
Keep Goodwin , Garcon ,Jucsyk , Smith and Coyle ! Maybe Garappolo as well lol
Hey Engalndfootball … good to see you ! Big anglophile here !
Patrick Robinson sounds like a good one to take a look at CHUCK ! Any O-lineman out there this year ?
Hey guys this year marks my 49th year as a fan !!! Been a 49er for 49 !!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 49 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hah! I’m at 50 I think.
WOOF!
I didn’t like running Brieda into the line but I did like getting him in the flat for swing passes.
Hyde inside and Breida outside is a nice one two punch
70% of the time Hyde gets one or two yards when he runs inside, I think we could do better.
Some of that is on the Oline
I would like us to keep Hyde since he had a pretty good year and showed he can be durable.He showed real well catching passes out of the backfield and is pretty good in the open spaces.I just don’t think he should be our #1 back.
Very odd stats for Hyde here WINDER ! https://www.google.com/search?q=carlos+hyde+season+stats&expnd=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiMqsL4nvbYAhXEtFMKHUQWDQkQMQi4ATAY&biw=1680&bih=935
ignore this one … see below
His career avg. is 4.2 but last year he had the strangest year I think I’ve ever seen stat wise last year
http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/gamelog/_/id/16777/carlos-hyde
Okay it’s time to fess up……..who plans to watch the Pro-Bowl?
Never have, why start now?
I might go !
They’ll have Hyde’s status figured out by the time the draft rolls around, so we’ll know what they are thinking. I’m of a mind to keep him as he did well enough behind a shitty line. He’s a solid pass catcher out of the backfield as well.
I’m more curious about Joe Williams. He looked real good till he went down.
Not me, Nip. Warriors Celtics tonight though.
Nip- don’t think I have watched a pro-bowl in over 20 years, not planning to watch this one either.
chuck- I am real curious about Williams too. I might be that shanny got this one wrong since I think Bredia had him beat out before the IR list.
Williams is bigger and stronger, so a different kind of back. Looking forward to seeing what he can do. KS was certainly high on him last season.
I’ve never been one for all star games. I used to watch most of the baseball games, but since dumbass Selig did his thing I haven’t paid much attention. The NBA games are a joke, with 190 points a side, and the NFL guys barely tackle. What’s the point? It’s just a big circle jerk.
Joe Williams had a bad ankle since college. I thought he did pretty well for having a bad wheel. The team decided to sit him the season to get him to 100%. Joe says he’ll be 100% by the first practice. I’m really looking forward to see what he can do this year. He is a legitimate home run hitter.
https://www.ninersnation.com/2017/12/29/16831438/joe-williams-ankle-injury-rehab-49ers-2018
I could pass on Hyde in favor of this kid.
Watched him throughout the week in Moblie (Sr Bowl) –
Excellent size/speed/production –
Kalen Ballage, RB, Arizona St. Height: 6-3 Weight: 230 40-Time: 4.55
450 ATT / 1,984 YDs / 27 TDs
Mobile that is – Alabama…..
This kid looked good as well –
Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego St. Height: 5-11 Weight: 224 40-Time: 4.55
488 ATT / 3,656 TDs / 38 TDs
3,656 YDs that is – Not TDs…
I was gonna say, Shit that’s a hell of a career.
This kid was a stud also – Crazy College stats as well –
59 Games / 329 TKLs / 9.5 SAcks / 10 PBUs / 7 INTs
Nick DeLuca, ILB, North Dakota St.
https://www.seniorbowl.com/player-view.php?p=2259&squad=North
Here’s a guy I’d put on the radar in FA –
Andrew Norwell, G, Panthers. Age: 26
Another Sr Bowl player I’ve added to The List – Never quit on his blocks. Moved very well IMO –
Brian O’Neill, OT, Pittsburgh Height: 6-6 Weight: 305 40-Time: 5.05
NJ- It sounds like the Niners had full crew at the senior bowl. There were some real interesting players there. I agree about the RB’s you mentioned, and there were a couple of WR’s, and LB’s that looked pretty good too, for the first time I even paid attention to what was going on there. I guess I haven’t been this excited about an offseason for a long time
Don’t forget the Pro-Bowl, Winder!
I forgot to mention a couple of O-line guys that looked real good also, I just can’t remember their names, One of em was from Alabama,
Mobile is one of the premier places for Scouting prior to the Combines Winder.
Players are actually Coached and, of course, wearing pads and playing football.
I came away with several ‘favorites’ myself, while awaiting the Combine measurables, to separate the ‘close calls’.
I give plenty of credit to these kids, because it shows a desire to succeed.
Combines is a data collection/meet and greet opportunity for all the Clubs, to get some face time and, interview the prospects.
Here’s the Sr Bowl Squad list if you care to partake 😀
https://www.seniorbowl.com/rosters-2018.php
I added this kid to my List after seeing him in Mobile –
Little shorter than I originally went ‘shopping’ for but, he looked good.
Hoping to get some honest 40s for him if he gets to the Combines.
I had originally seen him listed at 6’4″/198 running a 4.4-40
https://www.seniorbowl.com/player-view.php?p=2287&squad=South
I think the best RB in this years draft is Rashaad Penny. I wouldn’t take a RB with our first pick but if they took this guy I would not be upset.
Liked this RB as well –
Royce Freeman, RB, Oregon Height: 6-0 Weight: 238 40-Time: 4.55
GP 51
ATT 947
YDS 5,621
AVG 5.9
TD 60
REC 79
YDS 814
TD 4
New thread is up.