Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten drafts—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping on my chamber door“
’Tis some quarterback,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”
___
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the veranda.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;—the past I sought to borrow
For my quarterback of tomorrow—sorrow for the lost Montana
For the rare and radiant passer whom the angels name Montana—
Nameless here for evermore.
___
And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each would-be QB
Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
’Tis some quarterback entreating entrance at my chamber door—
Some late quarterback entreating entrance at my chamber door;—
This it is and nothing more.”
____
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
“Sir,” said I, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you”—here I opened wide the door;—
Lance was there and many more.
___
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
Which quarterback would lead us, lead us to the golden door,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Joe?”
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Joe!”—
Merely this and nothing moe.
___
Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
“Surely,” said I, “surely that QB at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what threat is, and this mystery explore—
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;—
’Tis the draft and nothing more!”
___
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In stepped a stately QB of THE Ohio State,
“I’m a passer as you see, but a runner I can be!”
“And I read the field as a general who is great!”
And with that he perched upon a bust of Namath,
just above my chamber door—
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
___
Once again there came a tapping, a persistent tapping rapping at my chamber door-
In walked a sludgy, mushy QB, who looks like he drives a truck named Mac
“I’m not mobile like a cat, but buying time’s where its at!”
“And I fit the ball into the tiniest crack!”
And with that he crawled upon a bust of Norm Snead just above my chamber door—
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
___
One last time there came a-knocking, like a crazy Gronk a-Gronking
The last QB who was standing, was green horn who can dance
“I can read coverages best of all, and I stand straight and tall, I throw the pass just like a lance”
“Pay no mind to my lack of starts, I’ll give the O a 2nd and 3rd chance”
And with that he leapt upon a bust of Tarkington just above my chamber door—
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
___
So now what of the clamour for a QB we enamour, will we pick the one that no one has surpassed?
Should we pick the one who’s fast, the one who may not last, the one named Fields who reminds of QBs past?
Or should we go with Jones named Mac, who may end up on his back, as protections fall apart, and the line cracks?Last shot will be Lance, he can throw and he can dance, but needs more work before the die is cast.
___
As I ponder weak and weary of a stud we need so dearly
I cannot think so clearly
But at least Mel Kiper’s head goes back in his box.
San Francisco 49ers Forever 
Amazing what can be done in an hour long yearly corporate review . . .
Good job. I don’t have that many words in my head. Whoever we pick I hope he turns out to be worth 3 #1’s. There is so much bullshit flying around that I’m not paying any real attention to it.
The gist is what i’ve been saying. Fields is too quick to run, Mac is slow and plodding, Lance is good but inexperienced. The rest is circle jerking over and over.
Mac could be Big Ben for all we know. I think this front office is off Fields entirely.
The pundits weill say what they will, but the hope is these guys gather enough info from the film and can make the right choice.
I’m still on Lance.
I think the only one worth three 1’s is Watson, but that ship sank.
There’s plenty of help for your alcoholism, you know. You don’t have to do this alone. Please put down the laptop and the bottle and go seek the rehab that you need. And there’s no age or weight limit, so that’s good news for you.
Thanks for noticing that I plagarized the Raven.
I’m going with Fields u can’t teach 4.4 speed are a rocket arm on deep passes, he’s tough as nails with all the intangibles, and if people say he doesn’t make all the reads I say bullshit Shanny will get that right!
They take Jones they will be the laughing stock of the NFL with a F grade to start they’re draft!
Fields is a lot more experienced then Lance and played against far better competition, he’s a project that could easily be a bust!
Chuck check your Yahoo In Box – More words there for you to digest 😀
Thx for the heads up. I’m, curious as to what it is.
AK, the pundits can cry all they want. If Jones is Big Ben 2.0 I’m down with it.
My point is the front office SHOULD know more than us fans as to who has the best shot. I get real leery when they say “we know who we want and will not change our minds.” Then again, they took Drunkenfucker over Plummer back in the day, Different group, different time, sure but the point remains, sometimes the fans are right.
I don’t know if they are playing chicken to try and get the Jets off Wilson, but they just got rid of their last pudgy white guy QB in Darnold. There is little chance they draft Jones.
NJ…They also took Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers because of his better wunderlich score? WTF?that began the end of Mike Nolan. They screw this pickup and it sets them back for along time after what they gave up to move to number 3! Rodgers MVP/SB win HOF lock, Alex Smith pfft..
Hell both Brady&Rodgers were dying to be drafted by the 49ers and they passed when they should of listened..
Oh and I guess I will play The coulda of woulda game.. Steve Young’s career ended when thank you Lawrence Phillips“Dumbshit dragging his GF down 3 flights of stairs in college” misses an easy block on Andrenas Williams? Young gets clobbered, suffers career ending concussions. So if they draft Brady who went #199 as everyone passed on him the dynasty could of continued and then draft Rodgers in 2004 for his backup and continue SB runs with that combination till you need to trade one for more picks in the draft are players.. Yeah I know it’s my crazy mind working but that could of possibly happened and SB’s would of been common on the mantle of 4949 road…
Timeline’s a little off, but having Brady would have been nice. We wouldn’t have been drafting Rodgers with Brady in the fold.
Hahahahaha, nice of you to bring up the poem that Baltimore’s football team was named after. You know, the team that the Niners LOST to in the super bowl.
Little slow on the uptake, skippy.
Peter King on The Herd, does not see NE going after JG, sites his injuries and not taking command.
From the Athletic, As for their other moves, the big one was signing left tackle Trent Williams to a monster deal that makes him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL. Fitzgerald thought that was a huge gamble.
“I hated the Trent Williams contract,” he said. “I think $23 million a year, and I know the front end is about $20 million a year, but a guy who has a history of missing three to four games a season, was suspended once, 33 years old. I hate that contract.”
https://theathletic.com/2493115/2021/04/05/a-break-from-the-first-round-furor-49ers-will-have-nice-options-in-the-second/?source=user_shared_article
You have to pay to play in the NFL these days. Not having him would be worse.
https://theathletic.com/2501359/2021/04/07/the-49ers-no-3-nfl-draft-pick-greg-cosell-on-mac-jones-justin-fields-trey-lance-and-other-qb-possibilities/?source=user_shared_article
This is a good analysis of the QB’s the Niners might draft
It’s behind a pay wall, Irish. Can you copy/paste?
Thanks.
Speculation regarding the 49ers’ upcoming pick at No. 3 in the 2021 NFL Draft has run absolutely berserk, but Greg Cosell isn’t reading too deeply into any of it.
“People think they know,” Cosell said in a phone interview Tuesday morning. “But they have no idea. It’s fun to talk about, I get it. And that’s what you and I are going to do. But no one knows.”
The analyst, senior producer and godfather of tactical football study on television, who created the show now known as “NFL Matchup” in 1984 and recently finished his 41st season with NFL Films, doesn’t like spending time on conjecture. Instead, Cosell is fully dedicated to his specialty: Grinding film.
There’s been a treasure trove of QB tape to dissect ahead of this draft.
Jacksonville will likely pick Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence No. 1. Most expect the Jets, who traded Sam Darnold away to Carolina on Monday, to then grab BYU’s Zach Wilson. If the top two picks do indeed break that way, Alabama’s Mac Jones, Ohio State’s Justin Fields and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance will all still be on the board when the 49ers come on the clock at No. 3.
That makes this a great time to break down each quarterback’s strengths, weaknesses, and potential fit with the 49ers. Few can do that more thoroughly than Cosell, who previously joined us to offer an extensive evaluation of 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in February.
Here is Tuesday’s conversation with Cosell:
What was your first reaction upon hearing news that the 49ers had traded up to No. 3? Did you take this as an indication that Kyle Shanahan might have decided that he needed a different mold of quarterback — one that’s particularly good at creating outside of structure?
That’s the main question which we cannot answer. But you do not give up two future number ones to get up to No. 3 if you’re not drafting a quarterback. It’s as simple as that. So a quarterback will be taken.
We have to remember that Kyle Shanahan, as good as he is, is still a relatively young head coach who’s still learning, and he would admit that. He’s a very smart man. So the question becomes: What is he now looking for in a quarterback?
Is he looking for someone who he believes is better stylistically than Jimmy Garoppolo — better playing the same way? Or, has he advanced his thought process based on where it appears the NFL is going, to where he would like a quarterback that has second-reaction, off-script, outside-of-structure movement ability? That’s unanswerable, but that’s the question.
It’s really a philosophical question at this point as to what a coach wants from a quarterback. You can talk to 10 different coaches and you’ll get different answers. Some believe off-script movement is now a necessity. Others still believe it’s a bit of a luxury and you don’t have to have it to succeed in the NFL. We don’t know exactly where Kyle stands.
Many media members seem convinced that the 49ers will pick Mac Jones, and that topic has become a lightning rod amongst the 49ers’ fan base on social media (Fields and Lance seem much more popular in those circles). So, let’s start with Jones. We know he’s a pocket passer, but — given the film — where exactly would Jones fall into that larger philosophical question?
I don’t think he would fit the advanced mold or profile if you’re talking about the ability to make plays off script. Mac Jones is not a particularly good athlete. He’s certainly not a higher level athlete. There’s certainly no twitch to his movement.
Now, having said that, does that mean that he can’t move at all? No. But he’s not that kind of player. Mac Jones is not the kind of quarterback that, if it’s third-and-nine and the defense wins the down tactically and gets quick pressure that demands that the quarterback has to move with some kind of suddenness in response, Mac Jones is not that guy.
But having said that, there’s a lot to like about Mac Jones. He’s got a very refined sense of anticipation and timing. He’s got a feel for manipulating the defense. He does have enough pocket movement, which is defined by moving within a smaller area — even smaller than a boxing ring — to find a quiet place to throw the football. He had a very good feel against zone coverage to throw into zone windows with anticipation.
He was very decisive. He knew quickly where not to go but then to isolate where to go within the timing and the structure of the play design. He was a good deep ball thrower. He turned it loose. He was aggressive throwing the football.
And when it was required, which was not often, he showed pocket toughness. He stood and delivered. So, there’s a lot to like about Mac Jones. He’s just not going to make second-reaction plays that we’ve become used to seeing in the NFL. If you think that Patrick Mahomes is the way forward, Josh Allen, those kinds of players, Mac Jones certainly does not fit that mold.
In many ways, that mirrors your evaluation of Garoppolo from our conversation in February. And if Shanahan picks Jones, he might have both him and Garoppolo on the roster. So, how do Jones and Garoppolo compare?
In some sense, if you draft Jones, I think you’re believing that he’s a better Jimmy Garoppolo. Because Jones is a highly efficient executor and ball distributor. That’s what Jones is. He’s somewhat programmed. He was in the Alabama offense. We know how Kyle Shanahan feels about his offense. He believes in it with such conviction that he can define the reads and the throws for the quarterback. And Jones is the executor. He’s a ball distributor.
So it would seem that if you draft Mac Jones that you’re basically saying, “My offense is still really good and we need someone better than the player we have now to execute that at the highest level that it can be executed.”
That offers a natural segue to Justin Fields, who’s actually outperformed Jones in terms of advanced accuracy statistics. So even though there’s a notion that Jones might be superior from the pocket and from structure, it seems that Fields has also made a legitimate case when operating under those parameters. What are your thoughts on Fields, who’s obviously a better athlete than Jones?
I think that you’re dealing with a kid that has high-level traits.
He’s got a plus-arm. He can drive the ball with velocity at the intermediate and deeper levels. He absolutely showed the ability to throw with touch. He feathered and layered throws when needed. He understood how to throw with pace. He does have experience with the conventional play-action pass game — and by conventional I mean under center with the quarterback turning his back to the defense — which is a learned trait. So he has experience with that. He certainly gives you second-reaction ability.
Now, if you want to talk about some of the things he needs work on that I’m sure Kyle really believes that his system can take care of: There were times when Justin Fields was a bit late on some throws. I would say that he didn’t necessarily show a natural feel for timing and anticipation. That can be worked on.
In a lot of college offenses, throws are predetermined based on the play call versus the anticipated coverage. Sometimes, it’s difficult watching tape to determine the distinction between predetermined (throws) and anticipation. Because if you make a play call and the idea is throw it to the primary receiver based on (defensive) tendency, then a lot of those throws become predetermined as opposed to anticipation.
So I think that Fields, at times, was a little deliberate in terms of recognizing things, in terms of his vision. Again, that theoretically can be worked on. But there’s no question that he’s a high-traits talent who fits the profile of today’s NFL quarterbacks. You can have designed runs. He gives you second-reaction ability. He gives you playmaking ability, and he does throw the ball extremely well. He’s a big-time talent.
I’m glad you mentioned the play-action pass game, the turning of the back to the defense, because experience doing that is one of Trey Lance’s biggest selling points. People say that Lance is inexperienced, but the North Dakota State offense had him working from under center and turning his back to the defense on play-action way more than these other QBs prospects.
(Lance) has the same amount of starts (17) as Mac Jones, but Mac Jones played at Alabama, so we tend to think of Mac Jones as if he’s Tom Brady. But Trey Lance has got the same number of college starts as Mac Jones.
And therefore many more play-action snaps than Mac Jones. So, how strongly do you think Lance’s pro-style experience appeals to Shanahan?
I would think it would appeal to him. But again, now we’re speculating about getting inside Kyle’s head. I can’t speak to what exactly Kyle thinks.
All we have is track record. And track record is that Kyle’s quarterbacks, wherever he’s been, have run conventional play-action as a meaningful and significant part of his offense. Quarterbacks under center, run game, two backs and — by the way — the fullback in 2019 at North Dakota State wore No. 44 (the number of 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk). So, how about that?
But anyway, (Lance) is more advanced and refined than any quarterback in this draft class when it comes to conventional play-action. That doesn’t mean he’s more advanced and refined in every way. He’s not. But again, that’s a learned trait.
So does Kyle Shanahan see that as extremely important toward what he wants to do? Because that’s the offense up to this point that he has run. And Kyle Juszczyk is a 49er. And Kyle Juszczyk is not a 49er to play five snaps a game. We know that’s not going to happen. Kyle Juszczyk tends to play 40-45 percent of the offensive snaps. Now, he doesn’t always line up in the backfield, but he does the majority of the time. So, there will be play-action with the quarterback under center.
Lance is a very intriguing prospect. He’s a twitchy kid. There’s an explosiveness to everything he does. He has a strong, live arm. He’s a really good athlete. He gives you the designed run game if you choose to incorporate that. He obviously gives you the designed boot-action pass game. He can get outside the pocket by design. There’s a lot to like about Trey Lance. People will talk about the lack of experience, but what they’re really saying is the fact that he played at a lower level of college football.
Because he has the same amount of experience as Mac Jones. But Mac Jones played at the highest level of college competition, and Trey Lance did not.
The accuracy charting also scores Lance lower than Jones and Fields. How do you think he can improve that in the NFL?
Well, I think there’s a couple of things. No. 1, I think at times (Lance’s) delivery is a little elongated with the ball dropping to his waist. So it’s not necessarily a compact delivery. Is that going to be changed dramatically? No. But it can be tightened up a little bit, and that will be worked on.
No. 2, he does have a tendency when he drops back — unless it’s a quick throw and he sees it immediately — he locks his knee at the top of his drop. Then, to get ready to throw, he has to bend (his knees). So that takes a fraction of a second, but we know in the NFL, fractions matter. Can that be cleaned up? Yes, anything from the waist down can be cleaned up.
I think he needs to develop a better feel for touch-and-pace throws. I thought he showed a tendency to throw, at times, with too much velocity. These are all things that can be coached. Can they be corrected once he gets to the field? We don’t know that. But they can be coached.
Chuck, nice job on The Raven plagiarism. It was very entertaining!
heh heh. thanks
Thanks Kevin, nice read, yeah I’m with Chuck I don’t have the pay scenario.But that was an interesting article, and Greg Cosell has vast knowledge I use to listen to him on KNBR and enjoy his intake..
Heard the 49ers due to the conflict of both Jones&Fields having there pro day on the same day will now be watching Fields in a workout April 14 personally with other potential teams..
Thing is, the only thing that came out of that article that I didn’t glean on my own is the fact that Lance is comfortable running play-action more so than the others. And I thought Jones had more starts than Lance.
Given all this, I still think they take Lance based on the play-action aspect, and he’s kind of the best of all things. He isn’t the biggest arm, the fastest guy, or the quickest read, but his skill set in all 3 is enough to put him over Fields and Jones, who are more one-dimensional.
My issue is the unknown. I like Fields best because I know more about him than the others. My worry with him is a rumor that he was terrible in the Wunderlich. That is bad news for a QB but then I read that he aced a well known IQ test. In fact he was off the charts. So what the heck on that.
My problem with Jones is not knowing now he will handle pressure, which is true for all college QBs to some extent. But with Jones even more so since I haven’t seen him have to handle any pressure. He is so accurate throwing I am intrigued with that and his great decision making.
The unknown with Lance is his competition was at a lower level of competition. See Wentz, Carson. Cosell says he has accuracy issues and says that can be taught. Maybe you can and maybe you can’t. He has a long throwing motion and that is why I never liked Sam Darnold. When you shorten a throwing motion you lose distance and sometimes even screw with a QB to the point he falters. Lance is a complete unknown.
Mac Jones did have the same amount of Starts as Trey Lance did at 17,it was spread out 4 starts after Tua blew out his hip in 2019 then 13 last year.
Mac Jones career rushing stats 52 carries for 42 yards .08 average!!!!are you freaking kidding me with that OL at Alabama? The guy would never be able to run a 49er multiple offense schemes when he can’t move and will get hammered by defenses constantly as a statue that he is!! Red Flag 🚩 he did have a DUI at Bama in his first year there and was suspended for 1 game.
Fields rushed for 19 touchdowns along with over 1,000 yards I believe at OhioSt and improved every year and hit on 70% of his passes last year.
And as Berger mentioned it was a sports psychologist Dr.Goldman who did an aptitude test on over 6,500 professional athletes in the past and future players Fields was off the charts scoring 130 even better then Mahomes &Allen at 108. He’s a very smart kid should easily learn quicker then others would.He’s my pick still, Lance less so, due to his inexperience and less quality competition ( kinda reminds me of Kap for some reason) the second choice I guess I could live.But NO Freakin Way on a slower then a turtle are slug 🐌 like Jones!! If the Jets Just get rid of their slug in Darnold the 49ers should see that as a sign to go fast and mobile!!
Call me crazy but I’m kinda wanting Jones just because of your hatred for him!
Yeah, I really didn’t follow college ball that closely to make real decision
I have no idea who they have in mind, despite the hints around Jones.. I do know, the uproar around signing him will be loud, all-encompassing, and world-wide.
They will be ridiculed by everyone. Again, I don’t care. I will care when he starts playing. I don’t want them to be dead-certain who they want. I want them to do more study, watch the workouts, and go through everything they can.
New thread is up.