Hey, I don’t know. But seeing as the Trey Lance hope train is losing steam, let’s take a look at the draft record for the current brain trust. My contention is the fact we gave away the farm for Lance isn’t the crippling debacle it could have been. Our high draft pick record is spotty anyway, so the hit is not as damaging as it could have been.
I won;t grade this year as they haven’t played. So . . .
2022
- 2-61 DL Drake Jackson, USC – So far, meh. Lots of room for improvement
- 3-93 RB Tyrion Davis-Price, LSU – So far, meh. Lots of room for improvement
- 3-105 WR Danny Gray, SMU – Waste pick. Has done nothing.
- 4-134 OL Spencer Burford, UTSA – Solid pick. Rounded out into a long-term starter
- 5-172 CB Samuel Womack, Toledo – Decent player. Good get where he was drafted
- 5-187 OL Nick Zakelj, Fordham – Could be a good pick if he’s a decent backup
- 6-220- DL Kalia Davis, UCF – 3rd stringer.
- 6-221 DB Tariq Castro-Fields, Penn State – Gone
- 7-262 QB Brock Purdy, Iowa State – Draft steal of the century? Much still to prove, but
2021
- 1, 3 – Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State – Still waiting
- 2, 48 (from LV) – Aaron Banks, G, Notre Dame – With Burford, a long-term starter
- 3, 88 (from LAR) – Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio St – The usual 3rd round waste pick
- 3, 102 – Ambry Thomas, CB, Michigan – Solid for where we got him
- 5, 155 – Jaylon Moore, OG, Western Michigan – Struggling to get it
- 5, 172 – Deommodore Lenoir, CB, Oregon – Hot and cold. mainly cold but a 5
- 5, 180 – Talanoa Hufanga, S, USC – Dude looks for real, Great start last year
- 6, 194 – Elijah Mitchell, RB, Louisiana – Great for where we got him, Injury prone
2020
1, 14th (from Bucs) DT Javon Kinlaw, SCar – Still waiting. Injuries may kill career
1: 25th (from Vikes) WR Brandon Aiyuk, AZ State – Total baller. Breakout season coming up
5: 153rd (from Miami) OL Colton McKivitz, WVa – This season we’ll see. 5th round steal?
6: 190th (from Eagles) TE Charlie Woerner, GA – Solid 6th round pick. Nothing great
7: 217th (from Lions) WR Jauan Jennings, Tennessee – Tough as nails. Could be starter. Keeper
2019
1: Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State – Pay the man. Worth every penny
2: Deebo Samuel, WR, SCar – Paid the man. Worth every penny
3: Jalen Hurd, WR, Baylor – Waste pick. Retired
4: Mitch Wishnowsky, P, Utah – Too high for a punter, but hey, he’s still here
5: Dre Greenlaw, LB, Ark – Great pick. Phenomenal hitter
6: Kaden Smith, TE, Stanford – Gone and forgotten
6: Justin Skule, OT, Vandy – Drifted to Tampa Bay
6: Tim Harris, CB, Va – Out of the league i think
2018
1 (9) Mike McGlinchey, OT, ND – Good pick, not great. Priced off the team
2 (44) Dante Pettis, WR, Wash – Waste pick but still in the league on ST
3 (70) Fred Warner, OLB, BYU – Possible HOFer. Spectacular pick
3 (95) Tarv. Moore, S, S Miss – Decent guy. On the Packers
4 (128) Kent. Street, DE, NC St – Decent pick for 4th but injured and now an Eagle
5, (142) D.J. Reed, DB, K State – Great pick. Solid DB we let get away
6 (184) Marcell Harris, DB, Fla – Backup. FA.
7 (223) Jul. Taylor, DT Temple – Bounced around the league. Done.
7 (240) Rick James, WR M Ten St – Good pick at 7. Solid special teamer.
2017
1, 3. Solomon Thomas, DE Snodfart – High 3rd rounder at best. Bust at #3
1, 31. Reuben Foster, LB Alabama – Head case. Bust at #31. USFLer now
3, 66. Ahkelo Witherspoon, CB Colo – Inconsistent, but not terrible. Solid 3 pick
4, 104. C.J. Beathard, QB Iowa – Forever backup. Fine for a 4th
4, 121. Joe Williams, RB Utah – Waste pick of all their waste picks
5, 146. George Kittle, TE Iowa – Another huge steal this low
6, 177. Trent Taylor, WR Louisiana Tech – Solid at 6. STer and good possession WR
7, 198. D.J. Jones, DT Mississippi – Yet another late-round steal. Priced out of here
7, 202. Pita Taumoepenu, LB Utah – On the Jets. Other than that, ?
7, 229. Adrian Colbert, CB Miami – On the Bears. Other than that, ?
There you have it. Looking at the list:
1st round pick starters – 2 – Bosa, Aiyuk (McGlinchey starting for Denver)
2nd round pick starters – 2 – Banks, Deebo
3rd round pick starters – 1 – Fred Warner
4th round pick starters – 2 – Burford, Wishnowski
5th round pick starters – 4 – Kittle, McKivitz, Greenlaw, Hufanga (honorable mention DJ Reed)
6th round pick starters – 1 – Mitchell
7th round pick starters – 1 – Purdy (honorable mention to Jauan Jennings and DJ Jones)
Agree or disagree with my thoughts on these guys, but more often than not, this team hits their starters at 4 and below. When you look at teams that have sold the farm for a shot as a QB, the fucking Rams spring to mind. They traded their first-round pick (2016), two second-round picks (2016), a third-round pick (2016), a first-round pick (2017) and another third-round pick (2017) for Jared Goff.
Yes, the same Jared Goff they traded to Deetroit for Matthew Stafford, two 1st round picks (2022, 2023), and a 2021 3rd round pick.
So, they cut their losses with Goff, and traded MORE #1 picks to get Stafford. Granted, the Rams are a disaster now, but they did manage to squeeze out a Super Bowl victory in all that mess.
Forty Niners Forever 
Lombardi doesn’t know jack shit. Lance isn’t doing himself any favors, but it looks like Lance is gonna get 3rd string duty this weekend so if he can’t show anything vs the scrubs, then he’s hot buttered toast.
I’m really interested in the 4th guy Brandon Allen, he sat behind Joe Burrow on the Bengals. It doesn’t sound like the Niners feel safe putting him on the practice squad and I can’t imagine them keeping 4 on the active 53.
If they think Allen and Lance are similar level QB’s then Kawakami may be right about them trying to trade Lance for a 4th.
Taking the cap hit and getting a 4th will not happen. We’ll see about Allen. As far as I know, he’s just a guy.
I’m putting a link to Greg Cosell analyzing Lance in the Raider pre season game:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DfKIFWIVRmjI&ved=2ahUKEwiU4s6ExuSAAxU7h-4BHU8yCKEQwqsBegQIEBAF&usg=AOvVaw3gOKr2Rg397G3BdbcKVCFV
Hopefully it works. If not he basically says Lance had guys open 3 or 4 times and just didn’t throw the ball. He says Shanahan can’t be happy about it.
Jesus. Kawakami sure likes to hear himself type. Vast speculation about what happened last year, mainly to fit Kawakami’s point of view, and the rest is obvious stuff.
Lance sticks around this year because he’s under contract. If he’s a wash, they don’t pick up his 5th year option. No cap hit, no damage. He’s worth little to nothing (a 4th rounder? Big deal) as trade bait now, plus he would cost $5.5 mill in dead cap space per the article, so there’s NO impetus to do it.
As far as the damage the trade has caused, it was mitigated by drafting Purdy and him being the starter. If he keeps playing well. We have our #1 pick next year, so there you are. Take a look at our failures in the drafts and call it a wash. That’s what this list is all about.
Lance needs game time. Nothing teaches guys about playing more than playing. His career has been beset with all kinds of external issues, and the fact he joined a team that was fully formed and ready to go all the way. But as we’ve seen he hasn’t gotten very much meaningful action. Even preseason doesn’t say anything. Ryan Leaf was a preseason marvel and promptly shit the bed. Lot’s of QBs have struggled coming into the league. Up to and including Josh Allen.
But, most high-draft-pick QBs come into the league on a team that is the current dregs of the league. Zack Wilson/Justin Fields, for instance. Both are struggling and both have not lived up to expectations.
Trevor Lawrence is doing alright despite his 4 int game in the playoffs that he overcame. And Mac Jones is on the outs with Belichick.
Some QBs can process what they see, and some can’t. How much playing time did Purdy need. For Garoppolo it was somewhere around his 3rd start. Lance doesn’t process what he sees very well. I’m rooting for him because we gave up 3 1st round picks for him. At his point, I am expecting him to be the all-time biggest draft best in NFL history.
Just watched the video and he said exactly what I said. The big diff here is that we are a team that is ready to win and he’s not getting the reps he would be if he was the savior. He’s no closer to the starting spot than he was 2 years ago. In fact he might be further away.
I fear the only way Lance gets playing time is if they all get hurt again.
Seeing as they refuse to do anything about the line . . .
From my understanding we can protect 5 0r 6 players a week on the practice squad so protecting Allen shouldn’t be to hard to do. I just can’t give up on Lance but he does have to play. A lot of people not associated with the Niners are really coming down hard on Lance but to me they are just full of it. I really dislike much of the media right now it’s all about sensationalism and seeing how much smoke they can blow out their ass. Really starting to get antsy for the season to start.
Yeah, it’s all about piling on with the media. Josh Allen looked shaky his first season on a fairly decent team. I don’t know. Sick of all the fucking chatter about it that’s for sure.
I hope Purdy gets out there and plays some on Saturday. Shanny is undecided at this point. He apparently had a good practice today.
I don’t want the first 2 games of the season to be his practice games.
And sign Bosa already.
New thread is up.