Forty Niners Forever

The UDFAs are Here! all 11 of them. Read if you dare. We got a QB from Dartmouth (a local kid from Atherton in Jack Henegan) and a once-highly-rated CB from Fla State, Tavarus Mcfaddon, a highly touted 2nd round type guy who had a bad 40 time and fell out of the draft. All the better for us as I think way too many people put way too much stock in 40 times. I mean really, Renaldo Nehemiah worked out so well.

WR Steven Dunbar
6-3, 202
Houston

Appeared in 51 games (38 starts) during his four-year career at Houston. Registered 180 recepts. for 2,430 yds. and 11 TDs while adding 3 KORs for 51 yds. As a senior in 2017, started all 12 games and registered 76 recepts. for a team-high 1,070 yds. and 3 TDs and earned All-American Athletic Conference Honorable Mention honors. In 2016, started all 13 games and recorded 53 recepts. for 692 yds. and 5 TDs. As a sophomore, appeared in all 13 games (12 starts) and totaled 31 recepts. for 382 yds. and 3 TDs along with 1 KOR for 37 yds. In 2014, appeared in 13 games (1 start) and recorded 20 recepts. for 286 yds. and 2 KORs for 14 yds. Attended Archbishop Rummel (Metairie, LA) HS, where he had 51 recepts. for 695 yds. and 5 TDs as a senior, 31 recepts. for 659 yds. and 5 TDs as a junior in 2012 and 6 recepts. for 134 yds. and 2 TDs his sophomore year. Born 12/19/95 in Metairie, LA.

6-5, 240
San Diego

Appeared in 47 games (44 starts) and totaled 197 recepts. for 2,305 yds. and 26 TDs during his five years at San Diego. As a senior, earned First-Team All-Pioneer Football League honors. Appeared in all 12 games (10 starts) and registered 50 recepts. for 663 yds. and 10 TDs. In 2016, started all 11 games and recorded a team-high 70 recepts. for 843 yds. and 10 TDs to earn Second-Team All-Pioneer Football League honors. In 2015, appeared in 12 games (11 starts) and earned Second-Team All-Pioneer Football League honors after totaling a team-high 54 recepts. for 580 yds. and 3 TDs. Made starts in 12 games in 2014 and notched 23 recepts. for 219 yds. Redshirted in 2013. Attended Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills, CA) HS, where he registered 43 recepts. for 568 yds. and 5 TDs. Born 1/26/95 in Sonora, CA.

S Corey Griffin
6-2, 199
Georgia Tech

Appeared in 49 games (26 starts) and recorded 168 tackles, 8 PDs, 8.0 TFLs, 1 FR and 1 sack during his five years at Georgia Tech. As a redshirt senior in 2017, started all 11 games and registered 50 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, 3 PDs and 1 INT. In 2016, started all 13 games and totaled 82 tackles, 5.0 TFLs, 2 INTs, 3 PDs and 1 sack. As a sophomore, appeared in 11 games (1 start) and recorded 21 tackles. Saw action in all 14 games (1 start) as a redshirt freshman in 2014 and registered 15 tackles, 2 PDs and 1 INT. Redshirted in 2013. Attended Sandy Creek (Tyrone, GA) HS, where he was named first-team all-state honors as a safety and finished his senior season with 71 tackles, 8 PDs and 1 INT. Born 1/8/95 in Tyrone, GA.

QB Jack Heneghan
6-4, 230
Dartmouth

In four years at Dartmouth (2014-17), played in 22 games (19 starts) and completed 437 of 717 atts. for 4,900 yds. and 28 TDs. Rushed 126 times for 389 yds. and 4 TDs. In 2017, made 10 starts and completed 185 of 293 atts., for 2,136 yds. and 17 TDs to go along with 51 rushes for 162 yds. and 1 TD. Appeared in 10 games (9 starts) as a junior in 2016, where he ranked second in school history in comps. (247) and atts. (414) and third in yds. (2,725) in a single season, to go along with 11 TDs. Ran for 249 yds. and 3 TDs on 73 rushing atts. In 2015, appeared in 2 games and completed 5 of 10 atts. for 39 passing yds. As a freshman in 2014, appeared in 3 games for the school’s junior varsity program where he finished with 64 comps. on 90 atts. for 847 yds. and 8 TDs. Attended Menlo (Atherton, CA) School, where he passed for 2,974 yds. and 37 TDs. Born 2/13/96 in Atherton, CA.

OL Alan Knott
6-4, 290
South Carolina

Spent five years at South Carolina and appeared in 49 games (42 starts). Made 13 starts at center as a fifth-year senior in 2017. In 2016, started 12 of 13 games played. As a redshirt sophomore in 2015, appeared in 10 games (9 starts) at center. In 2014, appeared in all 13 games (8 starts). Redshirted as a true freshman in 2013. Attended Sandy Creek (Tyrone, GA) HS, where he was named first-team Class AAAA all-state by the Atlanta Journal Constitution and by the Georgia Sportswriters Association. Born 12/16/94 in Tyrone, GA. 

OL Jamar McGloster
6-7, 309
Syracuse

Spent five years at Syracuse and appeared in 30 games (24 starts). Made 12 starts at right tackle as a fifth-year senior in 2017, where he aided a Syracuse offense that ranked third in the ACC in total offense (456.3 YPG) and second in passing (294.8 YPG). In 2016, started all 12 games at right tackle. As a redshirt sophomore in 2015, appeared in 3 games at right tackle. In 2014, appeared in 3 games in his first game action. Redshirted as a true freshman in 2013. Attended St. Anthony (Jersey City, NJ) HS, where he helped lead the Friars to an 8-3 record and the NJSIAA Group 1 Non-Public semifinals as a senior. Born 6/4/95 in Newark, NJ.

CB Tarvarus McFadden
6-2, 205
Florida State

Appeared in 33 games (26 starts) and recorded 54 tackles, 16 PDs, 8 INTs and 3.0 TFLs during his three seasons at Florida State. As a junior in 2017, started all 13 games and registered 30 tackles and 10 PDs and earned Second-Team All-ACC honors. In 2016, started all 13 games and totaled 20 tackles, 8 INTs, 6 PDs and 3.0 TFLs. Earned First-Team All-ACC honors while his 8 INTs were the most by an ACC player since 2014 (Gerod Holliman, Louisville). As a freshman, appeared in 7 games and recorded 4 tackles. Attended American Heritage (Plantation, FL) School, where he led the team to a second-consecutive 5A state championship after registering 41 tackles, 5 INTs (1 returned for a TD), 6 PDs and 2 FFs. Born 1/28/97 in    Fort Lauderdale, FL.

CB Emmanuel Moseley
5-11, 184
Tennessee

Appeared in 51 games (30 starts) and recorded 142 tackles, 31 PDs, 2 INTs and 9.5 TFLs during his four seasons at Tennessee. As a senior in 2017, appeared in 12 games (11 starts) and registered 38 tackles, 8 PDs and 1 INT. In 2016, appeared in 13 games (10 starts) and totaled 57 tackles, 6 PDs and 3.5 TFLs. As a sophomore in 2015, appeared in 13 games (7 starts) and finished with 28, 2.0 TFLs, 1 INT and a team-high 11 PDs. In 2014, appeared in 13 games (2 starts) and recorded 19 tackles, 2.0 TFLs and 6 PDs. Attended James B. Dudley (Greensboro, NC) HS, where he played both quarterback and cornerback and ran for 1,443 yds., threw for 1,370 yds. and accounted for 47 total TDs on offense while making 28 tackles and 4 INTs on defense. Born 3/25/96 in Greensboro, NC.

DL Niles Scott
6-3, 295
Frostburg State

Played in 43 games (38 starts) in four years at Frostburg State and registered 150 tackles, 43.0 TFLs, 25.5 sacks, 1 FF, 3 FRs and 2 PDs. In 2017, earned First-Team Associate Press Little All-America Division III honors and was named the D3football.com All-East Region Defensive Player of the Year. Started all 13 games and tallied 51 tackles, 16.5 TFLs, 10.0 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR and 2 PDs. As a junior, earned Second-Team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association and was named Second-Team All-NJAC. Started all 11 games in which he appeared at recorded 55 tackles, 17.5 TFLs, 9.0 sacks and 1 FR. In 2015, played in 10 games (8 starts) and notched 24 tackles, 2.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. As a freshman, played in 9 games (6 starts) and registered 20 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 4.0 sacks and 1 FR. Attended Elkton (MD) HS and earned second-team all-state honors as a senior. Also was an All-Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference honoree and Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and senior. Born 9/30/95 in Elkton, MD.

OL Najee Toran
6-2, 305
UCLA

Played in 31 games (24 starts) in four years at UCLA. In 2017, started all 13 games and earned Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 honors. As a junior, played in 11 games (10 starts). In 2015, played in 6 games and saw action as a reserve along defensive line, offensive line and on special teams. As a freshman, started in the season opener and it marked the third consecutive season that a true freshman started the season along the offensive line. Attended North Shore (Houston, TX) HS and helped his team to a 12-1 record as a senior. Born 11/15/95 in Houston, TX.

S Terrell Williams
6-4, 212
Houston

Played in 25 games (17 starts) in two seasons with Houston and registered 95 tackles, 4 INTs, 1 FR and 7 PDs. In 2017, started all 12 games and notched 66 tackles, 4 INTs, 1 FR and 7 PDS. As a junior, played in all 13 games (5 starts) and tallied 29 tackles. Attended Northeast Oklahoma A&M for two seasons (2014-15). In 2015, earned First-Team All-SWJCFC honors as he recorded 51 tackles, 2 INTs and 4 PDs. As a freshman, registered 24 tackles, 1 INT and 2 PDs. Attended Lawton (OK) HS and had 56 tackles and 5 INTs as a senior. Born 6/29/96 in Lawton, OK.

Here they are, your 2018 draft class.

Round 1,Pick 9: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
Round 2, Pick 12 (No. 44 overall): Dante Pettis, WR, Washington
Round 3, Pick 6 (No. 70 overall): Fred Warner, OLB, BYU
Round 3, Pick 31 (No. 95 overall): Tarvarius Moore, S, Southern Mississippi
Round 4, Pick 28 (No. 128 overall): Kentavius Street, DE, North Carolina State
Round 5, Pick 5 (No. 142 overall): D.J. Reed, DB, Kansas State
Round 6, Pick 10 (No. 184 overall): Marcell Harris, DB, Florida
Round 7, Pick 5 (No. 223 overall): Jullian Taylor, DT, Temple
Round 7, Pick 22 (No. 240 overall): Richie James, WR, Middle Tennessee State

Well, kind of a mixed bag of nuts in this the 2nd iteration of the Lynch/Shanahan draft. We started the draft with 9 picks, and we ended with 9 picks, but there were a few machinations around these picks.

I’m down with the first 4.  All these guys bring superior speed to their respective positions.

We traded Trent Brown after getting our future tackle in Mike McGlinchey, a much better match for our outside running game and zone blocking scheme (and new speed back Jerick Mckinnon).

We traded up to get Dante Pettis, son of Gary Pettis, outfielder for the California Angels among other teams. A versatile and fast WR that can play the slot, out wide, and is a great return guy to boot.

Fred Warner is a hard-hitting, fast edge linebacker who either complements Reuben Foster or replaces him for a little while.

Tarvarious Moors is a lanky safety who is very fast and who more than likely will be a slot CB in the mold of Jimmie Ward.

The most intriguing (and risky) pick is Kentavius Street. A high 2nd round projection pick until he tore his knee up in his pro day or some shit. He’s on the shelf this year, but for a DE that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. His numbers are an eye-popping 4.87 40 yard time at 280 lb, he squatted 700 lb, He needs the seasoning of an NFL camp, adn he should be able to ad strength to his quickness. Yeah, it’s in the ilk of a Trent Baalke special, but hey, as a late 4th rounder, we’ll see.

The rest round out to be special teamers and backups, but as we saw last year, some of our later picks turned into gems. Reed is a scrappy undersized corner who went to my wife’s community college, Cerritos College.

Marcell Harris is a strong safety type who is also coming off an injury, an achilles tear. Another risk/reward scenario with Harris. He was cleared to practice prior to the combine, so he looks to be healed up from his injury.

Julian Taylor DT, is another quick big man who ran a sub-5 second 40 at 294 lb. He is also coming off injury but ran this time after healing up, so he adds depth and quickness to the D line.

Ritchie James is (yet another) injury guy who is (yet another) slot WR. He had close to 3,000 yards his first 2 college seasons till injuries slowed him down last year.  We seem to have a lot of slot guys now as he is of the 5’20, 183 lb size that Trent Taylor is.

A solid B (maybe B- with all the hope picks at the back end) when you look at this draft, but when you throw in the addition of Jimmy Garoppolo, center Weston Richberg, RB Jerick McKinnon, and CB Richard Sherman, the team looks a lot different (and better) than last year, I give them an A.

Bring it on!

Or is it one hundred and eleven?

Round 1: Ninth Overall – Mike McGlinchey, T, Notre Dame
Round 2: 44th Overall (from Washington) – Dante Pettis, WR, Washington
Round 3: 70th Overall (from Chicago) – Fred Warner, LB, BYU
Round 3: 95th Overall (from New England) – Tarvarious Moore, DB, Southern Miss

Speed is the overriding factor. A nimble big man at tackle to help the outside run game, a quick WR a quick ILB, and a quick DB.

Still not seeing a pass rusher, but this wasn’t the draft for it. I’d think CB and WR and a flier at OLB.

Today is . . .

Round 4: 128th Overall (from Pittsburgh)

Round 5: 142nd Overall (from Washington)

Round 6: 184th Overall

Round 7: 223rd Overall (from Miami)

Well, I don’t think too many people saw that coming. Mike McGlinchey, OT out of Notre Dame, and teammate of the first offensive lineman to go in the draft, Quentin Nelson, was our pick at the 9 spot. Early yesterday morning, Joe Lo and Dibbs were saying that the Raiders were very high on McGlinchey and that he was their guy after weeks of linebacker/corner talk for them.

And, seeing as the Raiders traded down once he was off the board lends creedence to that thought. And the Raiders still took an OT in Kolton Miller out of UCLA.

John Lynch apparently had this guy on his radar the whole time, and said he wouldn’t have taken Roquan Smith even of he was available. Lynch ha this to say about McGlinchey.

“He’s got a special presence to him,” Lynch said. “He’s real, he’s authentic and he’s a bad-ass. And we like that.”

Sounds good to me. But not to Trent Brown. If I had a guess, I’d say that Brown, a very good tackle, but not the most nimble guy, isn’t a fit in Kyle Shanahan’s zone blocking scheme. And, given that we signed Jerick McKinnon, we are looking at faster tackles to run outside, and pass to the flat.

Day 2? We don’t pick until 59 so i have no clue what we do, but WR, CB, and LB  wouldn’t surprise me. Then we get right back on the horse at 70 and 74 so there will be some excitement today.

Be still my beating heart.  So, the weekend draftapalooza begins at 5:00 pm sharp PT. Which means I’ll be stuck on a Bart train underneath the icy waters of San Francisco Bay. The pisser is, for that stretch of the route, internet coverage is gone, so I’ll prolly miss a few. Actually, I might be in a bar, but I digress.

• The bad news? They streeeeeetch this shit out for THREE fricking days
• The good news? It’s FINALLY here.
• The better news? On Sunday, Mel Kiper Jr. will soon be re-entombed in has hard shell of hair gel and buried under the ESPN parking lot in Bristol, Connecticut.

For those that need the entire rundown of dates, times, and rounds, Here ya go:

Live coverage of the 2018 NFL Draft starts at 8 p.m. ET on April 26 for Round 1. The draft resumes at 7 p.m. on April 27 for Rounds 2-3, and then again at noon on April 28.

This year’s draft will be covered by two broadcast networks (Fox and ABC) and four cable outlets (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, NFL Network). For the first time, all seven rounds of the three-day event will air live on broadcast TV.

• Round 1 on April 26 (8 p.m. ET): NFL Network, Fox, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. Troy Aikman, Fox’s lead NFL analyst, will join NFL Network’s Rich Eisen and Mike Mayock at the analyst desk.

• Rounds 2 and 3 on April 27 (7 p.m. ET): NFL Network, Fox, ESPN and ESPN2. Joel Klatt, Fox’s lead college football analyst, and Charles Davis will join NFL Network’s Peter Schrager and Chris Rose on the coverage.

• Rounds 4-7 on April 28 (noon ET): ESPN, ABC, NFL Network. This is the first time ABC will simulcast ESPN’s coverage. Fans also can also stream the action through NFL, Fox Sports and ESPN apps.

Still think Tremaine Edmunds is the guy. After that, I got nothing.

Well, As the Football Turns throws another giant twist into the already strange and terrible saga of the dark underbelly of football.  Reuben Foster, who was teetering in the vere iog being cut by the 49ers, had his ex-girlfriend,  Elissa Ennis completely recant the story that Foster was the one who busted her eardrum and bonked her in the head 8-10 times.

The kicker is she apparently has video to prove that she got into a catfight with another woman over lasagna recipes or some shit. I don’t really know what the fight was about, or if there even was a fight, but the police showed, she went to the hospital, and there are records of the day’s activities, so I don’t really know if or how or what happens with the case against Foster.

Ennis’s attorney, Stephanie Rickard, said that the injuries, including a ruptured eardrum, that sent the 28-year-old woman to the hospital were suffered in a fight with another woman and there is a video of that confrontation.

“(Foster) did not strike her, injure her or threaten her,” said Rickard. She said Foster tried to end the relationship with her after learning of the fight.“She was extremely upset and told him if he broke up with her she would ‘trash his career,’”

Curiouser and curiouser. Needless to say, I guess they were well served to wait this thing out.

Either that or Ennis got a huge fucking payday to change her story.

. . .and I still have no idea which way they go with this draft. The Foster situation muddies the creek even more, so I got no idea. Thing is, the BPA at 9 very well may be Tremaine Edmunds, a guy who can play ILB or OLB. Seemingly a good fit. I guess. A bunch of prognosticators have him coming to us, anyway.

With Foster’s freeze out at this point, the Niners may still have to cut bait with him, but the thing is, they won’t know anything about Foster until way after the draft, so do they pick Edmunds anyway? Fitzpatrick?  Beyond that, Edmunds hasn’t raised any of the red flags that Foster did so he’s clean in that respect. Plus, the Raiders want him, so maybe we could work out a deal with them.

But we need help at CB and guard. As I said before though, with all the QBs flying up the board, Nelson could possibly fall to us. Denzel Ward stands a better chance of reaching us, but Roquan Smith feels like a bust to me. Too small and unable to disengage. Chubb is my most wanted piece, but I think we’d need to deal up to get him. Again, though it depends on all these QBs and when they go. Barkley is a solid lock to go in the top 6, and there are teams like the Bills and Dolphins that want in to get a QB, so the trades could be fast and furious.

Darnold, Barkley, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Josh Rosen for all intents and purposes are the top 5.  Then you have Nelson and Chubb. I think that’s the top 7 on Thursday.

The guys we likely have a shot at are Edmunds, Fitzpatrick, D James, R Smith, or D Ward.

Since we nominally addressed CB with Richard Sherman, I’d go with Tremaine Edmunds. Get guard hel later in the draft. Then get a CB.

There you have it.   Clear as the LA basin on a Friday afternoon.

Yes! The 2018 draft is only one week away! Sure, the NFL has turned it into a corporate clusterfuck travelling circus that spans 6 weeks, or 3 days, or whatever, but it IS actually important. Teams are built and sustained through solid drafting. Just look at Pittsburgh and New England.  They usually draft near the bottom of the 1st round yet remain relevant. To see how not to do it, look at the Jets and Browns. They’ve both been near the top of the draft for years, if not decades, yet trip over their dicks just about every time.

Thing is, the Niners were dick-trippers as well under Trent Baalke. His predecessor however, the irrepressible Scotty McCloughan, has parked himself in Cleveland at his latest stop to resurrect a franchise. He dragged the Niners from the depths of hell with his drafts from 2006 to 2010. 2007 (Patrick Willis, Joe Staley among others) has been rated one of the best drafts in  NFL history for the past 25 years. He then took his services to Seattle, where he turned them into a Super Bowl champion by drafting Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman.

We have our new braintrust in John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan, and while the Reuben Foster pick looks like a trainwreck, well, we got something out of him. Hard as it is to believe, it isn’t especially easy to know when or if one of your draftees is going to snap and end up being convicted of murder (Rae Carruth, Aaron Hernandez), getting away with murder (Ray Lewis), kill by car (Dontae Stallworth, Leonard Little), or be your garden variety wife-beater (Ray Rice, Ray McDonald, Reuben Foster) or sexual abuser (Ezekiel Elliott, Darren Sharper). But I digress.

Salomon Thomas is still a work in progress, and there are solid contributors on the team from last year’s draft, but we do need more. Still have no idea where we go in the first 2 rounds.

Well, sort of. The NFL in its infinite hype-grinding death machine of hyperbole only releases the preseason schedule and gives out the teams we play. But not the order. So, they dice up every little move coming out of the league office with a hint of anticipation. So, we got:

The teams we play are –>

Home opponents:

• Arizona Cardinals
• Los Angeles Rams
• Seattle Seahawks
• Chicago Bears
• Denver Broncos
• Detroit Lions
• New York Giants
• Oakland Raiders

Away opponents:

• Arizona Cardinals
• Los Angeles Rams
• Seattle Seahawks
• Green Bay Packers
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Los Angeles Chargers
• Minnesota Vikings
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Our home schedule looks like what? 6-2? 7-1? We could conceivably run the table. Shit, that’s a fairly creampuff home schedule.

The away schedule looks like a much tougher row to hoe. Lambeau and Arrowhead (I don’t know what the fuck they call it now, but it’s Arrowhead to me, OK?)  are tough houses to win in. Chargers and Vikes? Not clear on what either are, but Minn is a very tough defense, and the Bolts can play very well at times. TB looks to be the only fairly easy game.

Away very well could be 3-5 if we do what is expected. 4-4 would be about as good as possible. Granted, even with a draft coming up, it’s hard to say what we will have and what the team will look like going forward into the season, but the wildcard certainly is in play. This season.