The San Francisco 49ers finished the 2009 season at 8-8. It marked an improvement and the team looks to be buying into the way Mike Singletary coaches and they are starting to take the field in the image of their coach. The 2010 NFL Draft brought players who fit the mold Singletary of making the 49ers in to.
With two first round selections, the 49ers picked offensive lineman Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati. Both are big, physical blockers who will help plow the road for Frank Gore and the running game. With Joe Staley on the left side, Davis and Iupati will provide cornerstones for years to come.
The second round pick brought Taylor Mays, a safety from USC. Many see Mays as a liability in the pass game, but I believe that Singletary wants Mays to swing the hammer and be the hitter at safety that he played with in Chicago, namely Doug Plank and Gary Fencik. With his size and speed, Mays will almost be another linebacker in support of the run. The third round brought Navorro Bowman, a linebacker from Penn State who was graded with late first round/early second round talent who fell due to off the field issues.
A late round sleeper looks to be Anthony Dixon, a running back from Mississippi State. Dixon is the power back who can spell Gore and give the 49ers the punishing ground game that Coach Singletary is looking to establish.
Draft Grade: A
Showing posts with label Taylor Mays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Taylor Mays. Show all posts
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
As deep a draft as you will ever find
I've been saying this for a long time, and any number of experts you come across say the same thing, that the 2010 NFL Draft is as deep as you will ever find. The 2nd Round is proof of that.
By my count, there are 17 players taken in the second round that were projected to go in the first in more than one mock draft. But the depth is seen after New England took Rob Gronkowski at #42.
The next 2 picks were Sergio Kindle and Lamarr Houston. Then picks 46-49 were Linval Joseph, Daryl Washington, Jimmy Clausen and Taylor Mays. Carlos Dunlap, Terrence Cody, and Sean Lee went #54, 55, and 57. Then the round concluded with Golden Tate going #60, Vladimir Ducasse at #61, and Charles Brown selected by New Orleans at #64.
Jimmy Clausen at #48 is an absolute steal for Carolina. They have Matt Moore in place at quarterback, and he played well down the stretch in 2009. They have a prolific running game with DeAngelo Williams and James Stewart, and one of the most dangerous receivers in the league in Steve Smith. The Panthers also have a very good offensive line, anchored by Jordan Gross. Clausen won't be rushed and will have a chip on his shoulder the size of a football because of all the teams needing a quarterback that passed on him. But compare Clausen and Sam Bradford and their respective situations. One thing that stands out to me is that Clausen will be signed and in training camp. How often do you see a middle second rounder holding out? Not much. The Rams have to sign Bradford to a multi-million dollar contract and get him in training camp on time for him to be effective. Clausen will be in camp and he is far more pro ready than Bradford.
The 2010 NFL Draft is the deepest in years, and the picks keep on coming. One thing that interests me is how far Bruce Campbell will fall. Pick #82 just went off the board, and Campbell is still available. I can't picture someone with his physical skills going much longer without being selected. But you never know.
By my count, there are 17 players taken in the second round that were projected to go in the first in more than one mock draft. But the depth is seen after New England took Rob Gronkowski at #42.
The next 2 picks were Sergio Kindle and Lamarr Houston. Then picks 46-49 were Linval Joseph, Daryl Washington, Jimmy Clausen and Taylor Mays. Carlos Dunlap, Terrence Cody, and Sean Lee went #54, 55, and 57. Then the round concluded with Golden Tate going #60, Vladimir Ducasse at #61, and Charles Brown selected by New Orleans at #64.
Jimmy Clausen at #48 is an absolute steal for Carolina. They have Matt Moore in place at quarterback, and he played well down the stretch in 2009. They have a prolific running game with DeAngelo Williams and James Stewart, and one of the most dangerous receivers in the league in Steve Smith. The Panthers also have a very good offensive line, anchored by Jordan Gross. Clausen won't be rushed and will have a chip on his shoulder the size of a football because of all the teams needing a quarterback that passed on him. But compare Clausen and Sam Bradford and their respective situations. One thing that stands out to me is that Clausen will be signed and in training camp. How often do you see a middle second rounder holding out? Not much. The Rams have to sign Bradford to a multi-million dollar contract and get him in training camp on time for him to be effective. Clausen will be in camp and he is far more pro ready than Bradford.
The 2010 NFL Draft is the deepest in years, and the picks keep on coming. One thing that interests me is how far Bruce Campbell will fall. Pick #82 just went off the board, and Campbell is still available. I can't picture someone with his physical skills going much longer without being selected. But you never know.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
2 Picks in the 1st Round
In the 2010 NFL Draft, two teams enter with with picks in the first round. Seattle will be selecting 6th and 14th, and San Francisco with have the 13th and 17th picks. For the most part there are teams that trade up and acquire another first rounder every year.
In 2007, Cleveland selected Joe Thomas 3rd overall, and did not wait to see if Brady Quinn would fall to them in the 2nd Round. They traded with Dallas and moved up to take the Notre Dame quarterback. Their two selections have been half right. Thomas has developed into one of the premier tackles in the league. Quinn held out, watched Derek Anderson have a great season, never did develop into a quality starter and was traded to Denver. Also in 2007, San Francisco had two picks, selecting Patrick Willis and Joe Staley. Their picks have fared better than Cleveland. Willis is one of the best middle linebackers in the game, and Staley, while not nearly in the class of Thomas, has produced far more at tackle than Quinn did at quarterback.
In 2008, five teams wound up with two first round picks. The pair of picks taken by Atlanta have been by far the best of the bunch. Matt Ryan has started since Day 1, and led the Falcons to the playoffs in 2008 and their first ever back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history. Baker was thought to be a reach when the Falcons moved up to take him, but he has been a solid tackle, and he looks to protect Ryan for years to come.
In 2009, four teams had two picks in the first round. Detroit had an opportunity to follow the Falcons plan and take a franchise quarterback and left tackle, but after selecting Matthew Stafford first overall they passed on Michael Oher and picked tight end Brandon Pettigrew. While Pettigrew may develop into a quality tight end, Oher had a great season with Baltimore and looks to be their long term answer to replace Jonathon Ogden.
But the best pair of picks may turn out to be Green Bay in 2009, with their selections of B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews. Raji looks to be the run stuffing nose tackle they need for their 3-4 defense, and Matthews showed that even though he was a bit overshadowed at USC by fellow linebackers Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga, he excelled in his rookie season.
With the depth of talent in the 2010 NFL Draft, it will be interesting to see if either Seattle or San Francisco will trade down and stockpile picks or hold onto their selections. I have Seattle taking Bryan Bulaga and C.J. Spiller, and the 49ers taking Trent Williams and Sergio Kindle. Seattle needs to replace Walter Jones, and Pete Carroll might be looking to use Spiller the same way he did with Reggie Bush at USC. I can see them holding onto both selections. San Francisco is looking for a tackle to pair up with Staley, and there is plenty of depth at the position. If they can trade down and possibly select Charles Brown or Anthony Davis, and even get Kindle or maybe Taylor Mays later in the first round look for the 49ers to be active trading partners in the opening round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
In 2007, Cleveland selected Joe Thomas 3rd overall, and did not wait to see if Brady Quinn would fall to them in the 2nd Round. They traded with Dallas and moved up to take the Notre Dame quarterback. Their two selections have been half right. Thomas has developed into one of the premier tackles in the league. Quinn held out, watched Derek Anderson have a great season, never did develop into a quality starter and was traded to Denver. Also in 2007, San Francisco had two picks, selecting Patrick Willis and Joe Staley. Their picks have fared better than Cleveland. Willis is one of the best middle linebackers in the game, and Staley, while not nearly in the class of Thomas, has produced far more at tackle than Quinn did at quarterback.
In 2008, five teams wound up with two first round picks. The pair of picks taken by Atlanta have been by far the best of the bunch. Matt Ryan has started since Day 1, and led the Falcons to the playoffs in 2008 and their first ever back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history. Baker was thought to be a reach when the Falcons moved up to take him, but he has been a solid tackle, and he looks to protect Ryan for years to come.
In 2009, four teams had two picks in the first round. Detroit had an opportunity to follow the Falcons plan and take a franchise quarterback and left tackle, but after selecting Matthew Stafford first overall they passed on Michael Oher and picked tight end Brandon Pettigrew. While Pettigrew may develop into a quality tight end, Oher had a great season with Baltimore and looks to be their long term answer to replace Jonathon Ogden.
But the best pair of picks may turn out to be Green Bay in 2009, with their selections of B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews. Raji looks to be the run stuffing nose tackle they need for their 3-4 defense, and Matthews showed that even though he was a bit overshadowed at USC by fellow linebackers Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga, he excelled in his rookie season.
With the depth of talent in the 2010 NFL Draft, it will be interesting to see if either Seattle or San Francisco will trade down and stockpile picks or hold onto their selections. I have Seattle taking Bryan Bulaga and C.J. Spiller, and the 49ers taking Trent Williams and Sergio Kindle. Seattle needs to replace Walter Jones, and Pete Carroll might be looking to use Spiller the same way he did with Reggie Bush at USC. I can see them holding onto both selections. San Francisco is looking for a tackle to pair up with Staley, and there is plenty of depth at the position. If they can trade down and possibly select Charles Brown or Anthony Davis, and even get Kindle or maybe Taylor Mays later in the first round look for the 49ers to be active trading partners in the opening round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)