Wide Receiver

Kyle Williams gets most of the blame for the 49ers losing to the Giants in the playoffs, because his two muffed punts led directly to 10 points, but he wasn’t even supposed to be out there. The 49ers receivers were supposed to be out there and their inability to separate had to cost the 49ers at least 10 points. Michael Crabtree managed just 1 catch in that game and other than 2 deep bombs to Vernon Davis, the 49ers’ passing offense was stagnant all game. Crabtree has been in the league 3 years and never gone over 1000 yards, so it might be time to reconsider him being their #1 guy. Even if he is their #1 guy, they need a new #2 guy. Braylon Edwards was supposed to be that guy, but he had a rough one year stay in San Francisco that ended with him being cut midseason. They’ll address this position in the first 2 rounds of the draft and are expected to be players in free agency as well as a strong wide receiver class hits the market.

Offensive Tackle

Anthony Davis really struggled as a rookie on the right side in 2010, allowing 11 sacks, 37 pressures, and committing 11 penalties. He was a little better in 2011, but not much, allowing 8 sacks, 30 pressures, and committing 8 penalties. This has all been on the right side, not even against the opponent best pass rusher on a weekly basis. Last offseason, the Bills cut Aaron Maybin just 2 years after making him the 11^th overall pick. Now Davis sits 2 years removed from being the 11^th overall pick. He might not be cut, but he may change positions. Remember, Jim Harbaugh hasn’t shown a whole ton of loyalty to Mike Singletary’s guys, he traded Taylor Mays for a bag of peanuts  1 year after Singletary made him a 2^nd rounder. They could look for a new bookend tackle this offseason and move Davis to guard, another position of need. At the very least, someone to push Davis at right tackle is needed.

Guard

As I just mentioned, guard is another position of need. Right guard Adam Snyder was one of the worst at his position last year, according to ProFootballFocus.

Safety

I know Dashon Goldson made the Pro Bowl and then got franchised, but I don’t think he’s very good, at least not in coverage. Yes, he had 6 picks, but the 4 touchdowns he allowed were 4^th worst among safeties, as were his 458 yards allowed. I wouldn’t have franchised him, in favor of finding a new safety, but I guess they’re stuck with him now. Some depth might be nice, especially if they can’t sign him to a long term deal.

Cornerback

Carlos Rogers had a fantastic season last year, making the Pro Bowl, but you should always be worried about a 30 something who randomly has by far his best season in a contract year. I’d be cautious about overpaying him. If he’s not resigned, they’ll need another cornerback in the mix.

Center

Center Jonathan Goodwin is still a solid player, but he’s 33 and on the decline. They could search for a long term replacement for him.

Quarterback

Alex Smith is a free agent. He needs to be (and will be resigned) to a long term deal. I don’t buy this talk about them potential being interested in Peyton Manning. Alex Smith is their guy.

Tight End

Jim Harbaugh loves using multiple tight ends, but he wasn’t able to do so all that natural this year, using players like left tackle Joe Staley and nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga at times this year. They need a 3^rd tight end in the mix, as well as to resign Delanie Walker.

Free agency priorities 

Quarterback

Colin Kaepernick has as much upside as any quarterback in this draft class, but he’s not ready to play next season. They need a veteran stopgap to play in his absence, which could be as easy as resigning incumbent Alex Smith, who Jim Harbaugh seems to like. 

Nose Tackle

Aubrayo Franklin will probably get a big long term extension from somewhere. If the 49ers don’t want to be the ones who pay that, they’ll need a different nose tackle through free agency. 

Wide Receiver 

Ted Ginn was one of the worst slot receivers in the league last year. They drafted Ronald Johnson, who has a lot of upside, but he isn’t ready to contribute in that capacity yet. Look for them to add a veteran through free agency.

Draft Needs 

Quarterback

Mike Singletary was fired for switching quarterbacks too many times, but you kind of can’t blame him. All three of his quarterbacks, Alex Smith, David Carr, and Troy Smith struggled mightily. I guess he was just following old advice, if you can’t beat them, confuse them. Only Alex Smith showed any flashes of being a legitimate signal caller in this league and he was so inconsistent that those flashes didn’t really matter. Expect the 49ers to either draft a quarterback in the first (Ryan Mallett, Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker) at #7 or make a trade for Kevin Kolb. Kolb would be a perfect fit for new coach Jim Harbaugh’s west coast offense with his exceptional short and intermediate accuracy. He would likely cost about 2 2^nd round picks (the equivalent of what Houston gave up for Matt Schaub in 2007). If they go with a rookie, expect them to keep Alex Smith, a free agent, as a stopgap.

Drafted Colin Kaepernick (#36) 

Rush Linebacker

Ahmad Brooks and/or Manny Lawson were supposed to step up huge this year and become a legitimate #1 pass rushing threat for this team after both closed out 2009 so well. They combined for 7.5 sacks. No 49er had more than 6 sacks (middle linebacker Patrick Willis) and Brooks with 5 led the way for the rush linebackers. If they get Kolb and don’t go quarterback at #7, a rush linebacker like North Carolina’ Robert Quinn makes sense.

Drafted Aldon Smith (#7), Drafted Bruce Miller (#221) 

Cornerback

I outlined this as their biggest need last offseason, but they didn’t draft a corner until the 7^th round. Their 23^rd ranked pass defense wasn’t terrible, but they need a young corner to groom behind Nate Clements. Clements is 31 and overpaid so they probably want to be able to replace him as soon as possible.

Drafted Chris Culliver (#80), Drafted Curtis Holcomb (#250) 

Wide Receiver

Michael Crabtree is good. Josh Morgan could be upgraded. Ted Ginn…yikes. Dominique Ziegler is their #4 receiver. They need some depth at the position so they can spread the field more. Julio Jones is a sleeper for the #7 spot if the 49ers trade for Kolb. Kolb, Crabtree, Jones, Vernon Davis, Frank Gore, that could be an extremely explosive offense.

Drafted Ronald Johnson (#182) 

Nose Tackle

Aubrayo Franklin was franchise tagged after his breakout year last year, as the 49ers felt he needed to prove himself in more than one year to get a longterm deal. He regressed in 2010 so he probably won’t get the longterm deal he’s looking for from the Niners which means he might not be back.

3-4 Defensive End

Isaac Sopoaga is strong against the run, but doesn’t offer much of a pass rush. They could look at upgrades at the position if someone like Marcell Dareus falls to them at #7.

Center

Former guard David Baas struggled at center this season. They could be looking for upgrades so they can move Baas back to his natural position.

() FA Rank 

QB Alex Smith

QB Troy Smith

RB Brian Westbrook

OT Barry Sims

G Tony Wragge

G David Baas

NT Aubrayo Franklin 

3-4 DE Ray McDonald

3-4 DE Demetric Evans

RLB Manny Lawson

RLB Travis LaBoy

MLB Takeo Spikes

CB William James-Peterson

S Dashon Goldson 

Offseason moves:

Draft

By Michael J Morris 

Looking back at last week’s less than stellar performance it looked like the San Francisco 49ers were heading into another week of embarrassment on a night when the greatest 49er of all time had his number retired. 

The game started off according to plan, with the back-up center, David Baas, sending the pigskin up and over Alex Smith and into the end-zone, giving the Saints the safety.  With the Saints up 2-0 you would have though the safety would be the match to the New Orleans fire on offense, but the game didn’t go according to script. Although the 49ers did lose 25-22, the 49ers showed that week one was exactly that, week one.

In week one against the Seahawks the 49ers offense was motionless. The 49ers offense which is supposed to rely heavily on the run game was unable to find any holes.  With two rookies, Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis, starting in their first regular season game, Frank Gore couldn’t break off on any of those big runs he did habitually last season.  Alex Smith wasn’t given enough time in the pocket to find any of his receivers and all six 49ers points came from a pair of 23-yard field goals by Joe Nedney.

The 49ers defense was good upfront, keeping the Seahawks to 77 rushing yards, but the secondary was worse than I had expected.  Allowing Matt Hasselback to complete 18 of his 23 passes and find two scores. And by the looks of things, his less talented brother might have had a similar game. I turned off the television last week hoping that the performance was some sort of fluke but found a different team in red and gold playing the defending champion New Orleans Saints on Monday night.

The differences between the play of San Francisco from week one to week two was night and day.  The 49ers were able to move the ball with ease and it showed late in the fourth quarter.

If you were told that a quarterback in this game drove his team down the field in less than 45 seconds you would not have thought Smith, and maybe if you had the options of Smith’s you would have thought Troy Smith. But it was Alex Smith who brought the 49ers down the field to cut the 22-14 lead to two, and ultimately tie the game.  The problem with scoring so quickly and turning a two minute drill into a 41 second drill is that you give one of the best quarterbacks in the league a chance.  Drew Brees took advantage of the opportunity and put the Saints in field goal position, allowing for kicker Garret Hartley to finish the game with a field goal.

Smith found a fan in teammate, Josh Morgan, who caught 6 balls on Monday night.

“He came and commanded the whole huddle, he commanded respect in the huddle,” Morgan said. “He just played a great game. He came in with confidence and kept us going. He kept us upbeat. You couldn’t have asked anything more of him … That’s why they drafted him No. 1.”

Alex Smith looked liked he belonged and if he can string a few good performances together he may fall back into good graces with San Francisco. The 49ers have one of the softer schedules in the league and if they can play like they did on Monday we may have something interesting brewing in the bay, and it’s not a big pot of sizzurp.

That string of games will have to start next week when the 49ers go to Kansas City to take on the 2-0 Chiefs.

http://michaeljmorris.wordpress.com

C Chris Anzevino (Kent State)

S Jordan Bernstine (Iowa)

RLB Claude Davis (South Florida)

WR Stephen Hill (Georgia Tech)

RLB Bruce Irvin (West Virginia)

WR A.J. Jenkins (Illinois)

CB Jeremy Jones (Wayne State)

CB Jeremy Lane (Northwestern State)

RB Isaiah Pead (Cincinnati)

WR Rueben Randle (LSU)

C Jason Slowey (Western Oregon)

RB Robert Turbin (Utah State)

MLB Bobby Wagner (Utah State)

RB David Wilson (Virginia Tech)

WR Kendall Wright (Baylor)

7. RLB Aldon Smith B

There’s always one pick in the top 10 that surprises me (I mocked Locker over Gabbert and Miller over Dareus). Last year it was CJ Spiller 9^th. This year it is Aldon Smith 7^th to the San Francisco 49ers. Unlike the Spiller pick, I don’t hate this one. I had a feeling Smith would go higher than most thought and higher than Robert Quinn. He’s a minor reach by my board, but he fills a major need and he’s got a high ceiling.

36. QB Colin Kaepernick B+

Of all the quarterbacks picked in the first 2 rounds, this was the one I gave the best grade. Kaepernick has the upside of any of the quarterbacks picked in the top 10 and he’ll have time in San Francisco to sit behind incumbent Alex Smith, who is close to being brought back as starter in 2011. He’s still a reach by my board, but not as much as most quarterbacks who have been drafted so far, and at least they’re going for the homerun with this pick and not wasting a top 10 pick to do so.

80. CB Chris Culliver D

I’m not sure what Culliver’s position is at the next level. Is he a safety? Is he a corner? I don’t really think he can play either very well at the next level. He’s too much of a tweener. The 49ers have needs at both of those positions, but I think Culliver is a major reach here and won’t actually fill any need other than special teams because he’s a tweener.

115. RB Kendall Hunter A-

Running back wasn’t a major need of theirs, but Hunter is a very good value at this point and they had so many picks that using one on a backup running back to replace Brian Westbrook isn’t a bad idea.

163. G Daniel Kilgore F

Another player I haven’t heard of and again, I was familiar with about 450 prospects to prepare my top 300 big board. This guy could be a future Pro Bowler and make me look stupid, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take. The 5^th round is way too early for him and he doesn’t really fill a need either.

182. WR Ronald Johnson A

They needed a better #3 receiver than Ted Ginn, who shouldn’t do anything other than special teams. Johnson fits the range and he has good upside too so he could end up as their #2 receiver over Josh Morgan who is decent, but not much else.

190. S Colin Jones B-

Safety depth was needed, even with Chris Culliver being taken in the 3^rd, because I don’t know where Culliver fits. Jones can also play special teams, but I didn’t have him getting drafted so this is a little early for him.

211. RLB Bruce Miller A

Another rush linebacker makes sense. You can never have enough pass rushers and this team doesn’t have many at all, especially with Manny Lawson set to hit free agency. Miller was also an excellent value.

239. OT Michael Person B

Person is a decent swing tackle behind their two starters. That’s not a huge need of theirs, but they had a lot of picks and depth isn’t a bad thing. Defensive line might have made a little more sense, but it’s the 7^th round. You’re not looking for starters and Person fills a depth need and fits the range.

250. CB Curtis Holcomb C

Another cornerback makes sense. I don’t like Culliver. Nate Clements is old and overpaid and Shawntae Spencer is inconsistent. I didn’t have Holcomb on my radar at all as a prospect, but at least he fills a need and it’s the 7^th round so it’s not a major reach.

Overall:

They didn’t nail either of their first 2 picks, but I did like what they did with those picks. Aldon Smith has the upside to become an elite 3-4 rush linebacker and Colin Kaepernick could easily become the best quarterback in this class when we look back at it in a few years, especially with incumbent Alex Smith in place to help him ease into action. The Culliver pick was one I didn’t like at all, but I thought they got good value with Kendall Hunter in the 4^th, Ronald Johnson in the 6^th, and Bruce Miller in the 7^th. They made a few head scratching reaches for guys I didn’t think should be drafted as well, but overall this was a solid draft with a lot of upside and I like both of their first two picks, which is always a key.

Grade: B

By Michael J Morris 

Round 1, Pick 7 (7) Aldon Smith DE 6’4″ 263 Missouri

Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers brass can only hope that this A. Smith will bring more to the field than the A. Smith that was drafted first overall just a few years ago by San Francisco. With LSU corner Patrick Peterson taken off the board early, it was a surprise to many that they selected defensive end Aldon Smith with their first-round pick. 

“We took the guy we liked the most as a football player, as a person. We think he has tremendous upside,” Harbaugh said. “The way he rushes the passer. The way he plays the run. His ability to play on his feet–that he has done and we project him to be able to do to be an outside linebacker in our 3-4 scheme.”

Smith, a defensive end at Mizzou, will be moved back beside Patrick Willis. This transition may take some time, but playing under guys like Willis and Takeo Spikes, will only make that transition smoother. In a draft that was filled with talented defensive lineman, the 49ers chose to take the first defensive end off the board; a lineman many saw going later in the first round.  

Harbaugh was oozing with confidence in Smith, proud of his first pick as the 49ers new head coach. 

“I’m really impressed with him as a person. He’s an All-American young man. Has great wiring, many blessings from mom, dad and God, and we just feel like he’s going to be someone who’s obviously going to add to our football team and make us a better football team.”

Round 2, Pick 4 (36) (From Broncos) Colin Kaepernick QB 6’5″ 233 Nevada

Although the consensus among the experts had San Francisco taking Blaine Gabbert in the first-round, the 49ers decided to trade up in order to get Nevada quarter back, Colin Kaepernick in the second round Friday. 

The Nevada alum has the size, athletic ability and numbers that warrant him being a top-five quarterback in the draft. There are questions as to whether he can transition from a Pistol offense in Nevada to an NFL offense, as well as questions about the quickness of his delivery. Kaepernick spoke with Harbaugh during a workout weeks before the draft and was told by the former quarterback that it has his stamp of approval. 

Here is a stat that gets me excited as a 49er fan:

Kaepernick did one thing no other player has done in NCAA history. Throwing for over 10,000 yards and running for over 4,000 yards in college. Yeah, let that one soak for a minute…Alright, on to the next pick. 

Round 3, Pick 16 (80) (From Jaguars) Chris Culliver DB 6’0″ 199 South Carolina

As much as I would have liked to add Peterson or Prince Amukamara, it just wasn’t in the cards. Peterson was taken by the Cards, forcing the 49ers to wait until later rounds to add to their sorry secondary. Chris Culliver may not be the big name defensive-back that the 49ers were looking for, but the 6-0, 200 lb. corner adds speed and ball skills San Francisco needs. I wouldn’t expect to see him play much outside of nickel packages early on in the season. 

Round 4, Pick 18 (115) (From Chargers) Kendall Hunter RB 5’7″ 199 Oklahoma St.

Hunter may be small but he is a tough runner that has the quickness and agility to get through and around his fare share of defenders. 

Round 5, Pick 32 (163) (From Packers) Daniel Kilgore OL 6’3″ 308 Appalachian St.

The 49ers also traded up to get this small-school standout Daniel Kilgore. He is expected to play guard at the pro level but I wouldn’t expect to see much of him early.

Round 6, Pick 17 (182) (From Jaguars) Ronald Johnson WR 5’11” 199 USC

Ronald Johnson is a small receiver with big play ability. He is definitely worth a look on YouTube. 

Round 6, Pick 25 (190) (From Seahawks) Colin Jones DB 6’0” 200 TCU

Round 7, Pick 8 (211) Bruce Miller DL 6’1″ 254 Central Florida

Round 7, Pick 36 (239) (Compensatory Selection) Michael Person OL 6’5″ 299 Montana St.

Round 7, Pick 47 (250) (Compensatory Selection) Curtis Holcomb DB 5’10” 190 Florida A&M

By Michael J Morris 

I don’t know which was worse; listening to the game on the radio while I was at work or watching the recorded game already knowing what had happened.

The strong preseason by the San Francisco 49ers was no indicator of how they would start the season.  Despite an interception by Nate Clements to start the game, the 49ers failed to live up to the lofty expectations that have been granted to them by analysts and fans in the football world.

I don’t know what I feel worse about; the 49ers scoring an NFL low 6 points in week one, the fact that they allowed the Seahawks to score a bold 31 points, former USC coach, Pete Carroll, winning his first game in the NFL against the 49ers, or just knowing that the Oakland Raiders already have one more touchdown than San Francisco. 

The 49ers were able to put the first 6 points on the board, but those 6 points would be spread over two quarters and would be the only 6 points of the game.  Seattle scored 28 straight thanks to poor secondary play by the highly touted 49ers defense and ugly offensive play by the 49ers.

The most obvious blemish on Sunday was the offensive-line play by the 49ers.  Rookies , Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati weren’t the only reasons the offense couldn’t get anything going, but they were a major factor in the 31-6 loss. 

Frank Gore was unable to find any holes and Alex Smith found himself rushing a handful of throws because of the poor pass blocking.  Gore rushed for only 38 yards on 17 carries while Smith passed for 225 yards and two picks. The two interceptions by Smith were on throws to Michael Crabtree and it was obvious that the two could have used some more time in the offseason getting some familiarity with one another.

Here is where I would go over the bright spots of the game, but unfortunately for the 49ers the Seahawks took all those up. 

The 49ers will have a lot of work to do as they prepare for the New Orleans Saints; a much stronger offense, capable of 31 points in a half. 

Patrick Willis, who had ten tackles Sunday, summed up to loss pretty well with his most recent tweet:

“Yesterday was a tough loss, really embarrassing for us as players, for the organization period.”

http://michaeljmorris.wordpress.com/ 

The 49ers were supposed to walk through the weak NFC West and make the playoffs. At the very least, they were supposed to secure their first winning season since 2002. Instead, they finished at 6-10 and in 3^rd place in the NFC West. An 0-5 start doomed them, and though they had a chance to make good on owner Jed York’s promise after their 0-5 start that they’d win the division, a terrible performance in St. Louis against the Rams week 16 eliminated them.

In the loss, Mike Singletary rebenched Troy Smith for what seemed like the 20^th time for Alex Smith. Smith wasn’t too happy about and he got into a confrontation with Mike Singletary which Ted Ginn tried to break up by waving a towel in Smith’s face. Don’t ask me why Ginn did that, but that incident led to the firing of Mike Singletary (though there were other reasons why he was fired).

Singletary is a tremendous motivator who I feel would succeed if he had a team with an established quarterback and offense in place, but lacked discipline (Houston?), but he doesn’t know how to build an offense. You can’t switch quarterbacks that many times in a season. Alex Smith started week 15 and had a strong performance in a loss in San Diego, going 19-29 for 165 yards and a pick, amid harsh pressure from the San Diego defense. He was rewarded by being benched for Troy Smith, who was benched again midgame for Alex Smith.

All in all, Alex started 10 games and Troy started 6. Alex was hurt week 7 and replaced with David Carr, who promptly blew a lead against a winless Carolina team and was never heard from again. Troy Smith took over week 8 and led the team to back-to-back victories. He was 3-2 as starter, as opposed to Alex Smith’s 1-6, but was benched for Alex before week 14.

Alex started weeks 14 and 15 and played well, going 36 for 56 for 420 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a pick, but was benched again before week 16 for Troy. Troy went 7 for 19 against St. Louis and was benched for Alex Smith who couldn’t reverse the damages in a 25-17 season ending loss. Smith played well week 17 under interim coach Jim Tomsula.

Overall, the quarterback saga ruined what should have been a promising season. Frank Gore ran well before he got hurt and even the ancient Brian Westbrook ran well after Gore got hurt, behind this massive young line. The line struggled in pass protection, with 44 sacks allowed, but with 2 raw rookies on the line, that was to be expected. They will get better in the future.

The defense ranked 13^th in fewest yards allowed, and 16^th in fewest points allowed. With talented players like Justin Smith and Patrick Willis, this defense is playoff caliber. Now they just need new Coach Jim Harbaugh to fix the offense, no easy challenge.