NFL draft Archive

Feeling a little crabby over 49ers first round pick

By
Zuri
Published: April 29, 2009Tags: , ,


Don’t tell me I’m supposed to be happy with that first round.

I think it’s about time to end the Michael Crabtree lovefest. Hands down, Crabs, Crab cakes, or whatever you want to call him (my personal favorite is Crabfest), is the greatest wide receiver in the 2009 NFL Draft, outranking the likes of Oakland’s pick, Darrius Heyward-Bey, by a longshot and a steal at No. 10 for the San Francisco 49ers.

But was Crabs really the answer for San Francisco? I don’t think so.

While the pick both excited and stimulated all of 49ers nation into hype not seen since Alex Smith was drafted first overall in 2005, it also killed any hope for what was expected to be the selection of Smith’s replacement.

With Matthew Stafford off the board two days prior and the New York Jets taking USC’s Mark Sanchez, hopes were slim as the remaining talent was heavily scrutinized.

All the while, all the pundits overlooked little old Josh Freeman of Kansas State, selected No. 17 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was written off for playing in a poor conference, being a project quarterback and generally not being the cool character that everyone knows Sanchez portrays.

There was so much scrutiny between the Stafford and Sanchez themselves, there wasn’t enough room to bring Freeman into the argument. Not to mention the fact that the 49ers were waddling over selecting one of the top-rated tackles or linebackers, Crabs was a pleasant surprise at No. 10.

“We had a head-on issue with it,” Singletary told the media on draft day. “You’ve got Michael Oher there, you’ve got (Michael) Crabtree. So what do you do? You want to tear up something. You’d like for it to be Crabtree or it’s Michael Oher. But when they’re both there at the same time and how we had our board, Crabtree is one of the best players in the draft so you’ve got to go there.”

You can say The Crabster’s availability threw a wrench in the 49ers’ planning. Or, if you’re thinking as nefariously as I am, the Raiders ruined the 49ers’ plans by passing up on the Texas Tech phenom.

How could they? As a two-time Biletnikoff winner, he was deserving of being the first receiver picked — bad foot and all. He’ll certainly prove his worth for years to come and Old Al will have to read it in his own local newspaper to boot.

Nice.

But the 49ers were quick to jump the gun. Considering there are now 10 wide receivers on the roster, including Isaac Bruce, Josh Morgan, Arnaz Battle and Jason Hill, there won’t be enough balls to go around with all the development in the works.

The beautiful part about the NFL draft is there’s always room for redemption. The 49ers did their own version of addressing the quarterback issue and redeeming hopes in the future of the franchise’s lead role by picking up Ball State quarterback Nate Davis in the fifth round.

As Singletary put it, the guy was a steal. But don’t let him get your hopes up, he’ll have to put in at least a year carrying the clip board.

“This year, we’ve got Alex Smith and we’ve got Shaun Hill,” Singletary said. “Those two guys are competing for that job and at the quarterback position right now that’s enough to look at and focus on.”

One thing is for sure, and worthy of praise, there is a plan and there is focus. That’s promising.

Editor’s note: This column originally appeared in The Union.

Al Davis ruins mock drafts everywhere

By
Tim
Published: April 27, 2009Tags: , ,

Mock drafts are hard to do. Really, they’re impossible. There’s always a surprise early in the first round, and if you didn’t see it coming, the rest of your mock is thrown off track. Al Davis knows this. He’s made it a point to make fools of all those who would dare tell him what the sensible move would be, mock drafters included.

Zuri got off to a nice start with the first two picks, and did a great job with the Jets jumping up into the top 10 and picking Mark Sanchez. But Jeremy Maclin? Ha! You were way off! If I had the guts to do my own mock, I probably would’ve had the Raiders taking Maclin too. Second rated receiver in most minds, but a bigger deep threat. Davis wanted an even bigger deep threat with even more speed, and chose Darrius Heyward-Bey. Huh?

Davis topped himself in the second round, picking safety Mike Mitchell at 47. ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper had Mitchell ranked 73rd … at his position. So potentially, he could have gone in the 7th round and still been a bad pick. It’s no surprise where the biggest reach of the draft landed. Poor kid will forever be linked to this pick that even he probably thought was much too high.

While this all makes me laugh, it also kills me that Maclin got picked up at 19 by the Eagles, who are finally coming to terms with the fact that they need receivers to win in the postseason. They’ve got a nice group of them now, and that worries me. I feel better knowing that McNabb still can’t play in big games, until the league allows bounce passes.

As for my Cowboys, I’m extremely excited about their draft selections because … well, what other choice do I have? Might as well be optimistic in the offseason, cause it’s probably not getting any better. Dallas didn’t pick at all until round three, and I haven’t heard of a single player they got. But they did end up with 12 total picks, the most of any team, so at least we can play the numbers game.

The Giants got Plaxico’s replacement in Hakeem Nicks, and top prospect Brian Orakpo fell to the Redskins at 13. The NFC East isn’t getting any easier.

As for Zuri’s Niners, how in the world did you get this lucky? Michael Crabtree could end up being their best receiver since Terrell Owens. Combine that with Alex Smith … or Shaun Hill … well anyway, he’s a good receiver.

NFL mock draft: Top 10 picks with comments

By
Zuri
Published: April 24, 2009Tags: , ,


Been scouring all the mock drafts out there. I think it’s appropriate I do one for myself, at least through the first 10 picks. After that, it just gets sketchy. Without further ado, here we go:

  1. Detroit Lions (0-16 last season): Matthew Stafford, Georgia — It’s sad that Daunte Culpepper didn’t work out for the hapless Lions, but it really illuminates their struggles. After being on a wide receiver binge for the last six years, they’ll likely draft to build first rather than win first. It’s a no-brainer, especially with the worries about Mark Sanchez and the USC quarterback’s who have floundered after being drafted as of late (ah hem, Matt Leinart).

  2. St. Louis Rams (2-14): Jason Smith, Baylor — With the departure of Orlando Pace, and the struggles the Rams had in pass protection (45 sacks) and rushing (103 yards per game), they’ll focus in on the basis. And that starts up front with the hogs. The big if is whether Smith gets the nod, or Eugene Monroe from Virgina. Consider this a toss up of the two.

  3. Kansas City Chiefs (2-14): Aaron Curry, Wake Forest — After filling the quarterback hole, rethinking the tight end position (departure of Tony Gonzalez and signing of Sean Ryan) and having a new general manager to lead the draft, all eyes point to talent above need. Curry is the talent that most observers are saying is the “safe” pick, even though he’s marked as a guy who would flourish in a 3-4 defense, he’ll easily adjust. He looks that good.

  4. Seattle Seahawks (4-12): Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech — He’s my favorite player in this draft. If you recall, last season the Seahawks went into the year with four or five receivers injured. They started signing guys off the street and it was just getting ridiculous after awhile. And then of course, this offseason people started looking at Matt Hasselback like he was the problem, or more nicely, the future problem. They’ve got one major need and Crabtree fills it. They’d be stupid to draft anywhere else so high.

  5. Cleveland Browns (4-12): BJ Raji, Boston College — After getting this whole positive/negative drug test results cleared up, it appears the big defensive tackle will still be in the top-10. What better place to go than Cleveland, which gave up 356 yards a game (25th in the NFL) and finished with only 17 sacks last season. This Raji’s 337 pounds would help, if not now, down the line.

  6. Cincinnati Bengals (4-11-1): Eugene Monroe, Virginia — Every year I think the Bengals should focus on the basics (blocking and running) and every year I’m a little more disappointed. Here goes wishful thinking.

  7. Oakland Raiders (5-11): Jeremy Maclin, Missouri — Al Davis has apparently taken a liking to the Missouri wide receiver. It comes as no surprise that Davis is a sucker for potent threats. Talent first, need second. In this case, Maclin fills a need and a want.

  8. New York Jets (from Jacksonville Jaguars): Mark Sancehz, USC — As much as you (OK, really me) want to knock what Trojan quarterbacks have done in the pros lately, he’s the best thing available for this team with a quarterback identity issue.

  9. Green Bay Packers (6-10): Brian Orakpo, Texas — The recent moves by the Packers to fix up their offensive line before the draft gives me the distinct hint they’re posturing toward a defensive player. This is a good time to take Orakpo, a defensive end who had 23 sacks in 21 starts for the Longhorns. They build football players at that school.

  10. San Francisco 49ers (7-9): Andre Smith, Alabama — In a draft lacking a lot of depth, the 49ers will immediately fill a hole with Smith at tackle. Pass protection has been an issue the last few years. But even more important will be Mike Singletary’s emphasis on the running game. While a quarterback would be the team’s pick of choice, their top choice (Stafford) will be long gone by this point. And other top tackles will be gone, so Smith falls here by default. Josh Freeman, the No. 3 quarterback in most draft rankings, may not be sexy enough for the 49ers to grab here. But if it were up to me, they’d totally do it.

Here are some good mock drafts you should be aware of: