Post#1496 » by CrimsonCrew » Wed May 3, 2017 9:29 pm
I was out of town during the draft, so despite following it, didn't really get to add my two cents. I'll do so now. I'm going to run through each pick/round, and then give my overall thoughts. Caveat: I have watched very little college football the past couple years.
First Round/Second Round
Solomon Thomas: I went into the first round expecting to be disappointed. I just didn't like the value for our needs. I wanted to trade out, but it looks like that wasn't a realistic option. I still don't love the Thomas pick. I like the player, I just don't see how we get Armstead, Buckner, and Thomas on the field together on a regular basis. On obvious passing downs, if we truly play Armstead at Leo, it's not impossible to envision, but we'd be pretty susceptible to the run in that case. That said, we picked up a guy who should be a leader and a cornerstone of our rebuild, and also picked up three more valuable picks in the process. I will definitely take that, particularly as it creates some draft capital for next year when the QB class looks better.
Reuben Foster: I love this pick. The kid is a top-5 player in this draft, and should be a difference-maker fairly early in his career. As I've read a bit more about his shoulder, I'm getting a little nervous. I'm not so worried about the off-field attitude stuff, I think he'll be okay, and maybe even good with that chip on his shoulder. But I don't trust our medical/training staff (at all; though they have probably turned over a fair bit since the new FO came in), and the articles on an ongoing problem have me slightly skittish. Still, well worth the gamble at this point. If we walked away from this draft with nothing but these two picks and the additional picks, I would have probably felt this was a win.
Third Round
Ahkello Witherspoon: I was a fan of this one. The kid is raw, but there's an awful lot of upside there, and he seems like a good fit in our scheme - though he'll have to work on his physicality.
CJ Beathard: This one was a bit of a shock to me, as it was to many people. It felt like a tremendous reach. That said, the QB position is a different sort of animal, and particularly later in the draft, beauty can be in the eye of the beholder. It sounds like Shanahan really likes Beathard, and if he's your guy, you take him when you think his talent merits it, regardless of whether you think he might be around for another half round. And I have absolutely no problem dealing a seventh rounder to make the move. I'm a bit skeptical Beathard will pan out, but if he becomes a solid backup, then the pick was worth it.
Perhaps my biggest problem with this draft was trading away our second third-rounder. I understand getting a future second in a potentially QB-rich draft is huge, and the Saints could easily be the worst team in that division - though it wouldn't shock me if they won it, either. This was such a deep draft, part of me wonders if that second rounder will have the value of the third rounder this year. If we had taken Jordan Willis or Tim Williams, I would have felt very good about our defensive overhaul. Either of those guys would have presented great value there, and in the third, you don't really care if the guy is just a situational pass rusher versus an every down player.
Fourth Round
Joe Williams: This is another one where you defer to your coach to a degree. It's a risky pick, but he should be a good fit for our running game, particularly outside zone runs, which are a big part of the system. Shanahan obviously loved him, so I can see why Lynch made the move once he reconciled himself to the quitting business.
Fifth Round
George Kittle: This seems like another nice scheme fit. Kittle is extremely versatile, as he is a much better blocker than his size would indicate, but he also has elite speed for the position. Having both Kittle and Juszczyck really increases our versatility on offense. Not only are they both very good blockers, but both are also effective (and perhaps more) receivers. In today's NFL, that sort of versatility is huge, and should pay dividends. Again, I get the sense that Shanahan had a hand in this one.
Trent Taylor: Kind of lukewarm on this one, though I've gathered the kid has some potential. I tend to like players who are small, or not terribly fast, but still managed crazy production in college or the NFL. That said, there's a reason that's a surprise. Unfortunately, it's looking like we'll never be able to rely on Bruce Ellington, who I had high hopes for in the slot. Taylor seems like the sort of player who could carve out a role for himself, though I don't see him as an ideal return man.
Not sure just where to put it, but I don't love the Bibbs trade. I realize Bibbs wasn't valued terribly highly in the trade, but we got a 5th round comp pick in return for a 4th next year that could be pretty high. I haven't seen a whole lot of Bibbs, but to me it wasn't worth it. I'd rather have the 4th next year.
Sixth Round
DJ Jones: This is another pick I like a lot. He's got questions about his motor, but we would never have him in for more than 1/3 of snaps, anyway. And if he's fresh and right, he's a force in both the run and pass game. Seems like very nice value, though he's going to have to come in and work hard from day one.
Pita Taumoepenu: Not sure I'd ever even heard of this kid prior to the draft, and I'm skeptical that he really catches on. He's dramatically undersized to rush the passer in a 4-3, even if we are using some sort of hybrid scheme. Greg Cosell was actually really high on him, so we'll see, but I'm not expecting very much at this stage.
Seventh Round
Adrian Colbert: Another guy who is pretty unlikely to make the squad, but why not take a chance on an athletically gifted player who could surprise?
All told, I like what the team did. The big difference that I noted, particularly on offense, was collaboration between the GM and HC. The guys we picked were guys that we took with an eye toward our scheme and our goals. I got the sense that the FO staff and the coaches were on the same page about who they wanted, and for what role. That rarely seemed to be the case with Baalke. Baalke just seemed to pick guys regardless of how they fit (Joshua Garnett, anyone?). And in addition to the injury nightmares, he also had a tendency to take guys with the intention of having them completely transform their body in a short period of time. I can't think of many examples across the league of that sort of thing paying dividends (unless it's an OL or DL dramatically slimming down, for instance). I'm all for getting a guy to add some muscle mass, but the Tank and Eli massive bulk-ups just completely backfired, and we ended up losing the player we had drafted (figuratively).
We'll see how the players actually turn out, but I'm cautiously optimistic about this haul, and the start for the new FO.