2021 49ers offseason

[thesack12]

I'm starting to hear increased chatter that Denver getting connected to Jimmy G.

Not sure how legitimate that is, or if its just people connecting the dots that at #9 it seems like Denver will be on the outside looking in trying to get one of the top 4 QB prospects (Lawrence/Wilson/Fields/Lance) however they have the cap space to absorb Jimmy via trade.

I don't love the idea going into next season with a rookie QB (or Rosen or Sudfeld) but if Denver wants to give something like a 3rd this year and a conditional 2nd next year, I'd be pretty tempted to pull the trigger on that.

I'd consider seeing if the Broncos would go for a Jimmy G for Von Miller swap.

Even at his age Miller along with Bosa would be a pretty fearsome pass rush and if Dee Ford can at least be a part time player that can rotate with Bosa and Miller especially to keep them fresh that's be icing on the cake.

Honestly, that wouldn't interest me personally.

Miller is not only coming off a severe ankle injury that caused him to miss the entire 2020 season, but he's also in the final year of this contract as well. Which means you are making that trade with only next year in mind, a year in which you would be starting a rookie QB which really caps the ceiling for the team. Plus we don't really know what we would be getting with the current version of Von Miller. Team isn't really in a great cap position to retain Miller after this season either.

If 9ers will be trading Garoppolo, I would much prefer getting draft picks to help restock the cupboard. If 9ers will be rolling with a rookie QB this season, I would need something that has potential to help the team for several years to come because this current season would more or less be sacrificed. No rookie QB has ever taken his team to a super bowl, I guess there is always potential for someone to actually become the first guy to do so, but its VERY unlikely to happen.

[CrimsonCrew]

Agreed. Miller is a player who might interest me if we were keeping Garoppolo. Without him, of course we'll be competing for the playoffs and super bowl, but it's a longshot with a rookie in a very tough division. I'd rather have a second-round pick or something along those lines.

[Jikkle]

Depends on who they draft but if it's Jones or Fields they'll be day 1 starters but if it's Lance he'll probably need to sit a season though if his mechanics are polished enough I could see him being able to start day 1 as well.

I'm for letting guys sit a year but in this case it's a strong roster with a strong running game, enough weapons, and a great defense so there is plenty of support for a rookie starter and better to get started and take the lumps now than later.

I'm just not confident they can get a whole lot for Jimmy G at this point since he makes a lot of money and he's had one healthy season out of 3. If they could get a 2nd for him they should do it but anything other than that I think Miller would ultimately just bring more value especially if his medicals check out.

[Pattersonca65]

Depends on who they draft but if it's Jones or Fields they'll be day 1 starters but if it's Lance he'll probably need to sit a season though if his mechanics are polished enough I could see him being able to start day 1 as well.

I'm for letting guys sit a year but in this case it's a strong roster with a strong running game, enough weapons, and a great defense so there is plenty of support for a rookie starter and better to get started and take the lumps now than later.

I'm just not confident they can get a whole lot for Jimmy G at this point since he makes a lot of money and he's had one healthy season out of 3. If they could get a 2nd for him they should do it but anything other than that I think Miller would ultimately just bring more value especially if his medicals check out.

Jones oemr Fields as day one starters is far from certain
I dont think it is as easy as you portray it. Shanahans office is complex and Fields is far from NFL ready

[Jikkle]

Depends on who they draft but if it's Jones or Fields they'll be day 1 starters but if it's Lance he'll probably need to sit a season though if his mechanics are polished enough I could see him being able to start day 1 as well.

I'm for letting guys sit a year but in this case it's a strong roster with a strong running game, enough weapons, and a great defense so there is plenty of support for a rookie starter and better to get started and take the lumps now than later.

I'm just not confident they can get a whole lot for Jimmy G at this point since he makes a lot of money and he's had one healthy season out of 3. If they could get a 2nd for him they should do it but anything other than that I think Miller would ultimately just bring more value especially if his medicals check out.

Jones oemr Fields as day one starters is far from certain
I dont think it is as easy as you portray it. Shanahans office is complex and Fields is far from NFL ready

It's true the offense is complex but you wouldn't expect them to run the offense at full capacity their 1st year anyways. You'd lean more on the running game and have them run more and more of the offense as they get a better grasp of it over the course of the season.

If the team was devoid of talent or you wanted to alter their mechanics I could see letting them sit but they have plenty in place where it wouldn't be all on their shoulders and they can be a game manager their 1st season. The best way to get better is gameday reps and the sooner they get them the sooner they can get through the inevitable growing pains.

[thesack12]

Depends on who they draft but if it's Jones or Fields they'll be day 1 starters but if it's Lance he'll probably need to sit a season though if his mechanics are polished enough I could see him being able to start day 1 as well.

I'm for letting guys sit a year but in this case it's a strong roster with a strong running game, enough weapons, and a great defense so there is plenty of support for a rookie starter and better to get started and take the lumps now than later.

I'm just not confident they can get a whole lot for Jimmy G at this point since he makes a lot of money and he's had one healthy season out of 3. If they could get a 2nd for him they should do it but anything other than that I think Miller would ultimately just bring more value especially if his medicals check out.

I agree with the underlined part, however the flip side to that is there really isn't much incentive to sell low by moving him now. Garoppolo hasn't requested a trade, and he doesn't seem like the type become a problem in the locker room, especially since he knows he's playing for his next job/contract now.

In addition, there is a ton riding on this season. They signed a lot of guys to 1 year deals in an attempt to get the band back together for another run. They aren't in a good cap situation, and the only reason they were able to retain so many guys only on 1 year deals was because of the unique current landscape of the NFL. They most likely will not be able to do such things next season. The 49ers also currently have the NFL's oldest team with an average age of 27.21.

The current roster is capable of contending for a Lombardi. Unless you have an all galaxy QB, contention windows don't tend to stay open for long. While a team can be competitive with a rookie QB, as has been mentioned a team with a rookie QB has never made it to a Super Bowl. Making the leap from college QB to NFL QB is a VERY difficult transition. While its true there have been some guys that have played well as rookies, its far from a given. Even when those guys have played well, it usually hasn't translated to a lot of team success. So while we can say well just dumb the offense down and only give him certain packages to run, that's fine for the individual but how does it help the greater goal of team success? Also as Crims mentioned, the NFC West is freaking brutal.

Also, under Kyle/Lynch this team has had 3/4 losing seasons with a 29-35 record overall. Take out 2019 and they have a 16-32 record. While its true both those guys are fresh off extensions, we know that Jed has a history of becoming antsy and is not shy of firing dudes with multiple years left on their contracts.

I don't know I just don't see any reason to sell low on Jimmy right now. While there is potential he goes out and gets hurt again, or plays poorly and never improves his draft stock. There is also the very real possibility that he balls out this season because he's extra motivated and will have his best surrounding offense that he's ever had here. If Jimmy doesn't perform this season for whatever reason, we revert back to the situation we all expect to be in regardless in moving forward this will be the #3 pick's team. If Jimmy plays well, you look to move him this time next year for a nice draft pick haul.

On top of all this, having the rookie sit to learn can only help him and the team long term.

For me not trading Jimmy now, and potentially losing out on getting an aging vet for only 1 season or a crappy draft pick like a 5th rounder or something is more than worth that risk vs what keeping Jimmy for this year can do for the team overall.

[GS Warriors 1]

S Tony Jefferson is visiting the 49ers some time this week, per PFT. Did not play in 2020 and his 2019 was cut short due to a torn ACL. Very good in 17 and 18 with the Ravens. 29 years old.

[CrimsonCrew]

Grant Cohn on why the Niners should take Lance over Fields and Jones:

https://www.si.com/nfl/49ers/news/why-trey-lance-is-better-for-the-49ers-than-justin-fields-or-mac-jones

Really perverse logic here, to me. First, Grant says Lance never turned it over in college, which is wrong. He threw a pick in his one 2020 game. Also completed 50% of his passes for fewer than 5 YPA. But he says accuracy can be improved while decision-making can't. What a preposterous argument. It's a convenient one right now because Josh Allen did improve his accuracy this year. But it's a one-year sample size, and it's just not something that historically happens. I struggle to think of another player who wasn't accurate in college, wasn't accurate his first year in the league, and then became a consistently accurate passer for a career. Inaccurate guys tend to stay inaccurate. And even on "accurate" balls, Lance isn't in Fields' league. Conversely, virtually every great NFL QB has improved his decision-making throughout his career. Many of them dramatically. It's why you almost always see TD rates go up and INT rates go down as a guy's career progresses.

I'm not arguing Lance will be a bust. I'm not even arguing Fields will be the better player. But in my view, he's much less risky. If he can hack it in the classroom.

[CrimsonCrew]

Some Lance pro day videos coming though:

Read on Twitter

Not great views, as you can't really see the receiver's route on a lot of the clips. But on those you can, Lance is off. Guys are slowing down or almost stopping to make catches downfield. The ball looks beautiful in the air, but it's not hitting guys in stride. Not going to read too much into that, and at the end of the day, I care a lot more about the passes in the 10-20 yard range than the 60-yard bombs. But Lance doesn't show me precision passing the way Fields does.

[GS Warriors 1]

RB Wayne Gallman Jr. is visiting the 49ers, per Field Yates. 682 rushing yards, 34 catches, and 7 total TD's last season for the Giants. 4th round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

[CrimsonCrew]

I've been posting in the wrong thread. Whoops!

[CrimsonCrew]

RB Wayne Gallman Jr. is visiting the 49ers, per Field Yates. 682 rushing yards, 34 catches, and 7 total TD's last season for the Giants. 4th round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

If the money is even similar, and I'm assuming it would be at this point in the off-season, I'd prefer Duke Johnson.

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Some Lance pro day videos coming though:

Read on Twitter

Not great views, as you can't really see the receiver's route on a lot of the clips. But on those you can, Lance is off. Guys are slowing down or almost stopping to make catches downfield. The ball looks beautiful in the air, but it's not hitting guys in stride. Not going to read too much into that, and at the end of the day, I care a lot more about the passes in the 10-20 yard range than the 60-yard bombs. But Lance doesn't show me precision passing the way Fields does.

I thought that I was the only person that puts a lot of importance in this particular issue when guys throw on their pro days.

[thesack12]

Read on Twitter

I'm assuming Key would take a minimum contract, if so Maiocco nailed it

[thesack12]

I've been banging the Rondale Moore drum for awhile now, seems like I'm the only fan of his around here.

However, I just found this article discussing how Moore is a great fit for Kyle's scheme and the 9ers.

https://ninernoise.com/2021/04/18/49ers-draft-rondale-moore-perfect-shanahan/

49ers NFL Draft: Rondale Moore is a perfect Kyle Shanahan wide receiver


The receiving and rushing numbers should be one thing catching the eye.

Shanahan has long since shifted to more of a positionless offense, which is how he’s frequently used Deebo Samuel the last two years, featuring him on end-arounds and jet sweeps, not unlike how the Carolina Panthers utilized Curtis Samuel, too.

But as Moore’s NFL.com draft profile breaks down, the prospect wideout is awfully polished as a route-runner and has a great tendency to thrive in option routes, which is yet another staple of Shanahan’s West Coast-hybrid offense.

And as shown in some of the highlights below, particularly against Ohio State, Moore displayed the desired traits of speed, shiftiness and even some physicality after getting the ball in his hands:

Those are yet more reasons why Moore would be an excellent fit. He’s more than capable of creating separation from the defense, then using his abilities to generate yards after the catch.

Sounds like yet another tailor-made 49ers player.

It goes on to say that Moore could fall into the 3rd round, possibly as far as the 9ers compesatory #102 pick. I personally think that is a pretty big stretch. if they could get Moore that late I'd be absolutely thriled, but if they want him I think they are going to have to go after him with #43, it wouldn't even surprise me if he's gone by then.

[Dodub]

Some Lance pro day videos coming though:

Read on Twitter

Not great views, as you can't really see the receiver's route on a lot of the clips. But on those you can, Lance is off. Guys are slowing down or almost stopping to make catches downfield. The ball looks beautiful in the air, but it's not hitting guys in stride. Not going to read too much into that, and at the end of the day, I care a lot more about the passes in the 10-20 yard range than the 60-yard bombs. But Lance doesn't show me precision passing the way Fields does.

Hitting guys in stride on deep balls takes a bit of practice and timing though. We don’t really know how much he’s worked with the WR’s. We do know that one of them is Jordan Matthews, I don’t know who the others are.

[Dodub]

Grant Cohn on why the Niners should take Lance over Fields and Jones:

https://www.si.com/nfl/49ers/news/why-trey-lance-is-better-for-the-49ers-than-justin-fields-or-mac-jones

Really perverse logic here, to me. First, Grant says Lance never turned it over in college, which is wrong. He threw a pick in his one 2020 game. Also completed 50% of his passes for fewer than 5 YPA. But he says accuracy can be improved while decision-making can't. What a preposterous argument. It's a convenient one right now because Josh Allen did improve his accuracy this year. But it's a one-year sample size, and it's just not something that historically happens. I struggle to think of another player who wasn't accurate in college, wasn't accurate his first year in the league, and then became a consistently accurate passer for a career. Inaccurate guys tend to stay inaccurate. And even on "accurate" balls, Lance isn't in Fields' league. Conversely, virtually every great NFL QB has improved his decision-making throughout his career. Many of them dramatically. It's why you almost always see TD rates go up and INT rates go down as a guy's career progresses.

I'm not arguing Lance will be a bust. I'm not even arguing Fields will be the better player. But in my view, he's much less risky. If he can hack it in the classroom.

I prefer Lance. That being said, Grant Cohn is an absolute moron

[thesack12]

I found these 2 tweets about draft nuggets quite interesting:

Read on Twitter

1967- Steve Spurrier
1997: Jim Drunkenmiller
2005: Alex Smith

Read on Twitter

This is astounding to me, considering how poor the WR position has been for this team for the majority of the past 10-15 seasons.

[CrimsonCrew]

Read on Twitter

I'm assuming Key would take a minimum contract, if so Maiocco nailed it

Worth a shot on basically a no-risk contract, though the guy seems to be a but of a head case.

I didn't realize he was cut on the same day as Maurice Hurst. What's the story with that? He's a guy I'd be pretty interested in. Starting experience, good inside pass rusher. Absolutely tumbled in the draft after discovery of a medical issue that hadn't seemed to be an issue. I'd love to see what he could do under Kocurek.

[CrimsonCrew]

I've been banging the Rondale Moore drum for awhile now, seems like I'm the only fan of his around here.

However, I just found this article discussing how Moore is a great fit for Kyle's scheme and the 9ers.

https://ninernoise.com/2021/04/18/49ers-draft-rondale-moore-perfect-shanahan/

49ers NFL Draft: Rondale Moore is a perfect Kyle Shanahan wide receiver


The receiving and rushing numbers should be one thing catching the eye.

Shanahan has long since shifted to more of a positionless offense, which is how he’s frequently used Deebo Samuel the last two years, featuring him on end-arounds and jet sweeps, not unlike how the Carolina Panthers utilized Curtis Samuel, too.

But as Moore’s NFL.com draft profile breaks down, the prospect wideout is awfully polished as a route-runner and has a great tendency to thrive in option routes, which is yet another staple of Shanahan’s West Coast-hybrid offense.

And as shown in some of the highlights below, particularly against Ohio State, Moore displayed the desired traits of speed, shiftiness and even some physicality after getting the ball in his hands:

Those are yet more reasons why Moore would be an excellent fit. He’s more than capable of creating separation from the defense, then using his abilities to generate yards after the catch.

Sounds like yet another tailor-made 49ers player.

It goes on to say that Moore could fall into the 3rd round, possibly as far as the 9ers compesatory #102 pick. I personally think that is a pretty big stretch. if they could get Moore that late I'd be absolutely thriled, but if they want him I think they are going to have to go after him with #43, it wouldn't even surprise me if he's gone by then.

I've been so consumed with the third pick that I haven't given nearly as much attention to other positions. I haven't seen a ton of Moore, but he sounds like he could be a good fit in Shanahan's system, particularly as that slot player we need. It's hard to see him falling to 102, though 5'7" is REALLY small for a WR (and his arm length is in the 0th percentile), so it's not out of the question. Hell, it's small for a RB. And he was primarily used as something of a gimmick player in college.

Our WR need is somewhat connected to our QB selection, too. Aiyuk can be a deep threat, and he's got more than enough speed, but he isn't a true burner. If we add Fields, for instance, it would be really nice to get him a true deep threat. Though any of the three guys we're looking at would be a better deep-ball thrower than Garoppolo, even though Jones' arm probably isn't as strong as Garoppolo's per se. One of the nice things about Samuel and Aiyuk is that they are both versatile. Either guy can line up in the slot, so we aren't limited to pursuing a stereotypical slot receiver. On the flip side, this draft has tons of those stereotypical slot guys, so there's likely to be value there.

In terms of our needs and draft value, it might make more sense to go CB in the second and WR in the third or fourth - I've gathered there's a decent drop-off at the CB position, and we have a pretty significant need there. Recent history suggests you can find good WRs - especially slot guys - later on. Interior OL is also a position where you can usually find value a little later. Our roster is complete enough that, outside of a QB at three, I wouldn't reach for any specific position in the early going. But in an ideal circumstance, I'd love to see us go QB in the first, CB in the second, WR in the third, OG in the fourth, RB and depth across the board in the 5th on.