WentzerWuver wrote:CrimsonCrew wrote:I disagree. Our biggest needs for this offseason are center and DT. Trent is still good when on the field (granted that's a concern), and McKivitz is solid enough to be serviceable. But OT looks to be a huge need in the near future, and we're in a position to draft a good one. If we can do so, we should unless Graham or Carter falls. I don't see another DT worth 11. There are some DEs who might be, but DE is so deep that I'd rather address it later. Hard to see taking a CB at 11 as we have two solid starters and really just need some more depth.
Wrong! OT is their BIGGEST NEED!!! You just try to find one non biased fan link that has the 49ers biggest need NOT on the OL. It's doesn't exist unless you create it yourself on BR under your pen name. Maybe Kyle has paid you to be his mouth piece like keeping Purdy on this forum. I would have let him walk if he doesn't accept a generous Baker's contract due to his shortcomings without a stack offense and focus on drafting Dart for day 2 instead as the next Josh under a rookie contract who can start immediately.
https://youtu.be/Smgzbw2rG6M?si=Q2s9O8lDQusz1wIlEvery smart analysts has us addressing the OL cause it was that bad after Trent went down and you know it! LAC even drafted an OT with their 5th overall pick to protect his highly paid franchise QB instead of taking Nabers after they got rid of both their top wideouts in Keenan and Mike. We NEED to address for an OT NOW cause we won't be drafting that high next year when most everyone are healthy. DL is fine for next season unless you want depths over need.
Taking Will Campbell or Josh Simmons if either are available at 11 is the team best option when the draft begins unless we trade down for extra picks if Campbell is off the board which make sense to me.
https://www.49erswebzone.com/articles/188454-49ers-address-needs-7-round-draft/Mel Kiper understands our need more than some here do, no surprise there as he does his homework for all teams. Hopefully, this mock draft will be a reality during the draft cause it's address our biggest need with the best player for us and you know it!
https://youtu.be/Adq-u_s--IE?si=VUL_s5uBe0_7YA68https://youtube.com/shorts/vtMtb8xAId4?si=0SPlst460Cz5GX4O
Just focus on taking deep, calming breaths. You seem to get worked up pretty easily.
No one is disputing that OL is the biggest need on this team. I said I think center is the single biggest need, and I also said I would take an OT at 11 unless one of the two elite DL is available (though I wouldn't reach much if the OTs all go early) for precisely the reasons you state. But for 2025, center and DT are definitely more pressing needs than OT.
Last year, Trent had an overall PFF grade of 85.6 and a pass blocking grade of 84.5. He's not what he once was, but he's still a top-10 OT when he's on the field. McKivitz had a PFF grade of 72.2, and 72.8 in pass blocking. Both were right around 40th among 141 qualifying players, and of course 64 players start at the OT position league-wide. Jaylon Moore started a few games and had a 74.9 overall grade and 73.1 pass-blocking grade. We were good at that spot until Trent got hurt, and even then were solid until Moore also got hurt.
By contrast, Brendel had a 65.0 PFF grade, but more significantly, a 55.1 pass blocking grade. That pass blocking grade was 51st among 64 qualifying centers. Only 32 centers start. He was awful, he allowed constant pressure right up the gut, and he simply has to be upgraded this offseason if we want to have a productive offense. Having said that, it would be crazy to take a center at 11 given positional values, and there aren't any true centers worth taking until the third or fourth round in this draft.
DT wasn't much better. Even before his injury, Hargrave was a liability. He had a 60.6 PFF grade (78th/219 DTs), and a 44.7 run grade (159th). Jordan Elliott had a 47.6 overall grade (165th) with run and pass grades below 55. Maliek Collins had a 57.9 overall grade (96th), but a 42.8 run grade (168th). I think undrafted rookie Evan Anderson was our top-rated DT with a 60.8 rating (76th), and even he was just 59.0 (69th) against the run. Our DTs could not stop the run, and we have to fix that if we're going to be competitive this year. That's definitely a position we should consider at 11 if Graham is there, or if the top OTs are off the board, and hopefully we'll use a couple picks there as it's a very deep class.
