| Jeff Risdon. 21st May, 2007 - 1:01 pm
 The picks:
1st round, #11 overall--Patrick Willis, LB, Mississippi
1st round, #28--Joe Staley, T, Central Michigan
3rd round, #76--Jason Hill, WR, Washington State
3rd round, #97--Ray McDonald, DE, Florida
4th round, #104--Jay Moore, DE/LB, Nebraska
4th round, #126--Dashon Goldson, CB, Washington
4th round, #135--Joe Cohen, DT, Florida
5th round, #147--Tarell Brown, CB, Texas
6th round, #186--Thomas Clayton, RB, Kansas State
Best pick: Staley
Worst pick: McDonald
Analysis:
The Niners did some dealing and came away with a draft class that could have significant short-term and long-term impact on an improving team. Patrick Willis is a faster version of reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Demeco Ryans, a sure tackler with good feel for reading plays and the ability to shed blocks quickly. He’ll play inside for the Niners, where his limitations in coverage and blitzing won’t matter as much. The 49ers needed a relentless tackling machine who can affect the offense, and Willis fits the bill nicely.
They moved up to get Staley and I believe he’ll be well worth it. He’s extremely athletic for his position, and he understands how to use it to his advantage. He’s probably best suited as a RT and he’s not a pancake-making road grader, but he has enough strength and agility to handle all types of pass rushers and he maintains his run blocks well.
Hill is a guy who tended to get lost amongst a very deep, talented WR class, but he’s got very good hands and decent size, though he plays slower than his sub-4.4 Combine time. He looks more like a good football player who is a great athlete than a great athlete playing football, a very natural receiver.
McDonald is an intriguing pick; he’s an undersized DT who will play DE in the Niners’ 3-4 set, but he’s not a pass rusher and his left knee has blown out twice, which means leverage and drive are compromised. His quickness and strong hands worked in college but he’ll really have to push to be more than a nickel-package draw-sniffer in the NFL.
Moore is an insurance pick against last year’s 1st rounder Manny Lawson being the bust he looked like in 2006. He’s strictly a pass rusher, making the move from DE in college, and he’s not fast enough or instinctive enough to play OLB.
The two CBs taken in the later rounds, Goldson and Brown, both have pretty good potential. Brown was once considered a 1st round talent, but some off-field issues and a nagging foot injury caused his stock to plummet. Goldson has played some safety, and he’s a physical cover man with great size. He fared quite well covering his new teammate Hill.
Cohen is a lunchpail-type backup who many people thought would go undrafted, sort of a poor man’s Quinn Pitcock.
Clayton sure looks like a wasted pick as well, a slowish, undersized RB with fumbling problems and chronic discipline issues.
Grade: B
They got two perennial Pro Bowl-caliber starters in the 1st round at positions where they needed help, and Hill is a viable #2 WR and a great 3rd round value. McDonald and Moore combined, if healthy, are one good player and a savvy coaching staff will know how to make that happen. If one (or both) of the 2nd-day CBs develop, one of the worst secondaries in football in 2006 is now a strength with the addition of Nate Clements. It’s hard to see a team with little depth reach for such high injury risks or limited talent in the 6th round, let alone the 4th. |
