The San Francisco 49ers draft looked a lot better in April then it does in August. Of course now we have the Michael Crabtree holdout to help make a better analysis but overall the Niners had a pretty average draft. In this reality this is still a team trying to recover for a first overall pick that has not worked out yet.
This is another one of the teams with a hard decision to make on how to build up their team. Over the past two NFL seasons the Niners have given up 110 sacks, by far the most in that time span. That may be the reason Alex Smith, their former number one pick at QB hasn’t worked out.
While OT, especially at the RG position, was definitely a need but by the time the Niners picked at ten, most of the premier OT had already been selected. Michael Oher, the fifth ranked OT in this class, was still on the board. The Niners like may other NFL team decided to go after big time weapons for their QB’s instead of spending top ten picks on offensive lineman.
We know that the Niners took Michael Crabtree the wide out from Texas Tech. Crabtree was the number one ranked wide out in this draft, and we all know now that he wants to be paid like it. I wasn’t a big fan of this pick in April, and halfway through pre-season and a lengthy holdout, I like it even less.
In April I would have given this pick a B, now it seems more like a C. Not because it is a bad pick, but goes against how I think NFL teams should be built. A great O lineman or D lineman always seems to be a safer pick in the top ten over some pre-madonna skill player.
The 49ers other needs this year were at Running back and Line Backer. The Niners addressed those needs in later rounds, and picked up a little gem in the fifth round. There they took QB Nate Davis from Ball State. Many had Nate ranked at the third best QB in this draft. While he may be a long term NFL project, Davis was an excellent pick for this team.
While Smith and journeyman QB Shaun Hill battle over who will start and who will not, Davis gets mentored on the sidelines by the Niners coaching staff. That may pay off one day.
With all that being said, let’s take a look at the 2009 draft grades for the 49ers:
Round One- C
Talent- B+
Need- B-
Average- B-
Now a more complete look at the 2009 draft of the San Francisco 49ers:
Round One- 10th overall WR Michael Crabtree Texas Tech
Round Three- 74th overall RB Glenn Coffee Alabama
Round Five- 146th overall ILB Scott McKillop Pittsburgh
Round Five- 171st overall QB Nate Davis Ball State
Round Six- 184th overall TE Bear Pascoe Fresno State
Round Seven- 219th overall FS Curtis Taylor LSU
Round Seven- 244th overall DE Ricky Jean-Francois
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