2015 NFL draft

[deep9er]

LOL, I thought someone would ask this. The 2013 draft class I would have to give an incomplete as most of the players from that draft I still haven't seen enough from for the most part. Eric Reid was a great pick and that one deserves an A. Havent seen enough from Tank, Lemonier, Patton, Dial, and, Moody. McDonald struggled in the passing game and had injury issue but I haven't given up on him yet. I down a bit on Lemonier, he couldn't generate any sort of pressure and lost the job to Lynch. I think the draft grade could still be anywhere from A to a C at this point.

the fact they haven't shown much could be a reason to reduce the grade? granted, Tank has an exception due to his 'red shirt' season. i'm not down on this class, just saying after 'a couple of seasons', they can be judged.

After factoring all the above, i give it a C. Can it improve? of course, but right now that is my opinion.

 

[deep9er]

8-8 team yes this is what I expect. at 15 we could of took Peters who would start right away or at least play 30-40% of the snaps. 2nd rd we could of got DGB or strong. Both would of got playing time this year.

Also don't forget we took a punter with the 5th rd pick when we have an all pro punter.

so are you saying Baalke could have drafted other players to be "an important part of the team"? Cause it doesn't appear you're saying Peters or Strong would be starters? In your earlier post, you said either starters or 'important part of the team'.

Believe DGB got drafted before our pick, so you can't use him.

So if Armstead plays at least 30-40% of the snaps, then you're ok. If Tartt "got playing time", then you'd be ok with that too. I'd think there is a greater than 50% chance of this happening. in fact, Tartt might play the 30-40%?

i'll leave punter alone because IMO, that pick had other implications in mind. Don't agree with 'other implications', but will leave it alone anyway.

 

[Pattersonca65]

2013 class i give it a C+. We got an pro bowl Safety, Tank who will start this year, Patton(bust), Lemonier(Depth), Dial (I like him), mcDonald(bust).

Sounds fair. I wouldn't call McDonald a bust yet. A great blocker. Struggled in pass game but I will give him another year before writing him off. Patton just hasn't been on the field enough. I heard the coaches were not happy with his progress. If he fails to get on the field this year, I will start to question why he can't crack the lineup, especially with Crabtree gone. Either he or Ellington will emerge as the third WR.

 

[Pattersonca65]

the fact they haven't shown much could be a reason to reduce the grade? granted, Tank has an exception due to his 'red shirt' season. i'm not down on this class, just saying after 'a couple of seasons', they can be judged.

After factoring all the above, i give it a C. Can it improve? of course, but right now that is my opinion.

I think that is a fair grade. I think you have to look at these players individually as to why they weren't bigger contributors. We know about Tank and Dial. The 49ers really stuck to the vets on the DLine, and there just wasn't enough opportunity for them early on until the injury bug took hold. If you look at WR, they had Crabtree, Boldin, and Stevie Johnson. The 49ers were going with the vets too and there was little opportunity for the rookies to see any action until late in the season when injuries provided some opportunity. McDonald's play was so so. Great blocker, but too many drops and other mistakes as a pass catcher.

 

[purguy12]

so are you saying Baalke could have drafted other players to be "an important part of the team"? Cause it doesn't appear you're saying Peters or Strong would be starters? In your earlier post, you said either starters or 'important part of the team'.

Believe DGB got drafted before our pick, so you can't use him.

So if Armstead plays at least 30-40% of the snaps, then you're ok. If Tartt "got playing time", then you'd be ok with that too. I'd think there is a greater than 50% chance of this happening. in fact, Tartt might play the 30-40%?

i'll leave punter alone because IMO, that pick had other implications in mind. Don't agree with 'other implications', but will leave it alone anyway.

Im saying they would be a big part of this team in their rookie year. I also think Peters would be a starter. I don't think Armstead or Tartt will get that much playing time. Im hearing goal for armstead is to get stronger and get some experience this year. I hear some one say Armstead will get like 10-12 snaps a game. that is nothing for a 1st rd pick. Tarrt will a back up at safety. He won't see much playing time unless there is an injury.

 

[purguy12]

Sounds fair. I wouldn't call McDonald a bust yet. A great blocker. Struggled in pass game but I will give him another year before writing him off. Patton just hasn't been on the field enough. I heard the coaches were not happy with his progress. If he fails to get on the field this year, I will start to question why he can't crack the lineup, especially with Crabtree gone. Either he or Ellington will emerge as the third WR.

I do like the project we got in the draft. Lets hope he turns out to be a good #2 TE in 2-3 years. Im just not a McDonald fan. Wasn't happy when we drafted him. I didn't see anything special when we took him.

 

[Chamoanlad]

Im saying they would be a big part of this team in their rookie year. I also think Peters would be a starter. I don't think Armstead or Tartt will get that much playing time. Im hearing goal for armstead is to get stronger and get some experience this year. I hear some one say Armstead will get like 10-12 snaps a game. that is nothing for a 1st rd pick. Tarrt will a back up at safety. He won't see much playing time unless there is an injury.

I doubt Peters starts over Dontae Johnson and it's been pretty public that Baalke and Tomsula have liked Reaser and Acker in practices. Combine that with Chris Petersen and UW basically telling teams Peters was a huge problem it's no surprise at all they didn't grab Peters.

Peters probably wouldn't have played the nickel much either since he rarely did it at UW and he does struggle at times with the smaller quick WR's.

 

[Montalban]

Grading the 2015 NFL Draft early . and on a curve
MSN has the 49ers tied for the worst draft in the NFL. They are one of only two teams to get a grade of "D".

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Grading the 2015 NFL Draft early . and on a curve
MSN has the 49ers tied for the worst draft in the NFL. They are one of only two teams to get a grade of "D".

It's hard to disagree with that, IMO. The first round pick has huge bust potential. The second round pick likely would have been available in the third and maybe the fourth and plays a position where we're in good shape. We completely ignored arguably our biggest weakness (CB). There isn't a single player in this draft who is likely to be starting even by midseason. We've still got some talent, but not enough to get so many late-bloomers and projects.

This coaching staff had better do a hell of a lot better job of developing talent - particularly on offense - than the last one did, or this draft will become 2012 all over again.

 

[Gold Rush 86]

I don't think we should get a D for this draft. I feel this draft was more around the C+/B- area.


Draft pick: DL Arik Armstead(No. 17 overall), S Jaquiski Tartt (No. 46 overall), DE/LB Eli Harold(No. 79 overall), TE Blake Bell (No. 117 overall), RB Mike Davis (No. 126 overall), WR DeAndre Smelter (No. 132 overall), P Bradley Pinion, OL Ian Silberman(No. 190 overall), OL Trenton Brown (No. 244 overall), TE Busta Anderson (No. 254 overall)
Day 1 grade: A-
Day 2 grade: B+
Day 3 grade: C
Overall grade: B-
The skinny: GM Trent Balkke likes to move around in the draft, and Thursday he managed to move back just a few spots and land a number of quality selections on Day 3. On top of that, the 49ers landed one of the most versatile defensive linemen available in Armstead, who can develop into a dominant player. Tartt has plenty of upside at safety and will help support the run in a division where run defense is essential. Harold had first-round talent, but the 49ers were able to get him in the third. Davis can help fill the hole Frank Gore left behind. Smelter has obvious upside given his measurables. Punters are people, too, but using a fifth-round pick on one was questionable.

Bottom line: There are a number of very solid players in this draft class and plenty of potential among the early selections, but can any of them turn into stars?

 

[Pattersonca65]

For the heck of it, I checked out the draft grades from several of the major websites. The grades are quite a bit different depending on who is doing the grading. The 49ers overall draft was anywhere from a B to a D. Most of the grades were in the C range. Some teams had remarkablely different grades. Arizona was graded from an A to a D. Some said Arizona had a great draft, others a bad draft. There were several teams that way.

 

[poewelch84]

I would give this draft a C a lot of underwhelming picks and some guys that could be great players. I would have liked a CB but they didn't take one which means they must be very high on the guys they drafted last year. I'm not in love with this draft at all but it is what it is hopefully they pan out or Balke will be with out a job in a year or two with 2012 draft being a bust, 2013 mostly looking like a bust and the possibility of 2015 being a bust that is a terrible track record.

 

[Pattersonca65]

I would give this draft a C a lot of underwhelming picks and some guys that could be great players. I would have liked a CB but they didn't take one which means they must be very high on the guys they drafted last year. I'm not in love with this draft at all but it is what it is hopefully they pan out or Balke will be with out a job in a year or two with 2012 draft being a bust, 2013 mostly looking like a bust and the possibility of 2015 being a bust that is a terrible track record.

Totally agree, especially since it appears he reached on many of these picks. If these picks bomb, it is gonna fall squarely on him.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Posted this on another board:

Overall, I came away pretty dissatisfied with the draft. Our first round pick has pretty high bust potential, our second round pick seems pretty redundant on our roster, and basically the every player was a project in some fairly major way. It doesn't look like anyone will be close to being a Day One starter. That was okay a year or two ago when the team was stacked, but I'm not okay with that this year. And for that matter, we need to see Baalke's prior picks paying greater dividends. Tank should be a starting-caliber player by now. Ward should be playing a prominent role. We need these guys to step up this year.

In terms of general impressions, i'm also blown away that we didn't add a single CB, in the draft or UDFA. Baalke must feel really good about Johnson, Acker, and Reaser. That's very risky, though. That could easily be a position where we struggle. I'm also somewhat surprised we didn't add an ILB. I don't think that position was as much of a disaster as some pundits did, but we don't have much depth at all. Hopefully Skov can show something.

As far as specific picks, my first reaction to Armstead was that it was an awful pick. Since we've made it, I've done a bit more reading and heard people talk about him, and I'm not QUITE as down on the pick as I was. He's clearly got talent, but he has yet to put it all together, and I think there are serious questions about whether he will. We need him to become an impact player.

I don't understand the Tartt pick at all. Safety perhaps is not totally and utterly set, but it's arguably our strongest position in terms of starters and depth. And Tartt looked like a guy we could have gotten in the third or fourth. He seems like an interesting player, particularly with Graham now on Seattle, but when does he play so long as Reid and Bethea are around?

I like the Harold pick a lot. It's not a huge need area, but Lemonier looks like he's not going to pan out and Brooks is almost certainly gone next year (frankly, I thought he was gone this year). Even Aldon is a question mark. You can't have enough pass rushers, and Eli should be a good one.

I'm intrigued by the Blake Bell pick, particularly with Sparano at TE coach. He's got great size for the position, and seemingly has nice hands and decent instincts given the relatively short period of time he's been playing the position. That said, early fourth seems high for such a project.

I'm not very up on the differences between players in this daft, but I like the Mike Davis pick. I think he's got the talent - if he gets back to his 2013 form - to be a solid starting-caliber back at some point. I still like Hyde as our primary guy, but Davis should be decent insurance in case Hyde gets hurt.

I like the DeAndre Smelter pick. Really interesting guy, and he could replace Boldin if he bounces back physically. That said, I have serious reservations about once again passing on WR for so long. There have been two drafts in a row with major talent at WR, and we've been satisfied with the 17th pick at the position both times. At some point, we have to go back to the well at the position.

I just do not get taking a punter in the 5th. The guy had damn well better beat out Lee. If not, that alone should be enough to get Baalke canned.

With the remaining picks, I don't have strong feelings about the OL. A little odd we didn't look at the position earlier, but it wasn't one of our bigger needs. Rory Anderson seems like an interesting guy, who could end up replacing Davis in a year or two. Probably doesn't make the 53 this year, but maybe he goes to the PUP or IR.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

http://www.nfl.com/videos/san-francisco ... rade-49ers

http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/05/02/2015-n ... pe=default

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/pet ... re-highest

2015 NFL Draft Team Grades - WalterFootball.com

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Looks like only one of those links actually posted, and it's by far the most negative. Try these links:

2015 Draft Grade: San Francisco 49ers - NFL Videos

2015 NFL Draft: Final quick-snap grades for NFC West teams - NFL.com

2015 NFL draft grades: Winners, losers from rounds 1 through 7 - NFL - SI.com

2015 NFL Draft Grades: Jags, Dolphins, Ravens, Cardinals score highest - CBSSports.com

 

[darken65]

Posted this on another board:

Overall, I came away pretty dissatisfied with the draft. Our first round pick has pretty high bust potential, our second round pick seems pretty redundant on our roster, and basically the every player was a project in some fairly major way. It doesn't look like anyone will be close to being a Day One starter. That was okay a year or two ago when the team was stacked, but I'm not okay with that this year. And for that matter, we need to see Baalke's prior picks paying greater dividends. Tank should be a starting-caliber player by now. Ward should be playing a prominent role. We need these guys to step up this year.

In terms of general impressions, i'm also blown away that we didn't add a single CB, in the draft or UDFA. Baalke must feel really good about Johnson, Acker, and Reaser. That's very risky, though. That could easily be a position where we struggle. I'm also somewhat surprised we didn't add an ILB. I don't think that position was as much of a disaster as some pundits did, but we don't have much depth at all. Hopefully Skov can show something.

As far as specific picks, my first reaction to Armstead was that it was an awful pick. Since we've made it, I've done a bit more reading and heard people talk about him, and I'm not QUITE as down on the pick as I was. He's clearly got talent, but he has yet to put it all together, and I think there are serious questions about whether he will. We need him to become an impact player.

I don't understand the Tartt pick at all. Safety perhaps is not totally and utterly set, but it's arguably our strongest position in terms of starters and depth. And Tartt looked like a guy we could have gotten in the third or fourth. He seems like an interesting player, particularly with Graham now on Seattle, but when does he play so long as Reid and Bethea are around?

I like the Harold pick a lot. It's not a huge need area, but Lemonier looks like he's not going to pan out and Brooks is almost certainly gone next year (frankly, I thought he was gone this year). Even Aldon is a question mark. You can't have enough pass rushers, and Eli should be a good one.

I'm intrigued by the Blake Bell pick, particularly with Sparano at TE coach. He's got great size for the position, and seemingly has nice hands and decent instincts given the relatively short period of time he's been playing the position. That said, early fourth seems high for such a project.

I'm not very up on the differences between players in this daft, but I like the Mike Davis pick. I think he's got the talent - if he gets back to his 2013 form - to be a solid starting-caliber back at some point. I still like Hyde as our primary guy, but Davis should be decent insurance in case Hyde gets hurt.

I like the DeAndre Smelter pick. Really interesting guy, and he could replace Boldin if he bounces back physically. That said, I have serious reservations about once again passing on WR for so long. There have been two drafts in a row with major talent at WR, and we've been satisfied with the 17th pick at the position both times. At some point, we have to go back to the well at the position.

I just do not get taking a punter in the 5th. The guy had damn well better beat out Lee. If not, that alone should be enough to get Baalke canned.

With the remaining picks, I don't have strong feelings about the OL. A little odd we didn't look at the position earlier, but it wasn't one of our bigger needs. Rory Anderson seems like an interesting guy, who could end up replacing Davis in a year or two. Probably doesn't make the 53 this year, but maybe he goes to the PUP or IR.

Good post. I'm very close to this analysis. Armstead was a bad pick in the first IMO. We had needs of WR ,CB and ILB for the first..none were addressed in this draft early on. All picks are projects and/or injured. Smelter might be something ( Huge hands) but he is considered to be a IR player (nope , you won't see him on the field this season). I guess that the 9ers feel one of two things here: They have enough to make a SB run or they want to rebuild for the future. As far as picking a Punter in the 5th, Are they looking to let Andy go or is he good enough to b the K ?

 

[Crimsoncrew]

My understanding is that Pinion would be the punter and possible the KO specialist. He could come in for especially long FGs, in theory, but he's not going to be the every-day FG kicker.

 

[darken65]

My understanding is that Pinion would be the punter and possible the KO specialist. He could come in for especially long FGs, in theory, but he's not going to be the every-day FG kicker.

That settles that issue. No room on any NFL team for a kicker specailist.

 

[Gold Rush 86]

Posted this on another board:

Overall, I came away pretty dissatisfied with the draft. Our first round pick has pretty high bust potential, our second round pick seems pretty redundant on our roster, and basically the every player was a project in some fairly major way. It doesn't look like anyone will be close to being a Day One starter. That was okay a year or two ago when the team was stacked, but I'm not okay with that this year. And for that matter, we need to see Baalke's prior picks paying greater dividends. Tank should be a starting-caliber player by now. Ward should be playing a prominent role. We need these guys to step up this year.

In terms of general impressions, i'm also blown away that we didn't add a single CB, in the draft or UDFA. Baalke must feel really good about Johnson, Acker, and Reaser. That's very risky, though. That could easily be a position where we struggle. I'm also somewhat surprised we didn't add an ILB. I don't think that position was as much of a disaster as some pundits did, but we don't have much depth at all. Hopefully Skov can show something.

As far as specific picks, my first reaction to Armstead was that it was an awful pick. Since we've made it, I've done a bit more reading and heard people talk about him, and I'm not QUITE as down on the pick as I was. He's clearly got talent, but he has yet to put it all together, and I think there are serious questions about whether he will. We need him to become an impact player.

I don't understand the Tartt pick at all. Safety perhaps is not totally and utterly set, but it's arguably our strongest position in terms of starters and depth. And Tartt looked like a guy we could have gotten in the third or fourth. He seems like an interesting player, particularly with Graham now on Seattle, but when does he play so long as Reid and Bethea are around?

I like the Harold pick a lot. It's not a huge need area, but Lemonier looks like he's not going to pan out and Brooks is almost certainly gone next year (frankly, I thought he was gone this year). Even Aldon is a question mark. You can't have enough pass rushers, and Eli should be a good one.

I'm intrigued by the Blake Bell pick, particularly with Sparano at TE coach. He's got great size for the position, and seemingly has nice hands and decent instincts given the relatively short period of time he's been playing the position. That said, early fourth seems high for such a project.

I'm not very up on the differences between players in this daft, but I like the Mike Davis pick. I think he's got the talent - if he gets back to his 2013 form - to be a solid starting-caliber back at some point. I still like Hyde as our primary guy, but Davis should be decent insurance in case Hyde gets hurt.

I like the DeAndre Smelter pick. Really interesting guy, and he could replace Boldin if he bounces back physically. That said, I have serious reservations about once again passing on WR for so long. There have been two drafts in a row with major talent at WR, and we've been satisfied with the 17th pick at the position both times. At some point, we have to go back to the well at the position.

I just do not get taking a punter in the 5th. The guy had damn well better beat out Lee. If not, that alone should be enough to get Baalke canned.

With the remaining picks, I don't have strong feelings about the OL. A little odd we didn't look at the position earlier, but it wasn't one of our bigger needs. Rory Anderson seems like an interesting guy, who could end up replacing Davis in a year or two. Probably doesn't make the 53 this year, but maybe he goes to the PUP or IR.

I was hoping to draft a least one CB as well but I can see why we didnt. We already have Brock, Johnson, Wright, Cook, Reaser, Acker and Ward as our nickel CB. I dont know why when Ifo was still on the board in the 6th we didnt take him though. We could of stashed him on IR and had him for the 2016 season. Cook and Wright will be FA next year so we would have room on the team for Ifo.

I wasnt a fan of drafting Armstead either but he is a perfect fit for our system. He might be a project but he has been compared to Cards Calais Campbell. Calais didnt show his potential until his 2nd year in the NFL.

Tartt was a big head scratcher in the 2nd round but I do like what I am hearing about him. I have heard 3 different comparisons from different NFL analysts. Some are saying he is a faster version of Kam Chancellor. Others compare him to Barry Church and Rodney Harrison. I would be excited if any of the 3 are true.

Harold was a huge steal. Most had him as a late 1st round pick and I have no idea why he fell but im happy he did. Eli actually reminds me of a faster but a little bit smaller version of Aldon. If he can hit the weight room and add on about 10-20 pounds of muscle he should be good.

Blake Bell is another project for us. Baalke was really excited about getting him. Trent said he usually never throws out comparisons to other players but he was saying he could be the next Jimmy Graham. This also interests me for trick plays. Since Bell did play QB at Oklahoma we could have some plays in the bag with him passing.

I agree with you on the Mike Davis pick I love it. He should give us great depth at the RB position so Hyde doesnt get overused.

Smelter has huge hands and good speed if he can bounce back from his injury. Im looking forward to seeing if he can takeover if Boldin does retire. It would of been nice to get a WR early but Parker went right before we picked in the 1st and DGB went a few picks before us in the 2nd. I guess maybe we could of went with Strong. I for sure wasnt a fan of Coates cuz of his bad hands.