Mike Evans & the Niners?

[Jikkle]

I actually think Justin Smith has regressed from his prime a small bit. He still makes that defense tick but Bowman is their best player for sure.

I agree he's not 2011 Justin Smith but still rather effective.

I think the 9ers will have a pretty good rotation of players on the D line this season which I believe will help Smith's effectiveness over the long haul this season. Tank Carradine was likely a top of the 1st round pick if he was healthy last season so he could bring a big boost to the defensive line if he comes back healthy.

 

[Clayton]

The best way to beat Seattle's defense (well any great defense for that matter) is to stretch them thin and stress them as much as possible.

So it wouldn't just be shutting down Watkins or Evans but also having to worry about Crabtree, Davis, Boldin, the running game, and Kap running the ball as well.

And that's not to say Seattle's defense couldn't juggle all of that but the odds are higher that a defense will screw up when the more they have on their plate to worry about.

The unique part of Seattle's defense is that Sherman and Thomas are good enough to not get beat deep so that they can stack the box. Cover 3 is supposed to be a jack of all trades kind of defense but Sherman and Thomas allow them to play it aggressively which means that they are elite on all fronts as long as Sherman and Thomas dont get beat.

To do any real damage to Seattle, you're probably going to need a top 10 WR, a top 10 pass catching TE and a top 10 QB.

 

[RhojiF]

The 9ers will move up it's just a question of how far up they are willing to go. They have too many picks with a roster in need of impact rather than just solid players.

I think they can get as high as 11 with the Titans for 30, 56, and 77.

The Titans only have 6 picks, missing their 3rd rounder (which the 9ers happen to possess), and 2 additional day 2 picks would benefit them more than picking at 11.

And from the 9ers side they would still have a 2nd round pick and two 3rd rounders when it's all said and done.

Co-sign on your second sentence. As much as I'd like to hoard talent in drafts, we're past that to make a difference. If we know there are players that can instantly make an impact, then we move up to get them.

 

[Jikkle]

Co-sign on your second sentence. As much as I'd like to hoard talent in drafts, we're past that to make a difference. If we know there are players that can instantly make an impact, then we move up to get them.

There is also the element that it wouldn't make financial sense either to take all of the picks.

I mean could you imagine in four years come contract time if for the sake of argument you hit on 4 or 5 of the picks in the 2nd and 3rd rounds in addition to Lattimore being up for a new contract which could be a decent sized one depending on how strong he comes back from injury.

So it's better to trade up to get less players but more impactful ones, to trade a couple of picks for picks next year, and/or to take the Lattimore route and pick up a talented but injured player that you could redshirt and delay an accrued year.