Game Thread: THE 2014 NFL DRAFT DAY ROUND #1

[ChrisPozz]

Chris, I'm not sure what you mean by this. Don't keep quiet. I like hearing you talk about this stuff...

I think it's pretty Simple, Chris is saying that the fact people don't realize the Niners view him as a CB and not S and are trying to grade the team like the drafted a position with depth is what is frustrating.

Correct for the most part. I admittedly sometimes can get a little critical towards people because I expect most people who chime in on the draft anywhere to have done a little bit of work/reading before they form an opinion of someone or something.

Sometimes I can be a bit harsh and unfair and expect them to know a little bit more information than they maybe should be expected to know but I'm working on becoming better about it. It'll help me as somebody that works with the draft nearly 365 days a year and likes to create good debate with as many people as I can.

On Jimmie Ward specifically. I don't think this time it would be considered unfair to have expected this out of some people but a search of him would have turned up examples of people saying that moving him around is an option with him and that he'd fit in differently with a couple different defenses depending on scheme and who is currently on the roster.

In fact, and this is now something that I would NOT expect most to know, is that part of the reason why Ward was asked to take so many trips to so many different teams is because there were a lot of old school minds that felt like he could possibly flip flop roles IN GAME and not just be a guy that JUST starts out in one role and then moves to another and then stays there his whole career. Several teams not just worked him out but put him on the chalkboard and met with their coaches and ran him through their car wash to see how he'd handle that. I have it on pretty good authority that Rex Ryan enjoyed Ward immensely and would've been a supporter of his had it worked that way on their board.

Forgive me if sometimes I expect a little too much out of certain people but as far as the 49ers being a fit for him and the possibility of him playing corner goes, that's something quite a few people thought was possible and was a team fit and something that can be found fairly easily IMO if you do just a little bit of searching.

Now, me personally. I had a problem with him that high knowing he could be placed in different roles and there were quite a few names, many of which I said on here last night if anybody wants to go back to see, I'd have taken ahead of him. My final opinion also contained the thought that I wasn't in love with his maxed out ceiling/potential if he could even reach that.

In most years I'd have been a TAD more ok with a player like Ward because he has elements of "straight up football player" in him and that's something that I often just love about a guy but part of my distaste in the pick was also because I wanted them to swing for the fences and I don't think you have that kind of potential with Ward.

Even if he maxes out I don't think you'll ever be able to say you hit a home run with him. Normally I don't call for those kinds of moves all the time but I wanted this draft to have that kind of theme to it and I think at best Baalke and company may have hit just a single or a very-close-to-an-out double, but that's stretching it to the absolute max with him IMO.

And for the record I often miss out on things that I should probably know, too. When you deal with anywhere from 300-1,000 names in a football year it'll happen and I have absolutely zero problem if somebody calls me out for not knowing something that I should know either. I'm sure there's parts to Ward that I probably are not spot on about and things that I should have probably taken note of that I didn't. I love that part of debate. I love getting called out on things and either having to admit that I should have known this or that or having to re-think what I think about somebody or a team specifically.

 

[michaelwarner]

Correct for the most part. I admittedly sometimes can get a little critical towards people because I expect most people who chime in on the draft anywhere to have done a little bit of work/reading before they form an opinion of someone or something.

Sometimes I can be a bit harsh and unfair and expect them to know a little bit more information than they maybe should be expected to know but I'm working on becoming better about it. It'll help me as somebody that works with the draft nearly 365 days a year and likes to create good debate with as many people as I can.

On Jimmie Ward specifically. I don't think this time it would be considered unfair to have expected this out of some people but a search of him would have turned up examples of people saying that moving him around is an option with him and that he'd fit in differently with a couple different defenses depending on scheme and who is currently on the roster.

In fact, and this is now something that I would NOT expect most to know, is that part of the reason why Ward was asked to take so many trips to so many different teams is because there were a lot of old school minds that felt like he could possibly flip flop roles IN GAME and not just be a guy that JUST starts out in one role and then moves to another and then stays there his whole career. Several teams not just worked him out but put him on the chalkboard and met with their coaches and ran him through their car wash to see how he'd handle that. I have it on pretty good authority that Rex Ryan enjoyed Ward immensely and would've been a supporter of his had it worked that way on their board.

Forgive me if sometimes I expect a little too much out of certain people but as far as the 49ers being a fit for him and the possibility of him playing corner goes, that's something quite a few people thought was possible and was a team fit and something that can be found fairly easily IMO if you do just a little bit of searching.

Now, me personally. I had a problem with him that high knowing he could be placed in different roles and there were quite a few names, many of which I said on here last night if anybody wants to go back to see, I'd have taken ahead of him. My final opinion also contained the thought that I wasn't in love with his maxed out ceiling/potential if he could even reach that.

In most years I'd have been a TAD more ok with a player like Ward because he has elements of "straight up football player" in him and that's something that I often just love about a guy but part of my distaste in the pick was also because I wanted them to swing for the fences and I don't think you have that kind of potential with Ward.

Even if he maxes out I don't think you'll ever be able to say you hit a home run with him. Normally I don't call for those kinds of moves all the time but I wanted this draft to have that kind of theme to it and I think at best Baalke and company may have hit just a single or a very-close-to-an-out double, but that's stretching it to the absolute max with him IMO.

And for the record I often miss out on things that I should probably know, too. When you deal with anywhere from 300-1,000 names in a football year it'll happen and I have absolutely zero problem if somebody calls me out for not knowing something that I should know either. I'm sure there's parts to Ward that I probably are not spot on about and things that I should have probably taken note of that I didn't. I love that part of debate. I love getting called out on things and either having to admit that I should have known this or that or having to re-think what I think about somebody or a team specifically.

Absolutely fair. Thanks Chris. I'm absolutely guilty of have a surface point of view in comparison to someone like you, and others, on this board. An hour long internet search after the round ended confirmed everything you said.

I'm pretty well read about prospects but not to the extent as some. And with a baby, I rarely get to park in front of the TV on Saturdays. ( Sundays only). So a lot of what I learn about players comes from what I learn here or you tube highlights. Which are obviously not complete.

Anyway, thanks as always for your insight and I appreciate the information.

 

[darken65]

Absolutely fair. Thanks Chris. I'm absolutely guilty of have a surface point of view in comparison to someone like you, and others, on this board. An hour long internet search after the round ended confirmed everything you said.

I'm pretty well read about prospects but not to the extent as some. And with a baby, I rarely get to park in front of the TV on Saturdays. ( Sundays only). So a lot of what I learn about players comes from what I learn here or you tube highlights. Which are obviously not complete.

Anyway, thanks as always for your insight and I appreciate the information.

Ditto here. I'm usually too busy to do a lot of research on prospects ,ETC. so I just come here and read Pozz's posts or Bingo's and some others. Great info!

 

[ChrisPozz]

The Making of Jimmie Ward's 49ers Jersey

Taking Brown's old number.

 

[ChrisPozz]

Matt Barrows:

Draft day also fell on Jimmie Ward's mom's bday. He bought her a Louis Vuitton purse. First time he bought a gift over $100. Made her cry.