:::[Official] San Francisco 49ers 2024 Season Thread [2-2 vs Cardinals 10/07 1:05PST]:::

Should UnicornHunter’s faithful card be revoked for his blasphemous Patrick Willis comments?

  • Yes permanently

    Votes: 31 79.5%
  • Yes temporarily

    Votes: 5 12.8%
  • No

    Votes: 3 7.7%

  • Total voters
    39
  • Poll closed .
letting crabtree go is probably going to be a mistake... but whatever team ends up overpaying for him will be making a mistake too. crabtree & kaep really show how in the nfl you're only as good as the previous season. crazy. 
 
I Believe that letting crabtree go is the best case for both sides. Kinda like a mutual aggreement to part ways.
 
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I'm at the point with Kaep that if he was going to be a great QB, he'd already be there. Working with Warner is a step in the right direction but I'm not sure he will significantly improve.

I'd still rather have Alex Smith.
 
I'm at the point with Kaep that if he was going to be a great QB, he'd already be there. Working with Warner is a step in the right direction but I'm not sure he will significantly improve.

I'd still rather have Alex Smith.


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Kap had an incredible second half in the Super Bowl.

Alex Smith is a stop gap QB. When we drafted him 1st overall obviously nobody felt that way but after 6 seasons as a starter here and the two seasons now in Kansas City. Should be obvious to even a casual football fan he's not an upper echelon starter.
 
Kap had an incredible second half in the Super Bowl.

Alex Smith is a stop gap QB. When we drafted him 1st overall obviously nobody felt that way but after 6 seasons as a starter here and the two seasons now in Kansas City. Should be obvious to even a casual football fan he's not an upper echelon starter.
didn't he not even hit a WR for a TD? 9ers got destroyed this year and it wasn't all kaep. internal friction + **** o line is never good. 
 
I'm at the point with Kaep that if he was going to be a great QB, he'd already be there. Working with Warner is a step in the right direction but I'm not sure he will significantly improve.

This is ******ed. I imagine you didn't believe in Steve Young, Drew Brees, Brett Favre, etc, too? All of these guys took time to become the men they became.

How quickly we forget that Kap didn't play in a pro style offense in College. He's basically been learning how to play QB at the pro level.



Anyways, I am done talking about Kap for now.


Combine is in 9 day.:hat

I am not sure where David Cobb is projected to go, but he is the type of big bodied(5'11,220), down-hill power back Baalke likes.



49ersaaron8 49ersaaron8 @SylvesterMcGrizzly @ii FLaSh ii where my draft goons at doe 8o

 
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Alex Smith is a poor mans Russell Wilson. If you have all the pieces around him and minimize what you need him to do he looks decent but the 2011 NFC title game showcased Alex Smiths limitations imo. He had what, like 3 completions to players not named Vernon Davis that entire game.

That said, I do often wonder if his career would've turned out different had he been drafted into a more stable situation. That 2005 49ers team was terrible on both side of the ball. They showed signs of potential in 06 with norv as the offensive coordinator, but the constant flip flopping at offensive coordinator and poor coaching stunted his growth.
 
Smith had 7 different OC's in 7 different years. He had no stability and some terrible teams and coaching staffs. Look what Harbaugh turned him and that team into.

Whose to say Smith would have had all the quick drives that Kaep produced in that SB.
 
Smith had 7 different OC's in 7 different years. He had no stability and some terrible teams and coaching staffs. Look what Harbaugh turned him and that team into.

Whose to say Smith would have had all the quick drives that Kaep produced in that SB.
No one was beating the Ravens that game. They just came out firing on all cylinders. I mean they needed to pull the plug in order to make it interesting. Any given Sunday. And no, I don't think Alex Smith would have led them there. He's had Reid for two years now. I think Week 14, he still hadn't thrown a TD to a WR, only to Charles and the TEs. It's like Charles does the work for Smith on those little screens. 

I think 10 out of 30 teams would be happy as hell to have Kap as their starting QB. I don't want to make people all mad at me but I was the guy at the beginning of last season who said I thought SF was going to be in trouble and I had a pretty f-ing large season win total on them that cashed for me. 

That being said, I think SF will be okay in two seasons. 
 
This is ******ed. I imagine you didn't believe in Steve Young, Drew Brees, Brett Favre, etc, too? All of these guys took time to become the men they became.

How quickly we forget that Kap didn't play in a pro style offense in College. He's basically been learning how to play QB at the pro level.



Anyways, I am done talking about Kap for now.


Combine is in 9 day.:hat

I am not sure where David Cobb is projected to go, but he is the type of big bodied(5'11,220), down-hill power back Baalke likes.



49ersaaron8 49ersaaron8 @SylvesterMcGrizzly @ii FLaSh ii where my draft goons at doe 8o

Defintely a power back but If its running back this year its Gurley or Melvin Gordon or bust for me.
 
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 Gordon will go sooner than I think we'd expend a pick on and who knows what happens with Gurley. I would not be surprised to see Seattle pick him at 31. He's going to be a beast. I think we might see two backs go in the 1st this year. I think David Cobb is great value for a mid-to-late round pick, and I also really like Duke Johnson out of the U.

I just noticed NFL.com has their NFL draft profiles up. Here is Devin Smith's:
[h4]STRENGTHS[/h4]
 Smooth speed merchant with instant gas off the line. Has outstanding body composure and an effortless stride. Electrifying foot quickness. Game-breaking speed with necessary feel of a downfield receiver. Tracks the throw over his shoulder and never breaks stride in the chase. Averaged 28.2 yards per catch and 54.5 percent of his catches were for 25-plus yards in 2014. Used outside and from slot. Must be matched by speed on defense or with safety over the top. Uses shoulder dip from inside release to avoid being redirected by slot corner. Speed creates uncontested targets for him underneath. Can snap off dig routes and open immediately. Good luck giving chase to Smith on a crosser or speed-out in the red zone. Might have been the best gunner in college football.
[h4]
WEAKNESSES[/h4]
 Lacks natural, soft hands. Will double catch and corral throws into body. Tries to catch, turn and run before securing the throw. Shows a lack of patience in his routes. Game too heavily reliant upon speed. Must learn to be effective when deep ball is restricted by defense. Thin hips and frame. Play strength is below average. Can be frustrated by physical corners. Gets jostled and distracted when bodied hard down the field. Desire lacking as run blocker. Often taken off field and replaced when Buckeyes wanted to run out of "11" personnel.

NFL COMPARISON 
DeSean Jackson[h4]BOTTOM LINE[/h4]  Smith isn't just combine-fast, he's game-fast and he would have had more than 12 touchdown catches during the 2014 season if he didn't have to slow down and wait on throws so often. Smith has the feet and hips to become much more than a deep-ball specialist and should be able to step right into a gunner spot on special teams. He still needs to learn his craft and improve his hands, but he has rare speed to score from anywhere on the field.
 
The more I revisit Devin Smith and evaluate his game, the more I like what I see. He needs a ton of work on the underneath stuff, but he is a murderer when it comes to stretching the field. His body control and ability to track the ball is sick on deep passes. I LOVE receivers who fly off the line. His acceleration on releases is 
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.

 

in the big 10 championship vs wisconsin

 

Tyler Lockett:
 [h4]STRENGTHS[/h4]
 Good play speed. Has twitch at top of his routes and gets separation for quarterbacks to make open throws. His father was a standout wide receiver at Kansas State and played in the NFL. Intelligent player on field who has clearly learned from his father. Nuanced route runner with ability to sell. Will vary route speed and is proficient with double moves. Scouts say his personal character and football character are top-notch. Has a knack for making explosive plays as a receiver and return man. Steps up his game when matched up against top competition across from him. Likes to block.
[h4]WEAKNESSES[/h4]
 Very slightly built. Struggles with physical cornerbacks and can be redirected in his routes. Press coverage could be an issue for him on the next level. Scouts are concerned that he is too slightly built to be a full-time NFL kick returner. Likely relegated to the slot only in the NFL. Hands are inconsistent in traffic. Top-end speed in question. Got caught from behind more than once.

 
[h4]NFL COMPARISON [/h4]Jarius Wright[h4]BOTTOM LINE[/h4]
 Highly competitive with a history of production at Kansas State. Utilizes great routes and suddenness out of his breaks to get consistent separation. Lockett is a film rat who can come in and compete for a slot receiver spot right away and should be an NFL punt returner.
 
[h1]Tyler Lockett Could Be the 2015 NFL Draft's Antonio Brown[/h1]
An NFL team that is not planning to use its first-round pick in the 2015 NFL draft on a wide receiver, but is still hoping to land the next Antonio Brown or Odell Beckham Jr., should look no further than Kansas State’s Tyler Lockett.

Scouts, coaches and analysts who prioritize size for pass-catchers won’t rank Lockett  highly on their draft boards. Lockett  measured in at just 5’10” and 181 pounds at the Senior Bowl  this January.

This past NFL season, however, was proof that bigger is not always better, at least for receivers.

Brown, who is just 5’10” and 186 pounds, led the NFL with 129 receptions for 1,698 yards as he led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a playoff berth. Beckham Jr., who is just 5’11” and 198 pounds, led the NFL with 108.8 yards per game as the New York Giants first-round pick posted one of the greatest rookie seasons ever.

In total, six of the NFL’s top 11 in receiving yards for the 2014 season measure in at less than six feet and less than 200 pounds.

Lockett’s not quite as explosive as Beckham Jr., and he won’t follow in Beckham Jr.’s footsteps of being a top-10 pick. But he could follow the lead of Brown, a 2010 sixth-round pick who has similar measurablesand skills, and end up being one of the biggest draft steals of 2015.

 

Winning With Routes, Quickness and Body Control

It’s reasonable to question Lockett’s projection to the NFL because of his size, but it sure didn’t stop him from being great in college. Over the course of his four-year career at Kansas State, Lockett  caught 249 passes for 3,710 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Perhaps the biggest reason for Lockett’s collegiate success was his route-running ability, an area in which he is arguably better than any other wide receiver in the 2015 draft class.

Explosive off the line of scrimmage and sharp in his breaks, Lockett  is consistently able to get separation from defensive backs. He is especially dangerous at the intermediate level, as his quick turns on curl and comeback routes often create large gaps of space away from opponents.

Lockett’s not a burner who will simply run by defensive backs, but his ability to deke  out defenders with his moves—like he did on the play below against Iowa State—enables him to win deep nonetheless.

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His route-running prowess also played a big part in Lockett  scoring 11 touchdowns in each of his past two seasons, despite not having the prototypical size of a red-zone target.

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One might not expect a 5’10”, 181-pound receiver to win in jump-ball situations, but the above clips are just two of many examples ofLockett  making contested catches in his collegiate career.

While you won’t see Lockett  box out defensive backs with his small frame, he has a high vertical leap, attacks the ball in the air and demonstrates that he can possess the ball securely through contact.

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Lockett  exhibits impressive body control in the air to adjust to throws and come down with receptions, even when the space he has to work with is tight.

As good as Lockett  is getting open and making tough catches, he can also be dangerous with the ball in his hands. Quicker than he is fast,Lockett  can use his moves to shake defenders in the open field and produce yards after the catch, like he did on the following example against West Virginia.

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Like Brown, Lockett  is able to use his open-field running ability to also excel as a returner.

In his senior season, Lockett  returned 21 punts for 402 yards, including the following two touchdowns.



Lockett  also had four career kickoff-return touchdowns—two in his freshman year and two as a sophomore—and finished his four years with 77 kickoffs returned for 2,196 yards.

 

Can Lockett  Overcome His Limitations to Be a Star?

That’s the question NFL teams considering using an early-round pick on Lockett  will have to consider. While the skills highlighted above suggest he should be able to, there are some legitimate reasons for concern.

While many attributes can be improved, one Lockett  cannot improve is his frame. He certainly could put on five to 10 pounds as he makes the jump to the next level, but his weight is likely to be less concerning to scouts than his small hands and short arms.

At the Senior Bowl, Lockett  had a hand measurement of just 8.375” and an arm measurement of just 29.125”. Those numbers are much smaller than most NFL players, including Brown, who has 9” hands and 31” arms, according to NFL.com.

Lockett’s small hands have been reflected in his play. He had occasional drops throughout his collegiate career, and had to let some catches into his body.

Meanwhile, his short arms limit his catch radius and his ability to extend away from his torso to catch imprecise passes.

An area in which Lockett  can improve—and in which Brown has improved since his collegiate days at Central Michigan—is his strength. It might be necessary if Lockett  is going to thrive on the outside the way Brown does.

Lockett  can often beat defensive backs off the line of scrimmage with his release, but when he does not, he has trouble getting off press coverage. He is also largely a non-factor in the ground game, as he has not shown much ability to make an impact as a downfield run blocker.

Those who pay more attention to physical gifts than football skills won’t be clamoring for a chance to select Lockett  in this year’s draft. A team ready to utilize Lockett  where he wins, on the other hand, might end up looking very smart for bringing him in.

 

Where Will Lockett  Be Drafted?

The upcoming emphasis on the NFL Scouting Combine and pro days won’t help Lockett’s draft stock, as he is a player who looks far more impressive in game play than he will running a 40-yard dash in shorts.

That said, Lockett  has already helped himself in one key pre-draft event, and will likely continue to stand out in other aspects of his draft evaluation.

During this year’s Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Alabama, Lockettstood out as the smoothest receiver in attendance. While his route running was as impressive as ever, as he consistently beat his opponents in one-on-one drills, he also had no trouble catching the ball.

Another area where Lockett  should win is the interview room.

A two-year captain at Kansas State, Lockett  was one of five players named to the first team for this year’s Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes athletes who “have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – classroom, community, character and competition.”

It’s evident that Lockett, whose father Kevin played in the NFL for seven years, is not a player teams need to have off-field concerns about.

“You don’t have to worry about me getting in trouble or smoking or drinking ‘cause I don’t do any of that type of stuff,” Lockett  said in a post-practice interview at the Senior Bowl. “I’m a kid who’s going to be able to go there, make everybody else around me better and able to be a leader in there and just create a type of atmosphere that coaches want to be able to have as a team.”

[h4]What round should Tyler Lockett be drafted in?[/h4]
Round 1Round 2Round 3Round 4Round 5Round 6Round 7UndraftedSUBMIT VOTE  vote to see results

A player with a polished skill set who was productive on the field and is mature off it, Lockett  has just about everything—except for the all-importantmeasurables—that NFL teams look for.

Because his lack of size limits his upside in relation to many other prospects, especially in a draft class that is deep at the wide receiver position, Lockett  is unlikely to be selected before the late second round or the third round.

He shouldn’t fall nearly as far, however, as Brown did in 2010. In his most recentScouting Notebook, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller reported that at least one NFL team expects Lockett  to be a top-75 draft selection.

Possible landing spots for Lockett  in Round 2 or 3 include the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers (if they lose Randall Cobb in free agency), New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All GIFs  were made atGfycat.com, using videos from Draft Breakdown  and Daily Motion.

Dan Hope is an NFL/NFL Draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
 
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I'm at the point with Kaep that if he was going to be a great QB, he'd already be there. Working with Warner is a step in the right direction but I'm not sure he will significantly improve.

I'd still rather have Alex Smith.

:lol :lol :lol

This makes zero sense.

Devin Smith is nice... I wanna see Ellington used more effectively this year too tho.
 
i really don't think 49ers want to develop rookie WRs at this point. just my opinion. aside from last year's ridiculous WR corps, tavon austins are generally the way rookie WRs look....NFL ready WRs are rare breeds and SF can't mess with their QB's head anymore. 
 
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We still have two seasoned veterans in Anquan Boldin and Stevie Johnson, so it's not like we're going in with a bunch of inexperienced players. We have a specific need for a vertical threat and it will most likely be filled via the draft. Besides, whoever we draft is likely to play a specific role and be a part of a 10 or 11 personnel package.

You want to continue to develop every position. That's how the great teams sustain success in the NFL. Continue to emphasize and build through the draft.
 
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We still have two seasoned veterans in Anquan Boldin and Stevie Johnson, so it's not like we're going in with a bunch of inexperienced players. We have a specific need for a vertical threat and it will most likely be filled via the draft.

You want to continue to develop every position. That's how the great teams sustain success in the NFL. Continue to emphasize and build through the draft.
yeah but another 5 win season is going to have people calling for Kap's head. Ellington is a vertical threat. just dont think WR is a priority but that could be me. 
 
Anquan Boldin(free agent in 2016)

Stevie Johnson

Quinton Patton

Bruce Ellington

That's only 4 active wide receivers slated for next season; 53-man rosters usually carry around 5 or 6 wide receivers. There is absolutely a need. Depth is underrated until injuries are piling up, and then people become cognizant of how valuable it is.
 
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