- Jan 21, 2014
- 4,139
- 827
i heard he isnt healthy that's why teams stayed away.
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49ers Undrafted Free Agents thus far
* QB Kory Faulkner, Southern Illinois, 6-3, 229
Faulkner is a big, strong-armed quarterback who threw 18 touchdowns against four interceptions last year. He missed three games with a broken finger but still finished with 1,997 yards and averaged nearly 222 passing yards a game. Faulkner also can run. He rushed 60 times for 283 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns last year. Jim Harbaugh met with Faulkner during his trip to Miami, Ohio for the unveiling of his brother's statue on campus. He said Faulker has experience in a read-option offense and also has operated under center. He'll compete against Blaine Gabbert and McLeod Bethel-Thompson for a backup job this offseason.
* OLB Morgan Breslin, USC, 6-1, 240
The junior college transfer had a team-high 13 sacks last year but suffered a hip injury that limited him to just four sacks his senior year in 2013. He had a good showing at the Trojans' pro day in March, leaping 35 1/2 inches in the vertical jump and pumping out 26 repetitions of 225 pounds in the bench press.
* TE Asante Cleveland, Miami, 6-5, 261
Sacramento product has great size but was underutilized by the Hurricanes. he only caught three passes as a senior last year.
* C Dillon Farrell, New Mexico, 6-4, 303
All-Mountain West honorable mention has good size and experience at both guard and center.
* OT Fou Fonoti, Michigan State, 6-4, 308
Fonoti has played in 28 career games with the Spartans, including all 12 as a senior. He started the last nine games at right tackle.
* S L.J. McCray, Catawba, 6-0, 215.
McCray is a very athletic safety who stood out with an impressive 41-inch vertical leap at his pro day. His best fit immediately might be on special teams coverage units. The 49ers' top players there -- C.J. Spillman, Bubba Ventrone, Dan Skuta and Kassim Osgood -- are entering the final year of their contracts. McCray also has returned kicks.
* ILB Shayne Skov, Stanford, 6-2, 245
Skov, of course, is familiar to Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio who coaches him at Stanford. Skov had a fantastic season in 2010 but suffered an ACL injury the following year. He rebounded this past season and was a finalist for the Butkus Award. He recorded a team-high 109 tackles (62 solo), 13 tackles for loss and 5 1/2 sacks.
-- Matt Barrows
if anyone reads about what the 49ers plan to do with aaron lynch please post it. i am really curious where they are going to play him.
Mel Kiper ESPNSan Francisco 49ers
30. Jimmie Ward, defensive back, Northern Illinois.
57. Carlos Hyde, running back, Ohio State.
70. Marcus Martin, center/guard, USC.
77. Chris Borland, inside linebacker, Wisconsin.
100. Brandon Thomas, tackle/guard, Clemson.
106. Bruce Ellington, receiver/returner, South Carolina.
129. Dontae Johnson, defensive back, North Carolina State.
150. Aaron Lynch, defensive end/linebacker, Notre Dame.
170. Keith Reaser, cornerback, Florida Atlantic.
180. Kenneth Acker, cornerback, SMU.
243. Kaleb Ramsey, defensive end, Boston College.
245. Trey Millard, fullback, Oklahoma.
Overview: The 49ers also traded a conditional 2015 fourth-round pick to Buffalo for Stevie Johnson, though GMTrent Baalke recouped the 2015 fourth-rounder in a day-two trade with Miami. It's almost inevitable that a team with so many selections will warrant high "grades" after the draft. The 49ers had a lot of picks, and turned them into a lot of good prospects. Each of the first six players San Francisco selected were at one point or another projected as possible late first-round picks during the pre-draft phase. Borland, Thomas, Lynch, Reaser, and Millard are all year-one "redshirt" candidates. Ward, Hyde, Martin, Ellington, and Johnson all offer potential to make rookie-season contributions. Baalke collected talent as he attempts to track down division-rival Seattle. The 49ers are getting closer. They were one of only two NFC teams I assigned an "A".
Grade: A
www.bleacherreport.comSan Francisco 49ers: A
Top needs: CB, WR, LB, DL
Needs: A-
Value: A
Summary: The most depressing thing about San Francisco's draft is I don't even think Todd McShay and I have a single argument to be found here. The Niners just got so many good players.
What I like about this draft is the 49ers are in a championship window, and they still managed to balance both the need for immediate help and also got a lot of talent for the future. The window can remain open.
- Jimmie Ward will cover, attack the line of scrimmage, and will play fast and fearless. If you call that a reach, remember that Arizona had taken Deone Bucannon at No. 27, so there were already three safeties off the board (not that Bucannon and Ward are that similar) and the 49ers knew if they didn't Ward there, they had no chance later.
- They got the No. 1 RB in the draft at No. 57. Frank Gore has a lot of miles on the odometer, LaMichael James may not be there long, and if Marcus Lattimore is your No. 1, you better have a 1-A. Carlos Hyde made sense and, again, he's the top RB in the draft.
- Marcus Martin is a future starter at center,
- Chris Borland is immediate depth at linebacker and has the experience to play now.
- Brandon Thomas is another 49ers redshirt, but could be a star guard when he comes back (he hurt his knee this spring, but would have gone in Round 2 otherwise).
- Bruce Ellington isn't a far cry from Brandin Cooks, but he went 86 picks later.
- It goes on and on. Dontae Johnson is solid and Aaron Lynch has developmental promise.
- I even like the pick at No. 245 -- Trey Millard is the top fullback in the draft and was another guy who dropped on some boards after a knee injury.
[h2]San Francisco 49ers: Trent Baalke — A+[/h2]
Rick Osentoski/Associated Press
Are the 49ers headed in the wrong direction?
That might seem like a ludicrous question given their third consecutive NFC Championship Game appearance last year, but turnover on defense and some off-field drama have rocked the boat in San Francisco.
General manager Trent Baalke had to watch some of his talent go because of cap constraints, particularly on defense. He quickly put the 49ers back on track with a fantastic draft.
That did not happen in the first round as Baalke stood pat at No. 30 and took safety Jimmie Ward, though the 49ers made a bunch of trades later.
Ward has been an underrated prospect out of Northern Illinois, at least by media coverage standards. Draft analysts know what the versatile safety brings to the table, though, and so did the 49ers.
He is great in coverage and capable of playing center field or pressing a slot receiver. He is a nice chess piece for head coach Jim Harbaugh, one that will mitigate the loss of Donte Whitner, Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers in the secondary.
The 49ers may have found their running back of the future in Ohio State's Carlos Hyde. The big back fell a bit due to character concerns, but he is easily the best choice that Baalke has made with an eye to the future at the position, even with Marcus Lattimore, Kendall Hunter and LaMichael James in the fold.
Baalke continued the draft with one fantastic pick after another, including center Marcus Martin out of USC, linebacker Chris Borland out of Wisconsin and receiver Bruce Ellington out of South Carolina.
He also continued his new annual tradition of selecting fantastic prospects who fell because of injury or character concerns by taking offensive lineman Brandon Thomas out of Clemson and Aaron Lynch out of USF.
Indeed, this was an excellent draft for Baalke. Again.
Grade: A+
Yes, absolutely. He played the same position at Notre Dame that Justin Smith plays with us and was a monster at close to 270lbs. Flashed great athletic ability, strength and insane, relentless pursuit. He's like 260 right now and Niners like their DEs 280-290 so hes got a lot of eating and lifting to do if that's the direction they go which IMO is the best fit for him.the more i watch borland and lynch the more i feel confident that niners defense will continue to be top 3 for the future. is lynch a possible replacement for Cowboy once he decides to hang it up?
[h1]Why DE Aaron Lynch Is a Better NFL Prospect Than Jadeveon Clowney[/h1][h4] [/h4]
By Jon Dove, Featured Columnist
Jun 8, 2013
South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney is the main topic of conversation when anyone talks about the 2014 NFL draft. Mainstream draft analysts like ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. andBleacher Report’s Matt Miller have him ranked as their top-rated player. Below is what Kiper had to say about Clowney on his initial Big Board:
However, South Florida’s Aaron Lynch deserves to be in the discussion as the top prospect available for the 2014 draft. In fact, it’s entirely possible that Lynch could develop into a better pro player. Heisn’t getting the same type of attention as Clowney because he had to sit out last year after deciding to transfer from Notre Dame."He’s destined to lead off a Big Board since he was a senior in high school.Clowney marries extraordinary physical talent with an effective and still-growing arsenal of pass-rushing skills. Sure, he can occasionally play a little high, which allows to teams to run at him, but he's going to continue to get stronger and improve technique. Let's not call him a prospect -- he's a highly productive player."
Lynch and Clowney have more in common than most might realize. Both players were highly regarded high school recruits who display elite athleticism and good measurables. In fact, they each are listed at 6’6” and around 260 pounds, according to ESPN.
These two players also have found a way to be very productive during the beginning part of their careers.
The main difference between the two, and why Lynch is a better overall prospect, comes in the effort department. Lynch is one of those players who gives 100 percent of himself on every play. He’ll pursue the quarterback until he releases the ball, chase running backs way down the field and work hard until the whistle.
Below is a clip where Clowney isn’t showing the same type of tenacity. He is content just hand-fighting with the offensive lineman because the play is going to the opposite side of the field. This type of play is how NFL running backs produce big plays.
Clowney’s lack of effort opens up a nice cutback lane for the running back. He only needs to make a linebacker miss and he’s off to the races.
This isn’t to say that Clowney won’t be a dominant force at the next level. He has all of the tools and ability needed to produce. However, it’s important to remember that the projected No. 1 overall pick in June doesn’t always finish at that spot in April.
Below is an image from ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board from May of last year. It features Matt Barkley as the No. 1 overall prospect.
This is a good example of why it’s way too early to write off someone like Aaron Lynch. He absolutely has the physical talent to develop into this class’s top pass-rusher. He combines his nonstop motor with an elite first step and good length.
Lynch knows how to use his long arms to keep clean as he pursues the quarterback. He is also willing to employ a bull rush if the blocker happens to beat him to the edge. His combination of size and athleticism makes him a versatile player.
The clip below shows Lynch using his quickness to get upfield, his arms to slip past the blocker and closing burst to bring down the quarterback.
Notre Dame lined him up all over the defensive line, which created a ton of great pass-rushing opportunities.
To me, a pass-rusher needs to have a very strong motor to reach his full potential. There are so many situations where a stalemate occurs immediately after the snap where the one who works the hardest will prevail.
Again, Clowney is still an elite prospect and should have a very successful NFL career. Lynch just isn’t getting the attention and love he deserves.
Everyone should take in one or two South Florida games this season, as Lynch will show everyone why he could give Clowney a run for his money.
Any word on how Lawrence Okoye is coming along? All the excitement from the Draft made me remember we still have him.