Draft Grades: 49ers

This was a very disappointing draft for the 49ers, who got very little help for the immediate future. The issues started with the 10th pick when the selected Michael Crabtree. Its hard to argue with the value that Crabtree had at that point, but I don't see how he fits into the 49ers plans. There are serious concerns about Crabtree's ability to keep his mouth shut and just play football. His former quarterback Graham Harrell had this to say about Crabtree's 'diva' attitude: "He thinks he should get the ball on every snap... He's not going to be mad if he doesn't get the ball - as long as we're having success." So what happens when Shaun Hill/Alex Smith/Damon Huard fails to get him enough touches during a 49ers loss this year (which is bound to happen multiple times in 2009)?

Glen Coffee was picked right around where I expected to hear his name called, but the 49ers had far more pressing needs than a backup running back. Linebacker, cornerback and offensive line were all areas of concerns that the Niners could have address here.

Scott McKillop had great value in the 5th round. He's the type of football player that Mike Singletary is going to love to coach. He'll be a backup behind Patrick Willis and Takeo Spikes for now, but could certainly win a starting job once Spikes calls it quits.

I don't like the Nate Davis selection at all. Davis needed to go somewhere where he could learn behind a veteran quarterback, and I don't mean a journeyman backup like Shaun Hill or Damon Huard. I have very little hope for him in this league now that he's landed in San Francisco.

Bear Pascoe was a solid but unspectacular pickup. He's an excellent blocker and more of the type of tight end that Singletar wants (as opposed to the more atheletic/less physical Vernon Davis).

Curtis Taylor is an exception athlete but he failed to establish himself at LSU. He's inconsistent and still has a lot to learn about the position.

Jean-Francois is an adequate 7th round pick. He'll provide some depth and work his way into the defensive line rotation.

Ultimately this was a very dissappointing draft for the 49ers. Crabtree is the only guy that they can count on to develop into a starter, but even he comes with some risks. The 49ers did nothing to improve their team for the immediate future and they should expect to be drafting in the top 10 against in 2010.

Grade: D

Draft Class: Quarterbacks

We're 5 days away from the draft. I've locked in my draft grades as of about an hour ago, so lets review the draft class at each position. We'll start with the most important position: quarterback.

I give two quarterbacks 1st-round grades this year. That's two more than last year (yeah, I know, I missed the boat on Matt Ryan). Its the first time I've handed out two 1st-round grades to quarterbacks from the same class since 2006 (Matt Leinart, Vince Young, Jay Cutler).

The cream of the crop is Mark Sanchez. He has the size, the arm, the attitude and the work ethic. He's everything you look for in a franchise quarterback. The downside to selecting him is that he needs to sit for at least a year. He only spent one year as a full-time starter at USC and doesn't have the game experience necessary to jump right into an NFL starting lineup.

I also, somewhat begrudgingly, gave Stafford a 1st-round grade. I like everything I see from Stafford in workouts. He has the arm, he has the accuracy. He can even move around a little. What I don't like about him is his lack of production at Georgia. He was surrounded by talent but never took his game to an elite level. In fact, you could argue that he even backtracked from his sophomore to junior. The reason for this could be his lack of work ethic. Not every quarterback needs to be Peyton Manning-like workaholic, but Stafford work ethic is headed down a Matt Leinart/Vince Young path. That said, there's only a handful of players in the NFL with his physical ability and he would be worth the risk in the late 1st round. If I were the Lions, however, I'd stay away.

Josh Freeman comes in at number three on my draft board. He's the most physically gifted quarterback on the board, but was less than productive at Kansas State. He's very, very raw but could be a special quarterback if he's paired with a good quarterbacks coach and given a chance to sit and learn for at least a year, maybe two. I probably wouldn't take a chance on him in the 1st round unless I were a team with few other needs and a veteran quarterback that may not be around in two to three years (similar to what the Eagles did when drafting Kevin Kolb in 2007).

Graham Harrell comes in a distant 4th on my list. I gave him a late 3rd-round grade, but even that is assuming he lands in the right system. His accuracy on short throws and his experience in Texas Tech's system makes him an ideal candidate to run a west coast offense, or some similar version. He could be a nice pickup for a team such as the Panthers that are looking for someone to groom under Jake Delhomme.

Tom Brandstater comes in 5th on the list, but this is where we start to see a drop off from the players that could be starters, to the long shots/career backups. Brandstater has the build of an NFL quarterback but he struggled to develop into an elite college player despite playing against lesser competition in the WAC. You can't overlook his NFL-measurables, which puts him in the mix to get drafted, but he has limited upside.

I gave Pat White a mid-4th round grade. He's one of the toughest prospects to grade and I really wasn't sure where to rank him. He has absolutely zero chance of every being a starting quarterback in this league. The only reason he gets a 4th-round grade is because of his playmaking ability. Someone will draft him and use him a few times per game in the wildcat formation, lining him up at receiver, running back and quarterback and he'll make a few big plays every year. He isn't even close to an every-down player, however, which is why I wouldn't waste anything more than a 4th-round pick on him.

I also gave Hunter Cantwell a 4th-round grade. He's a very similar prospect to Tom Brandstater, but has significantly less experience. As Brian Brohm's backup for three years he saw little action before taking over as a senior. Great things were expected of him in 2008, but it was a miserable season for the Cardinals. He has some upside, given that he's hardly played, but he didn't show much as a senior.

John Parker Wilson also gets a 4th round grade, but for different reasons than Cantwell and Brandstater. Wilson has no upside and won't be a consistent starting quarterback in the NFL. However, he shows the steady game-manager type of attitude that makes him an ideal candidate to be a backup quarterback at the next level. These types of players don't get nearly enough credit, since their work is rarely seen on the field, but every team needs a guy on the bench that they can rely on in a pinch.

Rhett Bomar is my 9th-ranked quarterback and gets a 5th round grade. He definitely has some upside given that he was once an elite prospect while at Oklahoma. He has a bionic arm and can throw the ball all over the field, but his accuracy is a concern. He should have dominated the compition at Sam Houston State, but he was fairly inconsistent. His passing yards were impressive, but his low completition percentage raises some question marks.

Rounding out the top 10 is Nate Davis. In early November I made the poor decision of placing Davis in the 1st-round of my mock draft. However, that was before he fumbled (littlerally) his way out of contention for a top draft pick in Ball State's final two games of the season. There are serious concerns about his ability to hang onto the football and his ability to handle an NFL playbook. He has NFL size, but is a boom-or-bust prospect. It will either all click for him in the next year or two, or he'll be out of the game before he turns 26.

So there you have it, my top 10 quarterbacks for 2009.

Nate Davis and Other Mediocre Quarterbacks Visit Jets

We've had a Nate Davis sighting!

Just when it looked like Davis was going to completely fall through the cracks he appeared at the Jets workout facility on Wednesday according to a report on the Jets website. Also attending the workout were Rhett Bomar and Mike Teel .

Davis also has a scheduled workout with the 49ers.

Its looking like Davis is this year's Andre' Woodson. He's gone from a viable 2nd-round pick to a late round prospect at best. And all that since December. Davis' free-fall should land him somewhere in the 5th to 7th round range. He'll be brought along as a developmental prospect, which is probably for the best as his technique definitely needs some work.

Pro Days: Ball State

The Pro Day season is officially underway, with Ball State kicking things off on the 26th and Miami and FAU joining in on Friday.

The Ball State pro day was significantly less exciting than originally anticipated due to the lack of participation from Nate Davis. Davis will hold off until March 20 when he'll host a private workout.

BSU tight end Darius Hill did work out however and was fairly impressive. He measured in at 6'7" and ran in the 4.7 range in the 40s. He isn't anything special, but his size and athleticism make him a viable late round option.