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San Francisco 49ers: Thoughts on the NFL Draft and Blowing Up the Franchise
The San Francisco 49ers have two games left in 2016, which means the majority of our focus should shift to the offseason and, more specifically, the 2017 NFL Draft.
Armed with a 1-13 record and a talent-strapped roster, the San Francisco 49ers need to start shifting their focus to what happens this offseason.
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We all know this, of course, and there are an infinite number of opinions on how this should take place.
The Niners have more needs than can be accounted for by just one free-agency period or NFL Draft. An entire first round dedicated to the 49ers wouldn’t even solve all the problems the team is enduring right now.
While we should expect San Francisco to take a more liberal approach in free agency this offseason — something the team hasn’t done in recent years — the majority of the fixes have to come through the draft.
It’s something Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller argued in a recent assessment on how to fix scuffling NFL teams and, specifically, the 49ers.
Miller wrote:
If this is a long rebuilding project—and I think it is—then going for broke in free agency doesn’t make sense. Spend what you have to in the new collective bargaining agreement, but attempting a Daniel Snyder kind of reload will only hurt the team long term.
Instead, sign young players who will be hitting their primes in the next three to four years (A.J. Bouye, John Simon). And after that, nail this draft class by avoiding need at the top and instead getting impact players who can step right in and make plays.
Blowing It Up
We all know general manager Trent Baalke is on the hot seat this season. And it’s hard to envision any scenario in which he’s retained.
The only question is whether or not CEO Jed York — if he retains the power, of course — stops there.
January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers chief executive officer Jed York (left), Chip Kelly (center), and San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke (right) pose for a photo in a press conference after naming Kelly as the new head coach for the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Grant Cohn of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat (no fan of head coach Chip Kelly) pointed out how York might simply be inclined to let Baalke go and keep Kelly for continuity purposes, which are certainly important at the NFL level.
But both Miller and Cohn agree the best scenario right now would be to blow the whole thing up and start from scratch. Get the team’s long-term vision in order from this point forward, not continue with patchwork hirings and firings seemingly every season.
Honestly, I like Kelly and don’t think he’s the root of the problems in Santa Clara. But I tend to agree Kelly might not be the right kind of coach to helm this team through such a lengthy rebuild phase.
I don’t know exactly how York and Co. go about doing this though. If I did, well, I’d probably have a job somewhere in the depths of Levi’s Stadium. But I’ll take Miller’s approach here:
Erase it all and start fresh by bringing in a football operations department that has a plan to rebuild—not reload—the roster. A general manager who will take chances on more than rebuilt ACLs and a head coach who can be the CEO a good franchise needs are atop the list in San Francisco.
Sep 10, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Reuben Foster (10) after the game against Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Tide defeated the Hilltoppers 38-10. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
The NFL Draft
Most of likely agree the 49ers aren’t going to be fixed by just one NFL Draft. True, the parity in the NFL is such that a Niners turnaround could happen in very quick order. Maybe even next season.
But the likelihood seems dim at best.
Regardless, San Francisco has to have one of its best draft classes in years. It’s doubtful Baalke is going to be the one making the calls. But whoever replaces him is certainly going to have his hands full.
Miller mocks Alabama inside linebacker Reuben Foster to San Francisco at No. 2 overall. Meanwhile, Rob Rang of CBS Sports has Texas A&M edge rusher Myles Garrett falling past the No. 1 overall pick right into the 49ers’ hands.
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Either would make more than enough sense. The Niners need plenty of defensive help.
Yet these choices ignore glaring offensive needs, such as quarterback and wide receiver, although either position could easily be addressed early in Round 2.
Or another thought would be to trade down from the likely No. 2 spot and secure additional picks along the way. The Niners could use every pick they get.
One draft isn’t going to fix the team though. While stranger things have happened, 49ers fans have to be bracing themselves for what promises to be a long, long rebuild.
Let’s just hope the vision is put in place to make it happen.
