I am going to take a look at the player personnel needs of the team from a couple of perspectives. The first is performance and production. From this angle, at what positions we sorely need better talent and production on game day. The second is from the salary perspective, where the team could expect a player to retire or need to replace their spot in the near future. The last is from the depth and flexibility perspective. What positions on the roster could help us heavily in diversifying our plays and/or across multiple units.
Needs: Production and Performance
Right Tackle - There is a dream scenario that could occur. The first would be to be able to sign LT Sims for 1 more season. Given how solid he was last season and how we need the depth, we could afford to throw some nice playing time incentives in should he need to play. The second would be to keep RT Pashos. He is much better than anyone else we have, including Sims, as a RT prospect. Now, in a perfect world we will be able to fill our backup spots with proven veterans and then use a 1st rounder on one of many good OTs in the draft. It would even allow us to start Pashos until a rookie would be ready. Either way, Snyder was a big wash for us in 2009. he was amongst the worst pass blockers and did nothing in the ground game. Personally I say cut Snyder, keep Sims and Pashos, if even just for 1 year each, and then draft a near blue chip prospect.
Return Specialist - We had an abysmal return game last year. That has many effects on the game that fans often overlook. In fact, Lee’s booming punts helped mask a lot of the deficiencies. With out a return on kickoffs, we lengthen our scoring drives and when we fail to get 1st downs, give the other team better position after a punt. Without punt returns of note, it’s easier for teams to win the back and forth stalemates to score on us first with position battles. Lastly, if we lack solid returns we not only miss out on spontaneous big plays that swing momentum but can also score us points. If we even get 1 big return into scoring position 5-6 games in a season, that’s probably 3-7 more points in a third of our games, likely helping us finally get some positive blow outs and maybe also winning 1-2 close games we have normally lost.
Needs: Financial and Retirement
Offensive Guard/Interior Lineman - There seems to be little chance we will make the commitment to keep LG Baas past his 1-year tender and RG Rachal has yet to develop. As it stands it even seems plausible we may finally move Wallace to starting OC and plug Heitmann in at OG. Either way, we would need a backup to Wallace and Wragge is heading into his early 30s. Adding at least a good 2nd OG would be a good idea. That and if Wallace is not capable of filling in at OG or to push for starting OC, time to let him go.
Nose Tackle - We have no depth here. Sopoaga not only is overpaid for being a plugger as a LDE, but I really think it is time we consider booting Sopoaga and leaving Balmer to fill his role as the starting LDE with Evans as a more heavily used backup this next year. That aside, Franklin is not yet on a long-term deal and NT is not a spot you learn overnight coming out of college. Plus, too many of the good potential free agents in Wilfork and Hampton are now working out long-term deals in NE and PIT respectively. We could use a good young backup NT to work in and groom. Even if we keep Franklin, it gives us the option of sliding that backup NT out to LDE similar to what we did with Sopoaga. It also gives us one big plug for goal line situations.
Inside Linebacker - Spikes may not be up to the physical role of Ted after 2010. We do have a young guy in McKillop grooming in the role and Wilhelm, he has experience but is mostly a special teamer. But the real problem is what would we do if Willis got hurt? I think it’s nice to have McKillop, he clearly brings a lot to our special teams and single handedly almost retired Ulbrich. What we have right now is a Ted in Spikes, 2 special teamers trying to fill backup roles, and a tackling machine. What would work better is if we had a Ted, a backup Ted/Special teamer, and a backup tackle machine. If we have a shot at a dynamic, starting level ILB it would be hard to pass up on them. Consider this. We’re about to extend Willis and Brooks, Haralson just got a new deal and McKillop is young. Plus we have a project in Briggs in the wings. Add a stud ILB into the mix along with Spikes and Lawson and we have one deep, talented LB corp that will be able to evolve well.
Safety - This is almost a production issue. What contracts do we have? Goldson is a top priority for a new deal, he should be a starting S for us for a long time and he peaked last season. But S Roman is about as good as gone and SS Lewis is not getting younger and has a concussion issue. As our depth we have Smith who has barely eve contributed and has health troubles and Taylor, who has a long way to go. I really like our chances of getting a great center field FS and moving Goldson to SS. I’d rather we move Goldson where his range and speed and ball hawking is a big improvement over Lewis. Plus, I’d rather keep Clements at CB than Lewis at SS. This would also finally get us a true FS ball hawkfurther back to create more plays. I simply see us using Goldson much more as a SS and closer to how we used Ss Parrish back in 2002-2003.
Needs: Depth and Versatility
Running Back- This one works if we can find a change of pace back. I have two fears here. One is that Coffee will never become what he has the potential to be and eve if he does, he is not the open field receiver Gore is. In the absence of Gore, we lose those backfield hands. Also, Gore is going on 27 in a few months. That effectively puts a 2-3 season limit left on him. He is also a guy that has had 2 major knee injuries, multiple ankle problems in past years, and he routinely has missed 1-3 games per year and battled through another 1-3 while playing hurt on weak wheels. If we could add a back who has more speed and elusiveness than an inside runner and one with hands, we wouldn’t be wrong to pick him. Just think if later in the season we end up losing 2 games due to a lack of a healthy backfield because Gore has a high ankle sprain and Coffee is ineffective, it could shove us out of the playoffs if depth loses games we should win.
Cornerback - I am all for keeping Clements for at least the next season. I am also for resigning Bly for a 2-3 deal. That all said, Clements and Bly are not long-term solutions, Spencer would be up for a new deal around the same time as Bly, and we lack depth beyond Brown. It would be a good front 4 and even without Clements, it’s a strong trio.
Blocking Specialist - I loved Billy Bajema. Not because I felt he was a game breaker or a game changer, but because he was about the best game-saver we could have. Look at everything he brought to the table. First, he was a special teamer. He blocked on kick returns, field goals/PATs, and punt returns. Also, heaven forbid we lose our long snapper to injury, Bajema had long snapping experience. He also was a blocking TE for us, effectively making him a 2nd/3rd TE. He also seved as an ad-hoc backup FB. Sometimes he’d motion from a wing TE to a FB role in 2006. In 2006 he played in over 1 out of every 3 snaps, often as a TE or FB and key to our high ranked rushing attack. On any given day, he played a dozen special teams snaps and played 20-30 offensive snaps as a blocker in multiple roles. We lost that when he left in free agency and tried to replace him with collegiate TE Bear Pascoe. A big guy who had blocking TE size and lead FB size, Pascoe was just ineffective in camp. Adding this type of role again to our offense would help the running game, short yardage and goal line games, and special teams too.
My current draft hopes?
Round #1, Pick 13: OT Trent Williams, OKL. Here is what I love about this kid among all of the OT prospects. One is he’s a natural RT. He was a great RT his junior year, moved to LT to replace Loadholt his senior year and struggled. If I think like Singletary, that struggle will only make him stronger and ready for the rigor of the NFL. That and he has experience in a top program. I think Okung and Davis go before us. Williams ends up providing us with a highly polished but ready to produce starting RT. Now, if we have a shot at a great impact player like Haden, McClain, Berry or Davis(I think he’s the less polished, more pro bowl potential long run), we’d pick one of them and once again…leave RT to a ‘gee gosh’ role.
Round #1, Pick 16 or 17: NT Dan Williams. Here is the catch. If we draft C.J. Spiller with the 13th pick, we add a dynamic offensive weapon. He instantly helps our KR/PR game and likely unseats Coffee as the backup RB on gameday. He may not be big, but he’s elusive and explosive. He makes as much sense as when PIT drafted Mendenhall. Now if we pass on him, he will instantly get grabbed by SEA, a team in need of RB talent as well as a special teamer of his caliber. Yet we would still have a hole at RT, which would continue to hurt the offense. Also, you bet the OL depleted SEA club would jump all over a top OT we’d pass on. So, SEA may well be watching us to make its pick. Enough perhaps to even boldly make a trade up to #12 from #14 to leap frog us for whomever they want. So while it would be a dream to get both of them, I don’t see it happening. That said, even at #17, we have a shot at a solid impact NT we can groom. Clearly if we go for a BPA/Value like a McClarin or Haden at #13, here we may go for a RT like a Campbell or Williams if SEA gambles on Spiller and he falls.
Round #2: RB/KR/PR Dexter McCluster. Early? I am going to go out on a limb that between the Combine and his Pro Day and all of the other moves in the draft, he will be too hard to pass on by the middle of the 2nd round. That aside, he is a radioactive talent. First of all, he adds a fix to our return game. Then he adds a pair of hands and a bingo-back to our offense under Gore. Think Darren Sproles but even more effective.
Round #3: Trade Up using our 4th round pick:S Myron Rolle. The perfect Singletary player. Smart, has a great sense of education and values. Has excellent football IQ, impressed at the senior bowl and I imagine he will do so at the combine. There is also a gamble. Had he stayed playing, he’d likely be a 1st rounder at the level of at least Taylor Mays. He still has that talent and a third rounder for a top level safety, if even if he retires early? Good deal! In the end, look at the 4 potential picks: A starting RT, a future NT, a KR/PR/backup RB and a starting level FS to compete with FS Smith (Goldson to SS). Don’t like thinking players? QB Steve Young did law school in his time as a 49ers backup and was a lawyer before he retired.
Round #4: We traded this pick to jump for Rolle.
Later rounds I have to work out. On top of this, clearly a raw WR prospect, blocking specialist/TE, an OLB or ILB, and even an interior OL remain possibilities with 3 remaining picks. I’m in favor of a blocking specialist and raw WR and then trading the other pick for a future pick +1 round.
