Post#317 » by CrimsonCrew » Fri May 6, 2022 5:39 pm
My pick-by-pick views, to the extent that I have them:
Round 2 (pick 61): As said, I like the Jackson pick. Really good physical tools, youth, and some legitimate explanations for why he fell. If he can maximize his value - and I think this team and coaching staff have a pretty good chance of getting that out of him - he could turn out to be a real steal. If his trajectory had continued, he likely would have been first-round pick. Obviously there's some concern about a guy who regressed, but as said, I think the reasons for that explain a lot of it. He may be a bit immature still, but he doesn't seem like a guy who lacks effort or wasn't committed. Other guys I would have considered were Bonitto and Raimann.
Round 3 (pick 93): Hated the pick, though not the player per se. That said, having watched a couple of his games, I don't see special traits to Price-Davis. He seems like a solid RB, but again, nothing that we needed to take this high. I wanted Nick Cross here.
Round 3 (pick 105): This is an intriguing pick. He brings an element that we don't have and that we need, but he's pretty rough around the edges and will need some refinement to become more than a one- or two-dimensional player. His speed in our offense - especially as the fourth receiving option on any given play - is really tantalizing. It will be interesting to see how he fares compared to Calvin Austin, but despite his incredible testing numbers, Austin's size will always make him an outlier. I don't recall having particularly strong feelings about who they should have taken here, but I might have tried to address DB or OL here if there was value.
Round 4 (pick 134): Agree with a pick at the position, though I question taking Burford over Zach Tom. Tom is a bit more of a tweener, though both guys played tackle in college, but Tom is markedly more athletic (though markedly shorter arms, too). Don't feel very strongly.
Round 5 (pick 172): This was a real surprise. I hadn't heard of this guy. He's got good measurables and was very productive in terms of getting his hands on the ball, so 'm cautiously optimistic. That said, he's presumably going to have some real adjustment to the league. The position is one where we need to keep adding depth, so fine with it in that sense. I wasn't following the draft closely enough at this point to have feelings on other guys.
Round 6 (pick 187): Glad we doubled up on OL, but no real sense of this guy. I'm a bit concerned that we're adding these 'tweeners. At the end of the day, we could have four new starters along the OL in 2023 as compared to 2021. I don't now how much starting potential these later-round guys have. That said, Burford is fairly athletic and has long arms, and Zakelj has shorter arms, but is really athletic. I've heard some talk about trying him at center, which is interesting. No major problems here.
Round 6 (pick 220): Very intrigued by Davis. He's got really good burst for a guy his size, and shows a nice ability to slip through gaps and get upfield. Obviously a projection, but if he's healthy, he could be a real find.
Round 6 (pick 221): I know others who have seen a lot of Castro-Fields think he's basically worthless, but I think this is the sort of player you take a shot on in the late-6th or 7th round. He's got good size, elite athleticism, and a lot of experience. The latter could be viewed as a negative, as he still has some issues, but nothing to lose at this pick, really. Castro-Fields seems to have tremendous ability, but he's got to clean up his recognition. He was really vulnerable to double moves this past year, and that's something he'll have to resolve. Hopefully our staff coaches him up to protect against that deep ball above all else, and he can refine his skills otherwise.
Round 7 (pick 262) Last pick in the draft, so whatever. And taking a QB makes sense. That said, Purdy is pretty physically limited. Fine to fill that backup role, but as I said day of, I probably would have taken a chance on a guy like Carson Strong, who has serious injury issues, but if healthy, has way more upside. For all Shanahan's success with QBs, I'm not sure I trust his eye for the position at this point, especially in college players.
Anyway, the first pick is by far the most important, and I like that one. Overall, it's a fine draft. It may be setting us up more to fill holes next year than addressing issues this year, but we'll see. Still very concerned about our interior OL and safety depth. Though it seems like Tartt will be available for a while longer if we change our minds about him. And if Mack retires, we could maybe take a look at JC Tretter. Might have to cut a guy like Ebukam to do that, though.
Obviously the priorities now are bringing Lance along and hopefully moving on from Garoppolo. That shoulder injury was a real kick in the crotch. We really needed to move him prior to the draft. And if they do decide to try to keep Garoppolo, they need to ask him to take a pay cut. He won't see anywhere near that kind of money on the open market at this point.
