When the 49ers selected defensive back Ronnie Lott with the eighth overall pick in 1981, it was the perfect move. The team had built its offense in its first two years under new coach Bill Walsh, but its defense was abysmal. The 49ers needed someone to step in and instantly become a key player and a leader on defense, and Lott was exactly that man.
The scenario was similar this April, with the 49ers in the middle of a near-complete defensive overhaul. So with the 11th pick, the choice was easy: Patrick Willis, linebacker, Mississippi.
The 49ers drafted Willis because of his game-changing ability, his leadership and the fact that he was NFL-ready, thanks in part to a traumatic childhood. When you have a veteran and a locker room presence like Derek Smith at the position, though, you don't want to topple the applecart by demoting him on draft day. So coach Mike Nolan has implanted Willis as the starter only in nickel situations, with Smith the starter on all other downs.
That won't last.
Nearly every report out of training camp talks of Willis flying around and making plays all over the field. Most admit that he needs some time to learn the intricacies of playing defense in the NFL, but he already knows the most important rule — see the ball, tackle the ball — and his skills in this regard have already translated to the big leagues.
Smith has been a loyal and consistent force for the 49ers, but that consistency has become less consistent as the years have dragged on. Last year he was bothered by an eye problem that has apparently been resolved, but that won't help him regain the spring in his 32-year-old legs.
Unless Willis gets hurt or really looks lost in the preseason, he'll be the starter on opening day, and he'll fill out what could be a fearsome linebacking corps that will include Tully Banta-Cain, Brandon Moore and Manny Lawson. If he's anything like Lott (we can hope, right?), he should quickly become a leader on defense and someone the 49ers can count on for the next decade.
THE GLORY DAYS of the 49ers are remembered by Super Bowl championships, but each of those years started in the same place: Rocklin. The Roseville Press Tribune looks back at the 49ers' training camp history at Sierra College and the reasons why they left.
WITH AUBRAYO FRANKLIN missing time with a knee injury, Isaac Sopoaga has a chance to shine as the team's starting nose tackle. But there are some things he still needs to work on if he's going to be a reliable force.
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