The 2008 NFL Draft is just around the corner, and the 49ers Observer has a new feature for your reading pleasure. Leading up to day one of this year's draft, your Observer writing team will be chalking up various predictions on just what might happen when the San Francisco 49ers make their first pick on April 26. Who will they take? What might go down as a result? Read on...
San Francisco 49ers 2008 Draft Tracker
THE OFFENSIVE LINE SCENARIO
The next prognostication on tap for your reading pleasure is "The O-Line Scenario." This situation is founded in the idea that Nolan and Scotty will prioritize adding an offensive lineman in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. FYI, this scenario should have been posted last week, but I had a family emergency that kept me from getting it posted earlier. My apologies, beloved readers.
WHY IT COULD HAPPEN
Without a doubt (and especially because of OG David Baas' recent injury), the 49ers offensive line must add some depth before the 2008 season begins. Let's go ahead and play a game of "Where Are They Now?" looking back at the Niners' o-line starters from 2007:
• LT Jonas Jennings is usually a solid player and is still with the team. However, Jennings is extremely injury prone and has recently been victim of some unfortunate circumstances concerning his family. He has never played a full season of 49er football since he was added to the roster in 2005 via free agency from Buffalo. He is swapping positions with Joe Staley this summer and will compete to start at right tackle for the 2008 campaign.
• LG Larry Allen is an old fart, but is a true blocking badass when he's motivated and can muster up the energy. He could very well retire this summer (and some fans are hoping he does, just for the sake of progress), but right now his return is still up in the air.
• C Eric Heitman could be the only guy on the line to retain his position from 2007. He spent most of last summer recovering from a broken tibia he snapped against Seattle late in the 2006 season. His performance in 2007 ranged from semi-reliable to not-so-semi-reliable.
• RG Justin Smiley joined the "Bill Parcells Movement," signing with the Miami Dolphins in the spring on the first day of free agency. The once dominant guard played about as good as Heitman in 2007, if not worse.
• RT Joe Staley beat out aspiring bull fighter Kwame Harris last summer for the right tackle position. Besides one crap-tastic showing against the New York Giants last season, Staley was without a doubt the best player on the Niners' o-line in 2007. Kwame Harris has since done the impossible and earned a contract with the Raiders after entering free agency.
So that gives us an injury case, a retiree, a question mark, a Dolphin, and a proven newbie.
While the 49ers have some quality big men in guards Adam Snyder, Tony Wragge, and David Baas ready to step in and contribute as starters in 2008, the Niners need new, experienced bodies add to this collection of giants as well. These new players will hopefully not only serve as depth for the starting five, but will compete with them as well for playing time.
WHY IT MIGHT NOT HAPPEN
First, I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that the 49ers will without a doubt take an offensive lineman with their first or second pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. And if I was to guess, the offensive lineman the Niners have a shot with the 29th or 39th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft are maybe Gosder Cherilus of Boston College (though that is looking more and more unlikely as Saturday approaches) or Sam Baker of USC. The rest of the o-line badasses will be gone by the time the Niners get a shot, so it will probably be one of these guys.
So, for the sake of argument, why might the Niners NOT grab one of the above offensive lineman early in the draft on April 26? There are only three situations I can fathom that would bring about such a case.
The first situation would come about if a high value, non-offensive line prospect dropped to the Niners at #29 (that isn't named Quentin Groves). I am really not expecting this, because if anyone drops to the 49ers, it will probably be an offensive linemen. Still, if a solid corner back like South Florida's Michael Jenkins drops to San Francisco at #29, I could maybe see it happening (but it probably won't).
The second situation would deal with a team like the Atlanta Falcons attempting to trade up with the 49ers. The Falcons have ELEVEN picks in this year's draft, and their needs are many. I could see them swapping a couple second round picks with the Niners (the Falcons have three of them) in order for Atlanta to move up to the 29th spot and grab a quarterback. The Niners would then have more picks, but would then risk potentially missing out on some of the better players in this year's draft (that means no Quentin Groves in a Niner uniform).
The third situation is my "Mad Martz" situation, where offensive coordinator Mike Martz bursts into the 49ers' war room on draft day, punches Nolan and Scotty in the face, and subsequently takes control of San Francisco's 2008 draft. Martz then drafts only wide receivers and quarterbacks for the 49ers. He then pledges he will have San Francisco run the first ever two-QB set in 2008, with Alex Smith and Delaware's Joe Flacco both lining up in shotgun on every play. Mel Kiper, Jr.'s head then explodes on live television, and RB Frank Gore cries watching at home.
OK. In all seriousness, the Niners COULD take a wide receiver early in the draft and then wait until the third round to pick-up an offensive lineman, but it probably won't happen.
HOW IT COULD HAPPEN
So where I stand, "The O-Line Scenario" rests on the availability of Quentin Groves. If Groves is available, the 49ers will probably take him. If Groves is scooped up by another squad and Gosder Cherilus is not available, then the 49ers will trade down and probably grab Sam Baker or Carl Nicks of Nebraska in round two. I don't see it getting more complicated than that (though LB Jerod Mayo of Tennessee could be the Niners' guy if Groves is gone).
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