Davis #1 on Niners Draft Board

[Beastie]

Yahoo Sports


the Niners confirmed that Davis is the highest player on their board, but hey, they have to face the Cards' Boldin and Fitzgerald twice. Ditto the mob of St. Louis receivers. So they'd better find a wideout somewhere. Which they will, at No. 22 in the first round, after trading to get Denver's spot.

[jeep_23]

WHAT :unsure: :unsure: :unsure: :unsure: That was Dr. Z

[felixdakatt]

Yahoo Sports
That legit, Naters? Amazing if it's true. I'd love to see Davis and maybe Santonio Holmes lining up beside Alex Smith this season.:sam:

[Nikko]

:falldownlaugh: I assume Davis is high on the board.. But the 49ers would NOT take VD over Mario Williams, Reggie Bush, and maybe not even over Hawk or Ferguson.

Havn't you people heard about a smokescreen? Nothing a team says at this point of the season is legit.

[Kenage]

I think he meant CB & not WR at 22. Why would we need to pick a WR just because St. Louis & Arizona have good WR's?

[NinerRider]

I think he meant CB & not WR at 22. Why would we need to pick a WR just because St. Louis & Arizona have good WR's?

Yeah, I thought that was pretty dumb logic to go by myself. Maybe if he said we should pick two DBs two match up vs those teams it'd make more sense.

[jay_1699]

Perfect 1st round would be VD at #6 and jackson (WR from florida i think) at #22, but it's unlikely jackson will be there at #22. With these two players we immediately become a huge threat on offense and could be among the leagues better offenses if smith pans out and the Oline stays healthy. This, by default, will make the defense better even if we don't find another defensive player in the draft. As i've said before, a pass rushing ROLB will be easy to get in later rounds as will a decent LOLB.

Hawk will be a HUGE misstake.

[D-Man]

Man, the speculation is only gonna boil over in the next few days....c'mon Saturday!

Nate, you're PM box is full, bro!

D

[49ers4life226]

Well Nolan would really like to go defense so if hawk and vd are both there I think hawk would be coming to san fran:down: :down: :down:

[BY97]

I am suspecting that by releasing this information, Nolan is trying to prompt someone to make a move and jump ahead of the Niners and take Davis, thereby pushing the player he really wants to the #6 spot.

Possible?

[D-Man]

I am suspecting that by releasing this information, Nolan is trying to prompt someone to make a move and jump ahead of the Niners and take Davis, thereby pushing the player he really wants to the #6 spot.

Possible?

Ahhhh, the chess game that is the NFL Draft! I can't wait to see what else stirs up before our 1st pick on Saturday.

[r0b81]

I wouldnt be pissed if we did Draft Vd.

[Nikko]

hawk over VD, for us?


i don't think so...


All the others will be gone anyways...

I said *maybe* Hawk over VD.

Obviously the other players will be gone, but a big board is ranking all the first round talents that have a chance of getting to you, even if it's not likely.

Bush or Mario getting to SF won't happen.. but your telling me you wouldn't even include either on your big board.. with the chance of trade, or an off chance of falling?

[Local49ersFan]

Yeah, I thought that was pretty dumb logic to go by myself. Maybe if he said we should pick two DBs two match up vs those teams it'd make more sense.
Exactly, I'm sure he made a mistake, typing wideout instead of DB.

[ninersrule]

Yahoo Sports

Vernon Davis would be a great addition to our team on Offense, but has anyone thought of maybe taking Leonard Pope from Georgia. My first round would go like this.

With the Sixth Choice in the Draft: A. J Hawk, OLB Ohio State
With the Twenty-Second Choice in the draft: Leonard Pope, TE Georgia

[BIrwin49]

I am suspecting that by releasing this information, Nolan is trying to prompt someone to make a move and jump ahead of the Niners and take Davis, thereby pushing the player he really wants to the #6 spot.

Possible?
Has to be something, no way Nolan would say who they want at 6 unless he is trying to play mind games. Its funny, if Davis was not their guy this whole time.

[Tracker]

my bad ...

didn't even realize i said yahoo sports.... :(

Good thing. Friends don't let friends do yahoo sports.

This is a PSA for good sports information and reporting. Paid for in part by the coalition against sports reporters that only know 2 things; Jack and isit and Jack just left town.org.

[Donut!]

I am suspecting that by releasing this information, Nolan is trying to prompt someone to make a move and jump ahead of the Niners and take Davis, thereby pushing the player he really wants to the #6 spot.

Possible?

agreed. i don't see any other reason to confirm one's draft ranking. Williams and Bush are highly unlikely to fall to us. that would leave Hawk by process of elimination. I just hope that Hawk turns into what Mike Singletary and Nolan envision.

[jwood49er]

but if we can fill our TE spot with the by far best one in the draft then why not do it. we can get a OLB at 22 that is just as good if not better in our system than hawk. JMO

[Donut!]

i'd like to side with the VD fans for Alex Smith's sake, but we'll just have to go with the coaches on this one. Because keep in mind that they're the ones that have been scouring over a hundred hours of game tape on the top 6 prospects so they're going to be the most informed ones to make that decision. they may or may not actually be favoring Hawk over VD. then again, if no trades happen in the top 6 we may never find out who they actually preferred ....

im just glad this draft wait is about to end.

[Fricker 4]

I say we get Vernon Davis #6, then maybe Manny Lawson falls to #22 get him and then in our 3rd round try and get my hometown guy Danieal Manning from Abilene Christian university he is a S/CB so then that would be a productive first day.

[coolmello]

Source says that 49ers will select A.J. Hawk over Vernon Davis
Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at 14:07:01 PT - Printer-friendly version
Source: 49erswebzone.com

According to Scout.com, a league source has indicated that the San Francisco 49ers will select Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk over Maryland tight end Vernon Davis if both players are available at the No. 6 selection in the first round.

It is unknown how reliable this "league source" is and rumors often run wild during the week leading to the NFL Draft as the media attempts to guess what teams will do.

While Hawk would fill a more immediate need, Davis has been described as a player that the team can't pass up on. The addition of Davis would add another big and fast target for young quarterback Alex Smith.

It has been well known that these two players have been at the top of San Francisco's wish list. However, most figured that it was in the reverse order with Davis as the 49ers' first choice.

http://www.49erswebzone.com/content/news/view.php?id=5172

[Elandil Eldaron]

I hope we don't get Hawk... :sad: We better get the pass rushing OLB with our N°22 pick. We better get a playmaker on offense like Vernon Davis.

[NinerCubBoiler]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH will the draft just hurry up and get here! Its gonna suck... i'll be doing wedding B.S. all day... stupid wedding :angry:

[Ice Train]

Source says that 49ers will select A.J. Hawk over Vernon Davis
Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at 14:07:01 PT - Printer-friendly version
Source: 49erswebzone.com

According to Scout.com, a league source has indicated that the San Francisco 49ers will select Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk over Maryland tight end Vernon Davis if both players are available at the No. 6 selection in the first round.

It is unknown how reliable this "league source" is and rumors often run wild during the week leading to the NFL Draft as the media attempts to guess what teams will do.

While Hawk would fill a more immediate need, Davis has been described as a player that the team can't pass up on. The addition of Davis would add another big and fast target for young quarterback Alex Smith.

It has been well known that these two players have been at the top of San Francisco's wish list. However, most figured that it was in the reverse order with Davis as the 49ers' first choice.

http://www.49erswebzone.com/content/news/view.php?id=5172

Since I am a VD supporter I am going to ease my mind by focusing on the part where it says "it is unknown how reliable this league source is."

VD at #6 baby!!:jay:

[Mudd]

Perfect 1st round would be VD at #6 and jackson (WR from florida i think) at #22, but it's unlikely jackson will be there at #22. With these two players we immediately become a huge threat on offense and could be among the leagues better offenses if smith pans out and the Oline stays healthy. This, by default, will make the defense better even if we don't find another defensive player in the draft. As i've said before, a pass rushing ROLB will be easy to get in later rounds as will a decent LOLB.

Hawk will be a HUGE misstake.
No, a huge mistake would be taking a TE at 6 and a WR at 22.

Personally, I think taking a WR in this draft is a huge mistake anyway. There isn't any WR coming out that is better than what we have. And that says a lot.

[felixdakatt]

Has to be something, no way Nolan would say who they want at 6 unless he is trying to play mind games. Its funny, if Davis was not their guy this whole time.
I think that's also why we released a statement saying we'd use the #6 pick. I'm guessing OAK was playing hardball and trying to imply they would leapfrog us up to #4 and take Young, and we responded with "we're going to draft at #6". In other words, the Raiders didn't want to give a pick up to slide up one spot so they threatened to bypass us, and we responded with "I dare ya!"

[NinerCubBoiler]

No, a huge mistake would be taking a TE at 6 and a WR at 22.

Personally, I think taking a WR in this draft is a huge mistake anyway. There isn't any WR coming out that is better than what we have. And that says a lot.
I agree... if you go TE with 6 (I hope) you should not go for another offensive player unless by the grace of god reggie bush plummets this far with his recently discovered crack addiction... anyway any WR in this draft is a crap shoot by selecting VD we would be getting the best WR in the draft

[socaljeff]

Everybody should just prepare themselves for the fact that Davis wont be there at #6. The hype on this guy is just too high right now and he will go in the top 5. I definitely think we'll be looking at A.J. Hawk with our pick.

[NinerCubBoiler]

Everybody should just prepare themselves for the fact that Davis wont be there at #6. The hype on this guy is just too high right now and he will go in the top 5. I definitely think we'll be looking at A.J. Hawk with our pick.
Either way... I think Hawk is the most solid pick in the draft... you are going to get a great LB with Hawk and he is a safe pick... i'm hoping for VD (for A. Smiths career to progress)

[jay_1699]

Either way... I think Hawk is the most solid pick in the draft... you are going to get a great LB with Hawk and he is a safe pick... i'm hoping for VD (for A. Smiths career to progress)


How is he a safe pick? He had great numbers in college, but college stats don't mean anything. He's not very big, he's not very fast and he's not very explosive......he's a solid LB in the traditional football mold. There are actually MUCH better prospects then hawk in this draft at OLB (though riskier). Peterson, after all, could have fallen to the mid to late 20s had we not drafted him...what does that say about all of the other OLBs drafted ahead of peterson in that draft and others?

Davis, on the other hand, is an automatic mismatch for opposing defenses...he has more talent then any other TE ever drafted AND has the numbers to back it up (the guy lead the ACC in yrds per game as a TIGHTEND!!!).

With hawk you get a solid starter with SOME potential to be a probowl type player at a position that really isn't all that impactful to the team....with davis you get an almost guaranteed probowl player at a position that could improve the entire offense (and by proxy, the defense).

Hawk = HUGE mistake.


As for WR's - Which WRs on our team are you refering to? Bryant is our best one and he really isn't all that good (solid starter, but no TO) our #2 WR couldn't fetch water for most other teams. Jackson would give us MUCH needed speed opposite of bryant (who is not fast by any means). With jackson + davis we would have two players that could stretch the field and two that could make the tough catches over the middle (bryant and EJ). As long as smith isn't mildly retarded, that combination should catapult us to one of the better offenses in the league.

[NinerCubBoiler]

How is Hawk a huge mistake? And how is he slow... he ran a 4.42 at his workouts

[jay_1699]

How is Hawk a huge mistake? And how is he slow... he ran a 4.42 at his workouts


He ran a 4.55 at the combine and had good, but average, type 10/20 splits and cone drills. I'm not saying he is slow per say; rather, ther are faster, more athletic OLBs in this draft. He's mistake because his best attribute seems to be his ability to read/react, which he will NOT do in our system.

[felixdakatt]

How is Hawk a huge mistake? And how is he slow... he ran a 4.42 at his workouts
110% agreed. People have their hearts set on Davis. If it doesn't happen, anyone we get is going to be a disappointment to them. Last year people were begging us to waste the #1 overall pick on a CB, and when we took a QB, they all threw a fit.

Hawk is a phenomenal LB. The guy doesn't miss tackles, plays at a high-intensity level, is very humble, and is a natural leader. Sounds like a great fit for a defense in need of leadership and difference-makers.

[felixdakatt]

He ran a 4.55 at the combine and had good, but average, type 10/20 splits and cone drills. I'm not saying he is slow per say; rather, ther are faster, more athletic OLBs in this draft. He's mistake because his best attribute seems to be his ability to read/react, which he will NOT do in our system.
Zach Thomas was passed over for the very same reasons, and the man is one of the top 3 LBs in the league, bar none. Saleem Rasheed was hailed as the next great speedy LB because of his agility and 40 time, and the guy can't play a lick of football. Whenever we put him in, he ran really fast... right past the QB and the ball.

[NinerCubBoiler]

He ran a 4.55 at the combine and had good, but average, type 10/20 splits and cone drills. I'm not saying he is slow per say; rather, ther are faster, more athletic OLBs in this draft. He's mistake because his best attribute seems to be his ability to read/react, which he will NOT do in our system.

he ran a 4.42 at his work out

this guy is a machine... I have watched him tear it up in the big ten for the last 4 years

[felixdakatt]

he ran a 4.42 at his work out

this guy is a machine... I have watched him tear it up in the big ten for the last 4 years
All you need to do is look at a pic of the guy's nose to tell he's a LB by birth. The dude looks like he was beat with the ugly stick, and came back looking for seconds. His image will be complete when he loses a few front teeth.

http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/24/249337.jpg

[jay_1699]

he ran a 4.42 at his work out

this guy is a machine... I have watched him tear it up in the big ten for the last 4 years


So, you watched him primarily cover TEs and drop into deep zones for years? That's what he'll do if we draft him!

[jay_1699]

Yeah, in that brian bosworth mold (who is still considered by many to be the best LB in college history).

[NinerCubBoiler]

So, you watched him primarily cover TEs and drop into deep zones for years? That's what he'll do if we draft him!
we would also need to use him for pass rush... and with his athletic ability he would be able to cover tight ends and kills players in zones

[jay_1699]

we would also need to use him for pass rush... and with his athletic ability he would be able to cover tight ends and kills players in zones


He will only be pass rushing a few times per game and the types of zones he'll be in will be deeper zones to which he will not be able to use his toughness. He would be great as the ROLB in a 4-3.

[docwalk]

I would agree with drafting Davis with the 6th pick. A. Smith needs someone to count on and I think that he is the best Off. player in the draft behind R. Bush. The is no need to draft a WR in the 1st round, remember that we have already picked up 2 WR in FA this off season and Battle is comming back. A good pick with #22 would be a CB or FS.

[NinerCubBoiler]

He will only be pass rushing a few times per game and the types of zones he'll be in will be deeper zones to which he will not be able to use his toughness. He would be great as the ROLB in a 4-3.

he will thrive in whatever system he is placed... I really think he will be the defensive rookie of the year

[statniner]

I wouldn't have anything against our organization if we take Hawk or Davis in the first pick. Both have the possibilty to spark on debut.

[jay_1699]

he will thrive in whatever system he is placed... I really think he will be the defensive rookie of the year

Maybe, but there are picks later in the draft that better fit our current system and OLB is not a position that will hav a great impact on our team as a whole or the defense in particular (except when we plays teams with great TEs like KC). It's not a matter if he'll be good or not, it's a matter of making our team better so we can win more games now and we can draft a solid LOLB at 22 or the 3rd round while picking up another player that can have more impact, overall, at #6.

[BIrwin49]

Draft day mind games baby...got to love it!

[sandiegojoe]

I'd be fine with Hawk or Davis. I'd prefer Davis, just cause I love to watch a playmaker on offense. But Hawk would be solid.

I keep reading that Green bay has been targetting Hawk all offseason, and I don't know if the VD hype will sway them.

As for Nolan's wants? I don't trust a thing he says this time of year. THat's one of my favorite things about the guy!

[Kenage]

I would rather pick Huff over Hawk if Davis is gone at No. 6.

[ni9el'ers]

who would you take at wr#22

[ni9el'ers]

say i if you like this


1.a.j.hawk since we let peterson go

#22.2.deangelo williams he's thebest


3.senorice moss jumping and arm extention