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2008 NFL Post-Draft Analysis: San Francisco 49ers Print E-mail
Written by Tom Van Wyhe   
Thursday, 01 May 2008

San Francisco 49ers

(Round Drafted. Name - Position)

1. Kentwan Balmer - DE

2. Chilo Rachal - OG

3. Reggie Smith - CB

4. Cody Wallace - C

6. Josh Morgan - WR

7. Larry Grant - OLB

First Impressions - The Niners filled some needs with this draft and landed a solid defensive lineman in Kentwan Balmer in the first round. He's versatile - he played defensive tackle in college but will better translate as an end - and should fit the 49ers scheme. He has good size (6'5, 308) and may need to shed some pounds and add some muscle to make it as an end on the pro level.

The rest of San Francisco's picks were, again, need-based. Chilo Rachal in the second round adds some depth at the guard position. And after watching David Baas go down with injury last season, that's not a bad thing. 

Ultimately, the Niners added depth where it was needed. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but the team's draft was, for lack of a better word, boring. Does that matter? Not necessarily. But for a team that lacked flash last season and had one of the worst offenses in the NFL, this draft did very little to make me suspect a serious rebound in 2008.

Fantasy Impact - The one guy drafted at an offensive skill position was Josh Morgan. But since the 49ers released Darrell Jackson and replaced him with Bryant Johnson and Isaac Bruce, there is limited potential for the rookie to produce.

Plus, Morgan wasn't always the most consistent guy on the college level at Virginia Tech and he'll have to beat out Ashley Lelie to see much action (not that such a task is particularly difficult). And even if he would beat out Lelie and Arnaz Battle to land a spot in the slot, Alex Smith is still throwing the football.

Ultimately, until we learn otherwise, this wasn't a draft that will affect your fantasy team. 

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Last Updated ( Thursday, 01 May 2008 )
 
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