FanHouse BrandonWilliams

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

Jerry Jones might be a little eccentric, but the guy can spot talent. When it isn't top picks like Troy Aikman or Emmitt Smith coming to the Cowboys, it is undrafted guys like Tony Romo or late third-round guys like Jason Witten. Even Patrick Crayton in the seventh round was a success for Dallas.

This year, the Cowboys traded down, but didn't really snag anyone that is going to blow your hair back. Jason Williams of Western Illinois is a player that might see some time for Dallas this season. In college, Williams was a fumble-forcing machine, knocking loose six his senior seasons.

On Monday, the NFL announced its preseason schedule for 2009, and the most intriguing game -- as intriguing as preseason games can be -- might be between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals on Thursday, Aug. 13.

Oh, how this crazy thing called life can turn on a dime. Only in retrospect can we appreciate the exact repercussions of our decisions. Take Ashley Lelie, for example. In 2004, Lelie celebrated his third year in the NFL to the tune of 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns and appeared to be an emerging big-play guy.

Following a disappointing 2005, Lelie made an ill-timed attempt at holding the Broncos ransom for more money. He probably would have had more success doing this a year earlier; instead, Denver called his bluff and Lelie wasted his offseason, barely cracking 400 yards as an afterthought in Atlanta. Now he's in San Francisco, looking for a shot at redemption. The problem is, there are a whole lot of other guys blocking his view.

Ashley Lelie watched Monday as receivers Arnaz Battle and Darrell Jackson trotted onto the field with the rest of the 49ers' first-team offense. He looked on as Taylor Jacobs and Bryan Gilmore replaced them in the second quarter. He still was on the sideline when Brandon Williams entered the game.

By the time Lelie got on the field with two minutes remaining in the first half, five 49ers receivers already had been in the game. Five. As in the total number of receivers Mike Nolan has said likely will make the final roster.

Lelie has spent the offseason working with the second- and third-string teams. He hasn't caught many balls from Alex Smith, but you can never underestimate the importance of having a rapport with Shaun Hill. Lelie should still make the team; he is, surprisingly enough, the second-most accomplished receiver on the roster. But it's been a long fall since 2004, and though Lelie boasts no regrets, he has to think of how his choice to hold out derailed his career.

The last time the 49ers returned a punt or kickoff for a touchdown, Johnny Drama was still doing Viking Quest. OK, so it was really 2005, in Mike Nolan's first game as coach. But that was 31 games ago, and as this promising 49ers team gets ready to begin training camp, their return game once again appears to be in question.

Rookies and unproven entities Jason Hill and Thomas Clayton might get tries on the return teams, and Brandon Williams returns on punt duty. Last year Williams averaged 6.7 yards per return as part of a punt unit that ranked 17th in the league. It makes you wonder, in an era where teams are drafting players who specialize in nothing but returning the ball and an offseason which saw the 49ers improve at all levels of their defense and a few on offense, why the team didn't make a more concerted effort to address the position.

The truth is, they don't need to. I think the return game is being overemphasized and overrated because of the recent success of guys like Devin Hester. But the truth is, in the grand scheme of things, Hester only scored five touchdowns last season, and those supplemented a sterile offense. It's always helpful to have a reliable guy who can get every last yard possible in the return game, but a playmaker like Hester is unnecessary if you've got the pieces on offense. With an emerging monster in Frank Gore and a much-improved group of pass-catchers this season, the 49ers will be fine.