FanHouse Joe Staley

On Friday I mentioned that the 49ers might not be inclined to use another top-10 draft pick on a junior quarterback four years after taking Alex Smith first overall, which means that USC's Mark Sanchez wouldn't be a consideration.

Plus, it sounds like the team will try to re-work Smith's rookie contract in the hopes of keeping him around to compete for a starting job. But here's the thing: NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock -- the same guy who was pimping Jay Cutler and Matt Ryan before anybody else -- has some nice things to say about Sanchez, particularly as it relates to San Francisco.

If San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary wants to have the "interim" label removed from his title, winning more games like this would certainly help the cause. The 49ers won their second straight on Sunday, and third in the past four games, handing the New York Jets a huge 24-14 loss.

Shaun Hill had himself a day for the 49ers, completing 28-of-39 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns, while offensive lineman Joe Staley fell on a loose ball in the end zone in the first quarter, to help lead San Francisco to the win. Hill completed passes to ten different receivers in the win, and has been rock-solid for the 49ers since taking over as the team's starting quarterback. This, of course, brings up the obvious question of: what the hell were the 49ers thinking back in training camp?

Isaac Bruce and Bryant Johnson each hauled in six passes for the 49ers, while Bruce finished with a game-high 70 yards. Frank Gore rushed for 52 yards on 14 carries, and also caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Hill late in the second quarter, giving the 49ers a 14-7 lead heading into the half.

So, while the 49ers are starting to play some actual football late in the season, the Jets, on the other hand, appear to be heading in the exact opposite direction.

As I recall, the Patriots opened some eyes during April's draft when they used the No. 10 overall pick -- acquired from San Francisco, I hope Joe Staley was worth it -- on Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo. Not that Mayo wasn't a legitimate first-round talent, and probably the best linebacker in the draft, it just seemed like kind of a surprise to see him go that high. I figured him as more of a mid-late first-rounder, and if any team other than the Patriots had taken him that high, it probably would have been regarded as a reach.

Turns out, the selection is already paying off for New England. As Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe points out, Mayo was the only Patriots defensive player to stay on the field for every single snap in Sunday's 17-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

"He was out there for just about all of it," Belichick said. "Jerod has done a good job for us all the way through, and while there is always room for improvement, I thought he did a nice job against Kansas City.

"He was in all the different personnel groups - running situations, passing situations, two-minute, short-yardage, and so forth. I thought, all in all, he handled things pretty well."

The Patriots have hit with just about every first round pick they've had dating back to the 2001 draft, and if Mayo is already playing in every situation, for every play, it's a good bet that he's on his way to continuing the success.

The 49ers had a number of needs heading into last month's draft, and apparently, they had designs on taking an offensive tackle on Day 1. Things didn't shake out that way -- every few picks, teams would trade up to select an o-linemen (even Duane Brown) -- and San Francisco ended up with defensive lineman Kentwan Balmer with the 29th selection.

A round later, the 49ers were *this* close to landing the big-play wideout they so desperately lacked. Instead, they decided to go in another direction:

When it came time to pick in the second round, the 49ers had written the names Chilo Rachal and Limas Sweed on two separate cards while a small debate ensued in the draft room. The 49ers handed in the card that read "Rachal" instead of selecting the Texas wide receiver.

"Someone said he could play right tackle," 49ers coach Mike Nolan said of Rachal later that day. "We're looking more for him to be a guard, but if that's something he could do, we'll certainly visit that because it's tougher to find. We've got some depth inside."

Well, it only took three days of minicamp practices for the team to decide to move Rachel to right tackle.

During the 2008 draft, the 49ers took linebacker Patrick Willis with the 11th-overall pick and he went on to become the Rookie Defensive Player of the Year. San Francisco also traded back into the first round to grab tackle Joe Staley with the 28th selection. The cost: the Patriots received the 49ers 2008 first-rounder, which after a five-win season, turns out to be the No. 7 pick.

A year later, and given the team's remaining needs (of which there are many), was grabbing Staley a good idea? The Sacramento Bee's Matt Barrows thinks so, even if it's close.

The 49ers ... are hurt by the fact that they played so poorly last season and that there seem to be exactly seven top-tier prospects in this draft. ...

You also have to consider that had the 49ers not traded for Staley, they could have used their second-round pick last year on another well-regarded tackle, Tony Ugoh. ... Is Ugoh as good as Staley? Only time will tell. The 49ers obviously didn't think so, and Ugoh did miss five games last season because of injury. So when assessing the trade, you really have to compare Staley and whomever the 49ers select at pick No. 29 this year with Ugoh and whomever is taken at pick No. 7.

During last year's draft, the San Francisco 49ers used the 11th-overall pick to select linebacker Patrick Willis. Willis would end up being the 2007 Defensive Rookie of the Year, but their other first-round pick, tackle Joe Staley, also had a solid rookie season, though nothing close to what Willis was able to accomplish.

To draft Staley, the 49ers had to trade their 2008 first-rounder, which means that unless something changes, the team won't pick until Round 2 they won't pick until 29th overall*. It also means that the Patriots, the team that swapped picks with the 49ers last April, will have the seventh-overall pick in this year's draft.

Despite hindsight, perfect vision, and all that, San Francisco general manager Scot McCloughan doesn't regret the deal.

"I think Joe Staley will prove out to be a top-10 type caliber pick at a position that is very hard to find," McCloughan said. "It's not only from a standpoint of athleticism and his football potential, he's also a great guy, one of those guys you can build your offensive line around. I'd make the trade in a heartbeat again -- to get an offensive lineman, an offensive tackle, one year before."

Not everybody agrees, especially Patriots fans. From the comments of this story on Mike Reiss' Patriots blog:

As we get ready for the Patriots-Giants Super Bowl, FanHouse is looking back at each team's 2007 first-round pick. Here's a look at the 10th pick in the draft, defensive tackle Amobi Okoye.

Who They Took: Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville

Who Else They Were Rumored to Consider: CB Derrelle Revis, Trade down for OT Joe Staley, Trade down in general. Other rumored players were off the board by pick #10.

What We Said At The Time: "[W]ith the Texans picking a defensive lineman in the first round for the 4th year in a row, you would hope that this fat salary cap money starts to translate into a pass rush....After the 9th pick, Mario Williams started texting the defensive line coach "Okoye Okoye Okoye" so apparently at least he appreciates having a potential playmaker next to him on the line instead of the street free agents that had to fill-in at defensive tackle for most of last season."

What Okoye Did: At the beginning of the season, I wondered whether this young, still developing player would be physical enough against the run and would be overwhelmed as a young guy playing with a number of other inexperienced players on the line.

Okoye started the year strong, winning Defensive Rookie of the Month in September, with 10 tackles, 4 sacks, 4 quarterback pressures and a forced fumble. Over the course of the season, however, Okoye admitted that he was hitting the rookie wall and his production leveled out.

The 49ers-Vikings matchup is being billed as a showdown between two rookie first-rounders: San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis and Minnesota savior/running back Adrian Peterson. For most people looking at the schedule last spring, neither player would've garnered a mention because of Frank Gore.

Gore, the 49ers third-round pick in 2005, finished last season with 1,695 yards (5.4 average) and eight touchdowns. He signed a hefty new deal in the off-season, and was primed to have another big year, what with Alex Smith maturing, Vernon Davis completely healthy, and the team adding depth to the offensive line with rookie tackle Joe Staley.

Well, things didn't go quite as planned. After winning their first two games, San Francisco is 1-9 since. Smith is likely done for the season and Gore has only managed 713 yards through 12 games. But Gore's not worried:

"I feel like [I have something to prove] every week facing any back," Gore said. "I'm competitive like that. Adrian Peterson is a great back, having a great year. It's a down year for me but I'm going to go out every Sunday and do my best. If I get space (to run), I'll be all right."

Well, if this is the week Gore has decided to get back on track, it's extremely poor timing. The Vikings are one of the league's best run defenses, and it's not like Trent Dilfer is one to light up a secondary.

Despite Gore's struggles, he's still a great back. Too often people want to assign blame to individuals when it's usually a group effort. And for the entire 49ers' offense, not much has gone right this season.

Remember when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell dropped the hammer on the Pats slapped the Patriots on the wrist by taking away one of their two first-round draft picks, in addition to a $250,000 fine (and a $500,000 fine for evil personified, Bill Belichick)?

Well, Belichick didn't see the humor in being labeled a cheater (even if he is, you know, a cheater), and decided to take out his frustrations on every team on the schedule. So far, so good.

And you know what, even if New England steamrolls through the 2007 season, wins the whole thing, and finishes 19-0, they'll still have a 2008 first-round pick. Yep, thanks to the 49ers throwing one their way last April (San Francisco moved up to draft tackle Joe Staley), the Patriots will have another opportunity to load up on talent.

But here's the thing: Goodell stripped New England of their first-round pick. Which means if they win the Super Bowl, they'll forfeit the 32nd-overall selection (big whoop). And if the 49ers finish as one of the worst teams in the league ... well, too bad. The Pats could conceivably have a top-10 pick.

You know why non-Patriots fans hate the Patriots? No? Well, I'll tell you: they're too freakin' good. They entered the 2007 draft with two first-round picks, thanks to the Seahawks sending one their way in exchange for Deion Branch. Yeah, New England's pass catchers were garbage last season, but you know what? They still almost made it to the Super Bowl. That's how dreamy Tom Brady is.

And now, after taking safety Brandon Meriweather with the 24th overall pick, that evil genius Bill Belichick fleeced the San Francisco 49ers on their other first-round selection.

With about a minute to go on the clock, San Francisco traded next year's first-rounder and this year's fourth-rounder for New England's 28th overall selection. Yeah, I'm not married to the draft value chart -- in fact I think it's sometimes a bit overblown -- but to move up from 42nd (the 49ers second-round slot) to 29th costs 160 points. That's a mid-third-round pick to you and me.

Assuming the 49ers win the Super Bowl, New England, instead, got 634 points (590 for the first-rounder, 44 for the fourth). I'd say the Pats got the better end of this deal. And as Michael David Smith points out, it's not like the guy San Francisco drafted, left tackle Joe Staley, will be able to step into the starting job.