FanHouse Joestaley

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.

While the offensive line might not represent a direct draft day decision for your roster, few areas of knowledge can offer a competitive advantage in fantasy football like having a good grasp of the various units of trench soldiers around the league. Over the course of the next couple weeks, I'll break down every NFL team's' offensive lines into five tiers: the crème de la crème, the highly competent, the serviceable, the grim, and the bunk.

Think of the Highly Competents as the Trans Am of offensive lines; they may not be the highest performing vehicles on the market, but they are still pretty baddasss. These guys will not only do you know harm, but they'll provide some hidden gems and all but guarantee consistent numbers from the skill spots.

The Green Bay Packers: Come on guys, do you really believe that undrafted Ryan Grant is that good? You would be in good shape drafting Samkon Gado here if he was expected to start. The Packers offensive line is solid like the rock of Pantera. The main reason they are not in the Crème de le Crème is the guard spots are both up in the air, but the crux of the unit is solid with Chad Clifton (left tackle), Mark Tauscher (right tackle), and Scott Wells (center). The quick strike offense probably makes their low sack total seem better than it is, but this a really good pass blocking offense and a good run blocking offense.

2007 Sacks Allowed: 19
2007 Yards Per Carry: 4.1

Continue reading for the rest of the "Highly Competent" offensive lines.

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.

NFL Offseason Roadmap is a series focused on the needs of NFL teams as they begin the offseason.

1. Offensive Tackle. There is a reason the 49ers gave up the most sacks in the league last year. There's a reason Frank Gore had a letdown year (a few, actually, but this is one). The 49ers are off to a good start at overhauling the position with Joe Staley, but Staley's moving over to the left side, and it's up in the air how he'll respond. Backup Kwame Harris is a free agent, and the 49ers aren't really fans of either him or Jonas Jennings. The team is going to need a starter at right tackle, whether that's Jennings or someone new. But the team need a general upgrade in talent and depth. Bad news. The 49ers don't have a late first round pick. They could hope that Jeff Otah, Ryan Clady, or Sam Baker fall to them. An intriguing pick for later in the first day is Heath Benedict from Newberry. They'll have to get some help out of the draft, because free agency is scarce. Max Starks looks to be the the best available, meaning someone will grossly overpay for him.

As we get ready for Super Bowl XLII, FanHouse is looking back at each team's 2007 first-round pick. Here's a look at the 11th and 28th picks in the draft, linebacker Patrick Willis and offensive tackle Joe Staley.


Who They Took: Patrick Willis, LB, Ole Miss; Joe Staley, OT, Central Michigan

Who Else They Were Rumored To Consider: 11th - Adam Carriker, DE, Nebraska.

What We Said at the Time: Willis - "Willis is a good athlete, a powerful hitter and very quick at covering 5-10 yards. He won the Butkus Award as the best linebacker in college football and the SEC defensive player of the year award. San Francisco fans will be glad to have him."

Staley - "Staley doesn't seem like a very likely prospect to be ready to start right away, though. Last year Staley played against opponents like Eastern Kentucky and Western Michigan, and the adjustment to blocking NFL defensive ends will take some time. Is it really a good idea to trade your 2008 first-round pick to take a guy who's probably going to need some time to develop? I'm skeptical."