San Francisco 49ers Week 15 Stock Report

Stock down: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

Sure, he got sacked nine times by the Cleveland Browns. But, four of those sacks were Gabbert’s fault.

Three times he scrambled out of bounds instead of throwing the ball away—essentially sacking himself. Not smart.

The fourth time Gabbert sacked himself came on 4th-and-1, when the 49ers’ pass-protection scheme didn’t account for every Browns defensive lineman. Gabbert should have seen the problem and called timeout instead of taking the inevitable sack.

Would Colin Kaepernick have played better against the Browns? Perhaps. He certainly couldn’t have played much worse.

This is the Week 15 stock report.

Stock Up: Andrew Tiller (RG)

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Andrew Tiller ranks 19th among guards on Pro Football Focus despite not playing during the first-four games of the season and not becoming a full-time starter until Week 11.

Why wasn’t he starting sooner?

Since Week 11, Tiller ranks fourth among guards on Pro Football Focus with a grade of plus-8.4. Clearly, he should have been starting for the Niners from Week 1. The coaches didn't realize what they had.

Tiller is a strong run-blocker, plus he has given up zero sacks and only one hit in pass protection this season. The Niners should extend his contract—he’ll be a free agent after the 2016 season.

Stock Down: Eric Mangini (DC)

David Richard/Associated Press

In defense of Eric Mangini’s defense, it has held three good offenses under 20 points this season: the Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals.

But, Mangini’s defense also has given up more than 440 total yards five times, including Sunday against the Browns. Cleveland quarterback Johnny Manziel devoured Mangini’s zone coverages, especially with play action, completing seven of eight play-action passes for 124 yards, per Pro Football Focus.

Through 14 games, the Niners defense has allowed 5.9 yards per play—the worst in franchise history. That does not reflect well on Mangini, no matter how young and inexperienced his players are.

Stock Up: Arik Armstead (DE)

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Arik Armstead is the 13th-ranked 3-4 defensive end on Pro Football Focus even though he doesn’t start.

Armstead, who is strictly an interior pass-rusher in the 49ers sub-packages, had his best game of the season Sunday against the Browns. He played 35 snaps, registered one sack and five hurries and earned an overall grade of plus-4.3, per PFF.

Only two other 3-4 defensive ends earned higher grades in Week 14—Denico Autry of the Oakland Raiders (plus-7.1) and Muhammad Wilkerson of the New York Jets (plus-4.6).

Armstead may be special, but eventually he will need to show he’s strong and instinctual enough to stop the run as a starter in the base defense.

Stock Down: Eric Reid (FS)

David Richard/Associated Press

Eric Reid made a business decision Sunday against the Browns.

The former Pro Bowl free safety chose not to risk injury. He played a cautious, passive, safety-first game, especially against the run.

Reid is supposed to be a vicious tackler and a run enforcer—think 49ers great Ronnie Lott. But against Cleveland, Reid played the run like a small cornerback, staying back on his heels and attempting to catch running backs with his chest instead of just hitting them.

During one play, Reid tried to catch rookie running back Duke Johnson Jr., who weighs only 210 pounds. Johnson knocked Reid back four yards. How embarrassing.

Stock Up: Joe Staley (LT)

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One player who definitely hasn’t quit on this season is left tackle Joe Staley.

Staley had his best game in years this past Sunday, giving up zero sacks, zero hits and zero hurries, according to Pro Football Focus. He was perfect.

So long as Staley keeps playing well, the Niners won’t necessarily have to spend their first-round draft pick on an offensive lineman this offseason. Instead, they can wait until the second round or trade into the back end of the first to draft a tackle such as Jack Conklin from Michigan State, Germain Ifedi from Texas A&M or Jason Spriggs from Indiana.

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