San Francisco 49ers Draft and Trade Plan for 2012 Season, Part One

The San Francisco 49ers have some gaping holes to fill in their roster. The 2011 season has been a pleasant surprise for gold-seeking squad, but it also has revealed major personnel holes.

Coach Jim Harbaugh has welded a talented group of disgruntled players into a spirited and mostly efficient squad through sheer personality and leadership talent. But nearing the end of this season, even he cannot hide the weaknesses that prevent success against premier teams.

The playoffs, still to come, bode ill for the Fighting Gold Diggers of Baghdad by the Bay. Playing well above expectations in the regular season, it would be foolish to suggest that they will go deep into postseason play. They are too vulnerable to make it to the real show: the Super Bowl.

To make it to the next level in the NFL, the problem of making touchdowns when in the red zone must be addressed. The problems that exist and personnel actions that are needed are explained in the following slides.

An 18th-Ranked Pass Defense Will Be Bolstered

The 49ers have shown a weakness in defending the pass against premier quarterbacks and receivers. Ranked No. 5 against the run, they have yielded too many long pass plays and touchdowns that could have and should have been defended.  

The Gold Diggers’ pass defense ranks only No, 18 in the NFL. An easy schedule means they have not faced any of the top three NFL quarterbacks in the league to date. This does not bode well for the playoffs in 2011, and it's a hole to be plugged for 2012.

One can expect the 49ers to bolster this part of the defensive squad by drafting a corner and replacing some of the defensive backs.

The Porous Offensive Line Will Gain New Talent

One must face the ugly and unpleasant fact that the offensive line lacks the depth of talent and skill to properly protect the quarterback. Come on now—nine sacks in one game? Fifteen sacks in three games is not ideal.

The offensive line is so thin that when Joe Staley is dinged the protection and the run production falls off to near zero, and the quarterback efficiency and running back yards decrease into the silly range approaching single digits.

The 49ers will draft, trade for or catch through free agency at least an offensive guard and a tackle to provide the extra boost to prevent sacks and open holes for the running backs against heavy defensive opposition. Current backups will either be promoted, traded or released.

The 49ers also are in need of a center big and strong enough to back the opposing nose tackle off a couple of yards on 4th-and-1 and on short-yardage goal-line downs. This will be an early free-agency or draft-day acquisition.

There Will Be Tinkering with the Quarterback Position

There also is this nagging thought about the quarterback slot. Alex Smith has done wonders compared to his past, and is rightly lauded for becoming the quarterback he was meant to be when he was drafted. Kudos should be heaped upon him.

But—and this is the nagging thought—he cannot make the passes often enough that result in touchdowns. Three times the 49ers rolled right into the red zone in the first half of the Cardinals game, and only got three field goals. They scored only nine points instead of a respectable 21 points. Not good.

Some of that is the problem with the offensive line, of course. Short-yardage plays are rarely successful because the line cannot get the push against a good defensive line. Hence rushing touchdowns are rare from within the 10-yard line. Third-down conversions are a rarity. Keeping pass-rushers away from the quarterback reduces his time to make good decisions, and passing touchdowns are nearly impossible.

The 49ers will acquire a cannon-armed quarterback through free agency or later in the draft. Colin Kaepernick will see more playing time next season, and will probably take over during the season, if he works out.

One More John Taylor, Please

The 49ers also need at least one more clutch and sticky-fingered receiver. Whether Josh Morgan, Ted Ginn or Kyle Williams might fill that role is yet to be decided.

My guess would be that the management would like one more speedy and glue-gloved receiver in the mold of John Taylor to give the field some balance. With Michael Crabtree coming into his own on one side, a balance would stretch defenders and increase pass effectiveness.

Secondary Needs Help

The 49ers must find effective secondary folks and at least one more shutdown corner to strengthen the pass defense game.

They have one effective corner in Carlos Rogers, but need more talented depth at that position. It just seems too easy for good opposing quarterbacks to make yardage and score touchdowns with the current squad. They will not hold up against the quality they will see in the playoffs.

The 49ers will devote some early draft picks and even dip into free agency to find the solution to their pass-protection breakdowns. 

Special Teams Seem Set

If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. The kicker and punter are outstanding. Special teams coverages and performances are excellent.

Let Us See More of the San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush

Last but arguably the most important, the 49ers need to find a way to get the NFL broadcast network to show the 49ers Gold Rush squad on TV more often and for longer clips. They now show them for around seven seconds total during a game broadcast, and are most often covered from neck to toe with an advertisement. 

We TV viewers need cheering on just as much as those that are in the stadium seats. I might add that we buy just as much of the advertised products as stadium-goers do, and we are much more numerous.

These women work hard to entertain us, get a pitiful $50 a game for their efforts and are not given enough of a chance to display their complete routines over the networks.

That is just wrong.