First of all, I would like to thank all community members and readers of this site. I joined the Niners Nation team last February and can honestly say that I have enjoyed contributing to this site over the past 17 months.

I’m moving to a new role at SB Nation and focusing more on the audio side of things. It’s been a pleasure keeping you all updated on everything that has happened at the San Francisco 49ers since you’ve been on the team.

Before becoming a contributor for Niners Nation, I was a daily reader of the site for almost a decade. I know we lost some of the OGs when the switch took place and I admittedly missed the comments about watching the tapes and the frequent appearance of MOAR in the comments.

It was fun getting to know some of you and interacting with the community in the comments. Even if you disagreed with some of my opinions about the team or you didn’t like my writing style, I really enjoy being part of this community.

While I will miss contributing to this site regularly, I will still be a part of the community and look forward to being free on Sundays so I can share my thoughts with all of you in the comments. Also, now that I won’t be reporting on the team, I can continue my annual tradition of taking a trip to the Bay Area to see a game, a trip I’ve always looked forward to every year.

I’ve loved the 49ers for over 20 years and being part of the news coverage has been a dream job for me. I always felt grateful when I was part of the media availability and was able to interact with the coaches and players.

Things didn’t go as expected during the 2020 season, but as I wrote earlier, I really believe the Niners will win a Super Bowl sooner rather than later. I look forward to enjoying the ride with all of you.

Thank you again for accompanying me over the past 16 months. I look forward to continuing to contact you in the next season and in the future.

I’m sure Kyle, Rob and our new writing team will continue to do their best to keep this community the best on our network.

Go niner!

The post San Francisco 49ers: Thanks, Niners Nation! appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

The San Francisco 49ers selected two offensive players with their first two picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.

It was no secret that after the trade, the Niners would take a QB to get the number 3 among the Miami Dolphins. Head Coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch selected North Dakota State’s Trey Lance to be the QB of the Future Franchise.

San Francisco originally held number 43 overall but struck a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders to move five spots back to 48th, costing them the opportunity to draw cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., who finished a 47th. Place went to Los Angeles chargers.

The 49ers took advantage of the selection to improve the inside of the offensive line by going with Notre Banks guard Aaron Banks.

Here’s Pro Football Focus’s report on banks:

Aaron Banks was heavily recruited as a four-star offensive lineman at El Cerrito High School, California. He has received more than 30 scholarship offers including Notre Dame, Michigan, Oregon, Arizona, and Arizona State. After his senior season in 2016, he was honored several times in the first team and paved the way for an offense against El Cerrito that averaged 29.4 points per game.

Banks broke into the Irish starting line-up in the middle of the 2018 season and has been a mainstay of the Left Guard ever since. He’s a big boy who will only be on watch at the NFL level despite being Notre Dame’s emergency device. While he’s had quality pass protection for three years, he doesn’t have the foot speed or anchor to believe it will stay that way at the NFL level. Even with his size, you rarely see him bringing guys from the frontier. I struggle to call someone with a cap, but as tech-savvy Banks is already, I’m not sure where he’s going from here.

Lynch then decided it was time to act. The Niners sent their own fourth round picks, as well as the fourth round picks they received from the Raiders, to the Los Angeles Rams for the 88th pick.

San Francisco decided to bolster its backcourt by picking the state of Ohio, which returned Trey Sermon.

Sermon played three seasons in Oklahoma, racing 339 times for 2,076 yards (6.1 ypc) and 22 TDs
36 catches for 391 yards 3 TDs

In the state of Ohio in 2020
116 carries 12 TDs for 870 (7.5 ypc) yards
12 catches for 95 meters

– Jennifer Lee Chan (@jenniferleechan) May 1, 2021

Lynch and Shanahan eventually decided to target secondary school with their compensatory selection at 102nd place. The 49ers went with Michigan cornerback Ambry Thomas.

Here is the Draft Network’s scouting report on Thomas:

Ambry Thomas projects as a potential corner kick for an NFL franchise. You certainly wish you had the chance to watch Thomas’ game in 2020, but the Michigan product was disabled prior to the start of the season due to the uncertainties surrounding the Big Ten season and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Thomas has been most effective at reporting in the press and interrupting route releases in the contact window – he’s a physical gamer who does well getting his hands on the receiver and upsetting the timing of patterns. Thomas also flashes quite strongly in flat spaces as a flat defender in the zone coverage; shows a good awareness of games that develop underneath to drive back to football. The upper limit of Thomas in the draft depends directly on how comfortable the teams are with a “Redshirt” season 2020 and how he stands on his tape from the previous year.

Here is a full list of the 49ers’ draft picks:

• Round 1, Selection 3: North Dakota State QB Trey Lance
• Round 2, Selection 48: Notre Dame is guarding Aaron Banks
• Round 3, Pick 88 (via Rams) Ohio State RB Trey Sermon
• Round 3, pick 102 (comp pick) Michigan CB Ambry Thomas
• Round 5, pick 155
• Round 5, pick 172 (via New Orleans, Kwon Alexander Handel)
• Round 5, Pick 180 (Comp Pick)
• Round 6, selection 193

The 49ers are supposed to do four picks on Saturday. That could certainly change as we usually see a lot of movement on day 3.

What remaining players would you like to see San Francisco target in Rounds 4-7?

The post San Francisco 49ers 2021 NFL Draft: Niners’ remaining picks going into Day 3 appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

The San Francisco 49ers remain at the center of the NFL’s rumor mill after acting to claim No. 3 in the 2021 NFL Draft from the Miami Dolphins.

Conversations not only focus on which quarterback the Niners will vote for in third place, but there are still plenty of rumors going on about what the team will do with reigning starter Jimmy Garoppolo.

During their recent media availability, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan said they plan to keep Garoppolo for the next season. Even so, Shanahan did not close the door completely when he moved Jimmy G.

“If someone wanted something and your team can improve it in many other ways, listen to this, but it also depends on how good you feel with this rookie,” admitted Shanahan. “We’re not there at the moment and the chances are good, we probably won’t be. That’s why we’re happy that we don’t have to be like that. We have a man here that we know we can win with, a man that our players love, that we love, and we’re excited to have him this year, and we’re excited to be a damn good quarterback Having right behind it he learns when the time is his. “

Sports Illustrated’s Alber Breer was asked what kind of compensation the 49ers were seeking for a potential Garoppolo deal in his final mailbag, and had this to say.

I was told that at this point the Niners would need a first choice to listen to, which of course would be nice for San Francisco if it had its first in 2022 and ’23, jumping from # 1 to # 12 3. That can of course change. Perhaps a veteran stopgap could come that they see as comparable to Garoppolo, and then they would be motivated to move him (I’m not sure who that would be). Maybe the rookie will come and blow everyone’s mind in the summer and the Niners want to play him.

Breer later points out that San Francisco is in no rush to move Garoppolo, especially with a squad good enough to fight for a Super Bowl. The Niners have re-signed several key freelance agents, some for one-year contracts, suggesting the Front Office believes they can win now.

Trading in Garoppolo before or during the draft puts immense pressure on the incoming rookie to produce immediately. By keeping Garoppolo, the rookie QB will have time to learn Shanahan’s system and develop his skills in preparation for the starting role in 2022.

But when a team offers a first-round pick for Jimmy G, Shanahan and Lynch have a hard time saying no. You could get back one of the first graders they sent to the Dolphins and add another significant piece that can add both in the short and long term.

There are just so many opportunities that can arise between now and September. If the rookie QB walks in and lights it up at training camp, the 49ers would be a lot more open to trading with Garoppolo.

If Garoppolo overtakes the rookie ahead of the season and leads the team to a deep playoff run or a Super Bowl title, San Francisco will be able to maximize the return on every trade for the next off-season.

Would you swap Garoppolo for a first or second round selection before or at the draft, given that the roster is built that way and the 49ers are confident they can win a championship next season?

The post San Francisco 49ers: It might take a first-round decide for Niners to pay attention presents for Jimmy Garoppolo appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.