What were these guys thinking
Okay, so I’m going through the Raiders and 49ers picks from last
weekend’s NFL draft and I’m thinking that both local teams did
pretty well for themselves
– that is until I dive a little deeper into the profiles on each
player that was chosen through the first handful of rounds.
What were these guys thinking
Okay, so I’m going through the Raiders and 49ers picks from last weekend’s NFL draft and I’m thinking that both local teams did pretty well for themselves – that is until I dive a little deeper into the profiles on each player that was chosen through the first handful of rounds.
It was then that I asked myself what in the heck were the 49ers thinking when it came to making their picks in the fifth and sixth round?
In the fifth round the Niners chose Texas cornerback Tarell Brown. And in the sixth round, they picked up Kansas State running back Thomas Clayton.
First, I read up on Brown. It’s all part of the job so that I can look a little more knowledgeable when the season rolls around.
I’m not even a paragraph into his profile when I suddenly realize that I’m reading something more akin to a police rap sheet than a player profile on an NFL candidate. Player profiles are supposed to highlight or enhance each player’s positives, as well as their athletic skills set so that the “intelligent” coaches on draft day can get a feel for how the college players that are still available will enhance their organization and the team’s objectives.
So here’s what I read about Brown: He started all 11 games he played in as a senior, but was suspended for the Ohio State game after he, backup safety Tyrell Gatewood and former Texas linebacker Aaron Harris were arrested on September 4 on misdemeanor marijuana charges. Brown also was charged with unlawful possession of a 9mm handgun, another misdemeanor.
Gee, we better hurry up and draft a guy like that. What was Nolan thinking?
I thought he was trying to run a tight, respectable ship that personified the 49ers storied history and classy past. Can you imagine Bill Walsh on draft day during the mid 1980s and seeing a kid with these “misdemeanors” on his profile? Something tells me Walsh would have opted to pass.
Then, I do my best to forgive Nolan and move on only to check out the sixth-rounder that team Frisco took, Thomas Clayton.
Here’s what it says verbatim on Clayton: After a promising junior season and with a new coaching staff in place, Kansas State was expecting a banner senior season from Clayton in 2006. What they got instead was a troubled athlete who was suspended for the season opener against Illinois State.
Then it goes on to say that Clayton has maturity issues, as he has been involved in several incidents that led to a suspension and alleged benching. That he will question authority and has a marginal work ethic. He’s also described as a marginal competitor who simply shuts down when not involved in the action … Gets frustrated when his initial move fails … Needs to be more accountable for his actions, both on and off the field, etc, etc.
Neither one of these guys sounds like the next Ronnie Lott or Roger Craig to me. When the objective is to turn things around why bring in players that are only going to disturb and disrupt the team and its quest to return to the NFL’s upper echelon?
Didn’t the 49ers learn from the T.O. fiasco?
The rest of the Niners picks were solid and the Raiders must have somehow seen a copy of this very column before the draft when they opted to make a trade with New England, which rid them of Randy Moss, another head case.
I’d like to ask Mike Nolan what in the heck he was thinking with his fifth- and sixth-round picks, but I’m sure he’d have a solid answer. But that’s why he’s coaching in the NFL and why I’m writing about it.
Until next week…
