Draft Review

Despite the many free agent aquisitions, there are numerous holes in terms of depth and the well documented problems of the offensive line. The 49ers had their sights set on offensive tackle Mo Collins, and after he fell from the teams most likely to pick lineman, it looked like San Fran was home free. But the Oakland Raiders traded up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and nabbed Mo. The 49ers turned to plan B which was to add depth to the secondary and made a great pick in choosing R.W. McQuarters for Oklahoma State. McQuarters is a phenomanal athlete who played both offence and defence in college but his real value for the 49ers will be as a return man. The second round yeilded another good pick for the Niners in Center, Guard Jeremy Newberry. Newberry is an underclassman who was coached by Steve Mariucci while Steve was at Cal. Jeremy should provide depth at both Center and Guard this year but eventually will be the starter at Center, likely forcing Dalman to guard when either Ray Brown or Kevin Gogan retire. The next pick for the 49ers was one of its most questionable. Chris Ruhman was an underachieving tackle during his career at Texas A&M but he does not have the athletic ability for Left Tackle. The fourth round pick was Lance Shulters, an unheralded safety from Hofstra. A superb athlete, he was burned often in a college conference not known for football. He did have a phenomenal showing at the Senior Bowl, but I want to see him do that on the pro field before I believe it. He'll contribute on special teams and ease the pressure on R.W. McQuarters. Phil Ostrowski was their fifth round pick out of Penn State. San Francisco's coaching staff believes he has the talent to start at guard down the road. Fred Beasley was chosen to backup at both Fullback and Tailback and replace Marc Edwards (now starting) on special teams. Ryan Thelwell was chosen in round 7. They're so high on him that they traded a sixth round pick next year just to make sure that they got ahead of San Diego, who was rumoured to take him, to get ahead of the Chargers.

  1. R.W. McQuarters-Oklahoma St. DB
  2. Jeremy Newberry-California OL
  3. Chris Ruhman-Texas A&M OL
  4. Lance Schulters-Hofstra DB
  5. Phil Ostrowski-Penn St. OL
  6. Fred Beasley-Auburn RB
  7. Ryan Thelwell-Minnesota WR


Free Agency Revisited

Antonio Langham, Gabe Wilkins and Winfred Tubbs were the three biggest free agents signings by the 49ers this offseason.

Players Acquired

Player Losses