Draftee Profiles:

Each players' profile that the 49ers pick will be placed here during the draft.
Round 1
Mike Rumph is probably the second most fundamentally sound corner in this season's draft. He has a great understanding of the game, and is an incredible athlete. Rumph will have little adjustment to make as he enters the NFL and likely will become an every down player early in the season if not on opening day. Rumph is an impact player who would be an immediate help, but he does seem to be playing on top of his game and there isn't likely to be much improvement seen from him. There is very little gambling here, what you see is what you get, and Rumph is a good one- he just isn't likely to improve greatly at the next level.

Mike Rumph brings the 49ers a solid third cornerback. Rumph will step in immiediately either as the nickel back or opposite Ahmed Plummer. With Rumph the 49ers now have three cornerbacks that should allow them to match up with any team - even St. Louis when it comes to receivers. Rumph is a solid corner, a coaches dream and a typical "character guy" for the 49ers.

Round 3
Saleem Rasheed is very quick off the ball and is an explosive blitzing linebacker. He has a very large upside but will have a hard time adding bulk to his frame. Has great instincts and is always around the ball. Makes the tackles he needs to make and will catch people from behind. Needs to learn to keep his cool after missing out on a play. Will make an immediate impact on a team, but isn't likely to be an every down player in his first year.

Rasheed will add much needed depth to the 49ers linebacking core. He will help smooth over the loss of Terry Killens and will continue to push youngsters Jeff Ulbrich, Jamie Winborn and maybe even veteran Derek Smith. Rasheed was one of my top rated linebackers in this years draft. The 49ers trade down was likely a good one, as this had been the player they were targetting all along.

Round 4
Recognizing an immediate need at kicker, the 49ers selected Jeff Chandler. Chandler brings to the team a ton of leg strength. He's among the top kickers in the draft. The 49ers have not drafted a kicker in an extremely long time. Chandler will step in to challege Jose Cortez and Jamie Rheem for the starting place kicking spot.

It's very surprising to see the 49ers adress a special teams area in the draft, particularly at such an early pick. There was no hesitation though, so Chandler was obviously the man of choice for the team. However the team did say they would go with the best player available when they draft, and if Chandler wins the starting spot -and for that matter, a roster spot, he will help the 49ers special team immensley and may even win some close games for the team.

Round 4
Kevin Curtis has good size and speed for the position. He can hit very well from the strong position. He's lethal against the run and comes from an aggressive defensive scheme. Is a great danger along the line of scrimage. He had 15 tackles for loss in this past season. His pass defense skills improved dramatically over the past season, and while they don't match his run stopping skills are more adequate. Is quite good at recognizing the play action. Has the size and skill to take on NFL type tight ends effectively. An overall good prospect.

It's not that much of a surprise that the 49ers went after another defensive back. Curtis was drafted to compete with Ronnie Heard, Al Baldes and John Keith for the two remaining safety positions open behind Bronson and Perrish. With Keith's health an uncertainty, the move simply makes sense. Curtis typically plays the free safety position, and is a safety I had rated very highly in this years draft.

Round 5
Brandom Doman was an interesting pick in my opinion. Not since Steve Young and Ty Detmer has the team had a quarterback on their roster from Bringham Young (ok really not that relevant but worth mentioning because the team obviously likes BYU QBs). Bringham Young is a small school, and the 49ers with four quarterbacks currently signed did not need another one. However many, including the 49ers felt they needed to look down the road and find a prospect that could legitimately be a NFL starter. The team was not quite sure they had that on their roster.

Doman will immediately compete with Tim Ratty, Giovanni Carmazzi and Aaron Garcia for the two spots behind Jeff Garcia. He is considered a character guy, that is a winner. Was under the leadership of an offensive coordinator that coached Tim Ratty in college. Is mobile, makes good decisions.

Round 5
Josh Shaw is an undersized defensive tackle that finds a way to make big plays. He has very good speed and a good vertical and timing that allows him to bat down passes. With his speed Shaw can also make tackles from behind. Shaw makes good use of his strength but needs work shedding blockers particularly when double teamed. Shaw could be an impact player but isn't likely to be an immediate starter.

In the fifth round this man is a steal. A little small but projected as a third round prospect Shaw was one of my top ten defensive tackles heading into the draft. Shaw will enter the rotation at defensive tackle, and may be who the 49ers eventually envision to take over for Dana Stubblefield. A great pick for the 49ers. Shaw was injured when the 49ers drafted him but believe he will be ready for September. Shaw's injury is likely why he fell so far in the daft.

Round 6
Mark Anelli will come into the 49ers and right away fill a void. Anelli is a very big tight end. A blocker who has good hands but isn't going to be making people miss in the open field. Is good at both the pass and run blocking aspects at tight end. A man who works hard on every play but is not quite quick.

The 49ers needed another tight end to compete with Justin Swift and backup Eric Johnson. In Anelli they have their man. Anelli is a good candidate for the job and should compliment the excellent pass catching of starter Eric Johnson quite nicely.

Round 7
The 49ers had to wait until the seventh round before they went offensive line. And when they did, they went big guard Eric Heitmann. Heitmann is 6'4", 305 lb and comes from Stanford. He's a good blocker with great agility, and fundamentals. Will need to work on leverage skills and could use anohter 10 pounds or so.

Heitmann will be a welcome addition to the depth along the 49ers offensive line. He will be a solid backup and may see some time towards the end of the year. The 49ers may have big plans for Heitmann in the future, possibly taking Derek Deese's spot.

Round 7
Kyle Kosier is a rather smallish type offensive tackle. He is the 49ers second offensive line pick in the draft. He has the frame to add some much needed weight. A true prospect who needs to work on balance and the fundamentals, Kosier is a pure depth pick for the 49ers.

The 49ers have been trying to stabalize their offensive line for some time. The front line seems quite solid, but there is a dire need for backups. Kosier will be one of the ways the 49ers try to add depth to their offensive front.

Round 7
The 49ers completed their draft with Teddy Gaines a small cornerback. Gaines is a decent cover corner, and has good speed. Can be beat by bigger and stronger receivers.

Gaines will have hard time making the 49ers roster, his best bet is with a stellar showing on special teams.