GM in 10: The San Francisco 49ers

GM in 10:
The San Francisco 49ers

Author: Michael Weitzner

(https://www.ninersnation.com/2017/12/25/16817070/the-49ers-are-not-a-cute-little-team-anymore)

GM in 10
is a series of discussions where I take one franchise—the 49ers—and talk about
the 10 steps I would take to improve the team. There will not always be 10
steps (like today), all trades are checked to make sure money matches, and
signings are based on cap space and rumors that have been floating around.

May I be
the first to congratulate the 49ers on finding their franchise quarterback! Garoppolo
signed a massive 5 year, $137.5 million contract extension. So whether you like
him or not, Jimmy Garoppolo, aka Jimmy GQ, aka the best looking man to ever
play QB, is going to be the quarterback of your team for the next few years,
and hopefully even longer than that! For the first time in a long time, QB is
not a concern. Now we can move forward and start making real improvements to
substance of the team.

At first
glance, this team looks like it’s ready to make a run in the NFC. 49ers have a
QB waiting for the opportunity to be great, weapons on offense for him to play
with, and a young defense that is on the verge of taking the next step. Still,
there are areas that need to be improved before the team becomes a threat in
the playoffs. The biggest team needs are Pass Rush, Offensive Guard, and
Defensive Back. Look at me, I am the captain now; so move over John Lynch and
let me take things from here.

STEP 1:

Absolutely, positively do NOT take
a quarterback in the draft. Jimmy
GQ has arrived; you’ve got him! So do not waste your time drafting another
quarterback that’s just going to sit on the bench and look pretty. This team
can draft more depth and talent that will actually get on the field, and a
backup quarterback won’t even smell the field. As a side note, you do not want
Garoppolo’s confidence to falter because that’s Step 1 for making your young QB
fail! Garoppolo is your guy so make him feel like it.

STEP 2:

Cut Elvis Dumervil and Zane
Beadles. Buckle
down because we are about to get into salary cap talk. The 49ers currently have
almost $69 million in available cap space but I want more; you can never have
too much cap space. By cutting Dumervil and Beadles, almost $7 million of
additional cap space is created. That’s enough to sign a replacement at guard
or a younger, more improved pass rusher. Having aging linemen on either side of
the ball is never what you want. Result: 49ers have $76 million in cap space.

STEP 3:

Sign a starting Guard. The interior of the offensive line
is the first thing that should be addressed in free agency. Garoppolo needs to
know that he will be protected over the next 5 years. Although this signing isn’t
sexy and won’t make headlines, most signings that improve a team aren’t.
Winning headlines cannot supersede winning on the field. In a perfect world, a
new guard would cost $6 million (the amount saved by Step 2). However, it’s
okay to spend a little more. My suggestion: sign Josh Kline to a 4 year, $32
million contract ($8 million per year). This leaves us with $68 million in cap
space.

STEP 4:

Sign a top tier cornerback. This signing is going to be expensive!
Corners do not come cheap in general so can you imagine how much a starting,
high quality cornerback will cost? Stephon Gilmore signed a 5 year deal worth
$65 million last season with the Patriots—that’s $13 million per year. Expect
to pay this much, if not more. Trumaine Johnson and E.J. Gaines will definitely
want a bigger contract than Gilmore but it will definitely be worth it. Either
will work but let’s pick E.J. Gaines because he is younger and sign him to a 5
year, $70 million contract ($14 million per year). This leaves us with $54
million in cap space.

STEP 5:

Resign Aaron Lynch. It’s simple enough. Defensive end
is an important position and Aaron Lynch is familiar with the 49ers. He will
not cost an enormous amount of money and he is still young enough to make
improvements. Lynch should cost around $2~$4 million per year. Small
improvements/resignings make a huge difference in the long run. My suggestion:
sign Aaron Lynch to a 2 year, $7 million contract that pays $3.5 million per
year. This leaves us with about $50 million in cap space.

STEP 6:

Resign Carlos Hyde. Hyde is a talented running back who
is only 27 years old. Some of his recent struggles can be attributed to poor
offensive line play. However once Garoppolo became the starter, the offense was
running on all cylinders. Let’s keep the offense consistent and bring back
Hyde. Even as a starting running back, he will be relatively cheap. My
suggestion: sign Carlos Hyde for 3 years, $14.5 million ($4.83 million per
year). Leaving us with $45 million in cap space.

STEP 7(a):

DRAFT TIME! Take Quenton Nelson in
the first round at #9. After
the first round of free agency, there is still a hole at guard. Quenton Nelson
fills that spot perfectly. Nelson is a great run blocker and has potential to
improve his pass blocking to an above average level. Nelson should be there at
#9 and can make a big impact from day one. Drafting Nelson will solidify the
offensive line and ultimately protect Jimmy Garoppolo.

STEP 7(b):

IF Nelson is not there at #9, trade
down and get more draft picks. It’s
almost certain that one of the high profile quarterbacks will be available at
#9 and there will absolutely be a team that is in need of a QB that will give
anything to trade up. The best option is the Bills because they have two first
round picks at #21 and #22. However, the most likely option is received a first
and a second. My suggested trade: 49ers get #15 and AZ second round pick,
Cardinals get #9 and late round pick.

STEP 8:

Take defensive players with the
rest of the draft picks. Defensive
depth is critical for making a run into the playoffs. Injuries are a real
concern in the NFL and a player can be lost for an entire season from one play.
Having competent replacements is what makes defenses better than good, even
great perhaps. Some positions that should be focused on earlier rather than
later: pass rusher to replace Dumervil, outside linebacker, and a backup
safety. Here are a few players I like: Terrell Edmunds (LB/S), second round;
Dorance Armstrong (OLB), third round; and Jayln Holmes (DE), fourth round.

STEP 9:

Post-draft, find the good free
agent(s) that asked for too much.
At this point, there is about $45 million left of cap space. There will always
be one or two great players that asked for wayyyyy too much in free agency. Use
the rest of the cap space to get Jimmy GQ another weapon or bolster the pass
rush some more. Some viable wide receivers that could miss out on long term
deals are Allen Robinson (coming back from knee injury) and Sammy Watkins, who
just hasn’t lived up to his potential. And pass rushers that could slip through
the cracks are Adrian Clayborn and Dion Jordan.

Sources:

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2018-nfl-free-agency-demarcus-lawrence-headlines-crop-of-free-agent-pass-rushers/

http://www.nbcsports.com/boston/new-england-patriots/malcolm-butler-sounds-unfazed-contract-buzz-trade-rumors

https://www.sbnation.com/2018/2/26/17040158/nfl-free-agency-2018-top-100-players-signed

https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/02/08/jimmy-garoppolo-contract-salary-49ers

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000855910/article/2018-nfl-draft-order-and-needs-for-every-team

http://walterfootball.com/draft2018.php

http://www.49ers.com/team/depth-chart.html

https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/san-francisco-49ers