Blogs

Morning Tailgate: Seven-Round Roundup

If you’ve projected a seven-round mock draft this week (Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com and Josh Norris of NFL.com) hats off to you.

It takes guts to fill out a 32-pick mock draft and even more fortitude to make 254 draft predictions. But that’s exactly what those two NFL scribes have done.

The 49ers have 13 selections in the upcoming draft, five of their own – five from trades with Kansas City, Carolina, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Miami – three were awarded as compensatory selections.

San Francisco has multiple picks in the second, third, fourth, sixth and seventh rounds. The 49ers draft pick, noted by round and overall selection are listed below.

49ers draft picks (round, #): 1, 31 / 2, 34 / 2, 61 / 3, 74 / 3, 93 / 4, 128 / 4, 131 / 5, 157 / 6, 173 / 6, 180 / 7, 237 / 7, 246 / 7, 252.

For perspective on first-round and late-round targets, we’ve summarized Schrager and Norris’ seven-round mocks in today’s Morning Tailgate

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Morning Tailgate: 49ers Draft Scenarios

The guessing game continues. What will the 49ers do with the No. 31 overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft – trade up, trade back or stay at 31?

According to a report from Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, the 49ers could be looking to move up in the draft.

General Manager Trent Baalke said “Anything’s possible,” last week in his pre-draft meeting with the Bay Area media.

So, in essence, Cole’s report isn’t out of the question.

For now, the speculation game will continue until the clock hits 5:00 p.m. PT on Thursday night and the official decisions can begin.

More 49ers draft scenarios are discussed in today’s Morning Tailgate.

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MT: 2013 Draft Week Arrives

In a matter of days the San Francisco 49ers will have 13 opportunities to add to the roster in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Starting Thursday, the three-day draft will see General Manager Trent Baalke and his personnel staff find the best prospects for San Francisco.

There’s plenty of speculation going on as to who the 49ers will take with the No. 31 overall pick and if the team will actually make 13 selections in the draft. Baalke said last week that he’s treating every selection with the utmost importance and that there’s potential to move up and move back in the draft via trades.

For now, it’s a waiting game and an exciting one at that.

Over the weekend we finished our “49 in 49” series. You can check out all 49 profiles on this year’s intriguing prospects. Maybe one of them will be a 49ers draft pick just like LaMichael James was in 2012.

If you’re attending the 49ers Draft Bash , here’s all the information you’ll need for the event.

More draft headlines can be found in today’s Morning Tailgate.

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Anquan Boldin Will Wear No. 81

The San Francisco 49ers announced uniform numbers for several newcomers to the 2013 roster.

Most notably, Anquan Boldin will wear No. 81, which was previously worn by tight end Garrett Celek. No. 81 has been Boldin’s uniform for all 10 of his seasons in the NFL, seven with the Arizona Cardinals and the last three years with the Baltimore Ravens.

Boldin’s new jersey is available now on shop49ers.com.

Celek will change to No. 88 this season. He’s not the only member of the 49ers wearing a new number in 2013. However, new cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha has not officially selected a uniform number for his 11^th season in the league and first with the 49ers.

Here are the new uniform numbers:

QB Colt McCoy – 2

K Phil Dawson – 9

WR Marlon Moore – 19

S Craig Dahl – 43

LB Dan Skuta – 51

G Wayne Tribue – 62

G Joe Looney – 78

TE Cameron Morrah – 84

DT Glenn Dorsey – 90

MT: 49ers 2013 Schedule Analysis

The 49ers will have five primetime games in 2013 and several noteworthy matchups in the final year at Candlestick Park.

With the 2013 regular season schedule being released on Thursday, it’s now known that San Francisco will face four playoff teams in the opening five weeks of the season. The 49ers will also open the final season at The ‘Stick against the Green Bay Packers, the very same team they opened against on the road in 2012.

It will also be Colin Kaepernick’s first regular season start at quarterback and his 11^th career start as he enters his third season with the 49ers. The last time Kaepernick faced the Packers at Candlestick, the dual-threat quarterback rushed for 181 yards in his first career playoff outing. It was also the most single-game rushing yards from a quarterback in NFL history.

The other 15 regular season games on the 49ers schedule provide several quality matchups. Free agency departures from the 49ers like defensive tackle Ricky Jeans Francois, tight end Delanie Walker and safety Dashon Goldson will all face their former team in 2013. Jean Francois and the Indianapolis Colts will visit the 49ers on Sept. 22, Walker and the Tennessee Titans will host the 49ers on Oct. 20 and Goldson and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will welcome the 49ers on Dec. 15.

The 49ers will also play the Titans the week before they cross the pond to face the Jacksonville Jaguars at London’s Wembley Stadium.

More thoughts on the 49ers schedule and other team headlines can be found in today’s Morning Tailgate.

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MT: Kendall Hunter Back Sprinting

The San Francisco 49ers enjoy a bevy of talented running backs who can run Greg Roman’s complex offensive system. One of them, third-year runner Kendall Hunter, is back running sprints this offseason. He’s doing so five months removed from a torn left Achilles. Perhaps, Kobe Bryant might want rehab notes from the 49ers running back.

Hunter shared details of his progress with Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.

“I’m just doing what the trainers want me to do,” Hunter told Branch. “That’s the process. I feel and know I can do more, but I’m not going to rush whatever the coaches and trainers want.”

Hunter rushed for 371 yards in 2012, good for 5.2 yards per carry. Hunter also scored two rushing touchdowns before injuring himself on Nov. 25 against the New Orleans Saints.

Hunter told Branch he’d like to participate in OTAs in May or San Francisco’s mandatory minicamp in June, but the talented running back understands the importance of a patient rehab process and expects to be held out of action until training camp.

More 49ers headlines can be found in today’s Morning Tailgate.

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MT: 49ers Host Local Pro Day

CSNBayArea.com’s Matt Maiocco reported on Tuesday that a son of a 49ers Hall of Famer will visit team headquarters on Wednesday to take part in the team’s local pro day.

Nate Montana would be the player in the report. And yes, he’s the son of you know who.

Montana played as a backup quarterback at three different schools (Pasadena City College, Notre Dame and the University of Montana), before finding a starting role at West Virginia Wesleyan.

Montana started nine games at the NCAA Division II school, completing 51.6 percent of his passes with 19 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. Montana averaged 275.6 passing yards per game. He’s also been preparing for the NFL Draft with quarterback guru George Whitfield Jr.

It’s important to note that several pro day attendees have made their way on to the 49ers practice squad. For example, former Stanford safety Michael Thomas went undrafted, but made the practice squad in 2012 and has been signed to a reserve/future contract with the club. Wednesday’s pro day also marks the last day draft eligible players can visit the team’s Santa Clara headquarters.

49ers.com will cover the team’s annual pro day later in the afternoon and will have a full report on the workout.

More 49ers headlines can be found in today’s Morning Tailgate.

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MT: Schedule Coming on Thursday

The NFL has relieved many die-hard football fans with the announcement of the 2013 NFL schedule’s announcement date.

Yes, an announcement of an announcement is getting everyone riled up. This is professional football at its finest. People care so much about their teams in April. They also want to start making travel arrangements.

We know who and where the 49ers will play in 2013, we just don’t know when. Actually, we know the 49ers will visit the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 27 in London, England as part of the league’s International Series.

The 49ers will host division foes, Arizona, Seattle and St. Louis. San Francisco will also welcome Atlanta, Carolina, Houston, Indianapolis and Green Bay in the final season of Candlestick Park.

On the road, the 49ers will travel to Arizona, Seattle, St. Louis, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville (London), Tennessee and Washington.

San Francisco’s 2013 schedule intrigues NFL.com writer Elliot Harrison. The NFL scribe has three 49ers games listed in his top games on the 2013 slate.

San Francisco’s second matchup with Seattle comes in at No. 3 on the list.

“While we don’t know where — or exactly when — this game will be played yet, we do know it will be physical,” Harrison wrote. “We know it will have some playoff implications.”

More 49ers headlines can be found in today’s Morning Tailgate.

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49 in 49: Best of the Bay Week

Football in the Bay Area has been on the rise in recent years. High school, college and professional teams have enjoyed the type of success that earns national notoriety.

With Stanford University, Jim Harbaugh’s former school, earning back-to-back BCS Bowl invitations, the Cardinal have become the leaders in Bay Area collegiate football. Coach David Shaw has continued Harbaugh’s work at Stanford by bringing in academically and athletically gifted athletes. The Cardinal finished as the nation’s No. 7 team according to AP Top 25 results.

Another Bay Area school, San Jose State, also enjoyed impressive success in 2012. The Spartans finished the year 11-2 and No. 21 in the AP’s Top 25 poll.

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MT: 49ers Offseason Workouts Begin

It’s the first football activity the San Francisco 49ers can hold in 2013. Voluntary offseason conditioning work begins today at team headquarters in Santa Clara.

In Phase One of the offseason program, the 49ers will hold two weeks of conditioning work under the supervision of the team’s strength and conditioning staff.

When the two weeks have passed, Phase Two of the program will allow coaches on the field to work on drills with the players before the start of 10 days of offseason team activities (OTAs) and minicamps to be held in May and June.

The first OTA sessions will be held on May 21-23, May 28-30 and June 3-6.

A rookie minicamp will be held after the 2013 NFL Draft. Rookies, however, must finish their spring semester or fourth quarter of school before participating in the OTA sessions with veteran teammates. Last offseason, second-round pick LaMichael James had to finish school at Oregon before taking part in offseason workouts with the 49ers.

More headlines can be found in today’s Morning Tailgate.

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