From what I've been reading about the 49ers' first-round picks (they drafted two offensive linemen) in yesterday's draft, they did very well. All the reviews have been positive! But it must be a drag being a football lineman, toiling in the trenches. It's not as glamorous as playing the so-called 'skill' positions such as quarterback, running back, or wide receiver. Or cornerback, safety, linebacker, etc. Linemen on either side of the ball are just the guys skillfully pounding away all game, only getting noticed for the mistakes they make or the penalties they commit. Rarely do people think to themselves, "Wow, what a great pickup of the blitz which allowed the touchdown pass!" or "That's cool, taking up two blockers so that your teammate could make the tackle, good play!"
And perhaps worst of all, draft observers describe linemen as not being 'sexy' picks. How insulting!
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But really, I remember last year's draft where the Niners traded their second-round pick for an extra first-round pick in this year's draft. It was a difficult instance of delayed gratification, but it paid off yesterday. It was such a luxury picking twice in the first-round and fortifying the offensive line so emphatically. In one day, the Niners were able to align their roster with the kind of smash-mouth style of play that they have been working to implement. It shows faith in Alex Smith as quarterback (it's a team sport, and after all, haven't great quarterbacks been surrounded by great players anyway? - let's see what Alex can do now). It also gives starting running back Frank Gore and backup Glen Coffee a mauling line of blockers to run behind; things are looking good. I think it was John Madden who believed that winning football all starts with the effectiveness of the offensive line, so now we'll see how good our unit can be.
Oh boy, the second and third rounds are today - I LOVE the draft!
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