Buzz By The Bay

Fresh off a playoff run that went as far as the divisional round in 2004, the 2005 New York Jets saw their talented but underachieving franchise fall to a deflating 4-12 record. Next January, incumbent head coach Herm Edwards skipped town to take over the Chiefs’ coaching gig. In turn, just months before the draft, a fresh-faced Bill Belichick disciple by the name of Eric Mangini was handed the keys to one of the most storied franchises in the NFL. His team had glaring needs at quarterback, offensive line and linebacker, but there was room for improvement at just about every position.

The 2006 draft was stacked with talent. Aside from collegiate phenom Reggie Bush, quarterbacks Vince Young, Matt Leinart and Jay Culter were drawing interest from practically all 32 teams, while linebackers A.J. Hawk, Ernie Sims, Chad Greenway and Bobby Carpenter were also considered high first-round material.

But Mangini spent his first pick (No. 4 overall) as head coach of the Jets on an undersized player who would never touch the ball or ball-carrier: Offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson out of Virginia. The always rowdy and perennially unsatisfied Jets draft crowd was growing frustrated by the lack of help at the skill positions, but saw a glimpse of hope when Mangini and Co. traded up to snag the 29th pick of the first round. With many talented skill players left on the board, the Jets selected center Nick Mangold out of Ohio State. Though 21 of the 32 players selected in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft have yet to reach the Pro Bowl, the New York duo has already garnered three Pro Bowl selections between them, and the Jets now stand as inarguably one of the best teams in the AFC under coach Rex Ryan.

I have a feeling second-year San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary remembers this story. I would bet as he saw the picks unfold, he sat back in his chair, nodding in approval as the angry New York masses clamored for the other big name guys. In fact, had Michael Crabtree not fallen to him by the grace of God (or the grace of Al Davis) last year, the Niners almost certainly would’ve retooled the line sooner.

Admittedly, the draft didn’t go as well as it possibly could have for the 49ers. The two players they seemed to have been after most — OT Trent Williams and CB Joe Haden — had come off the board sooner than expected, and the team was dealt another blow once Seattle opted to take safety Earl Thomas right before the Niners selected at 17. That said, Trent Baalke and Mike Singletary still managed a very solid draft, given the circumstances. They got their second favorite lineman in Rutgers OT Anthony Davis, while bolstering the trenches even further with the selection of Idaho G Mike Iupati at 17.

I’m sure there are plenty of fans that hoped the team would address needs in the secondary with a player like Thomas or cornerback Kyle Wilson. Some even wanted quarterback Jimmy Clausen once he fell. But the fact of the matter is, the best football teams are built from the front on back, with smart, physical offensive lineman.

The Niners have had one of the worst offensive lines in the league over the past three seasons, having yielded an NFL-worst 150 sacks over that span. This is likely a major factor behind the decision to stick with quarterback Alex Smith, along with the fact that Smith, for the first time, will not enter the season with a new offensive coordinator.

With the addition of both lineman, Frank Gore’s holes will get bigger, Smith will face less pressure, and Singletary’s defense will remain better rested. If the two new additions can tap into even a fraction of their enormous potential in the next year or so, there is a chance for this offense to become scary good. There is little sense in drafting a new quarterback or running back in the first round if you can't give them a decent line to operate behind. If Smith doesn’t work out, we will still have a first-rounder for next year’s Jimmy Clausen.

While the trade to move up from the No. 13 spot to pick Davis at the No. 11 seemed more impatient that tactful, it does show the clear preference that San Francisco had for Davis (a lineman with arguably the most upside in the draft) over other tackles like Bryan Bulaga. Although we lost a fourth-rounder in the process, no one will complain if Davis performs well on game day. Plus, with second- and third-round selections left for Friday, I would bet Niners fans will see at least one defensive back come off the board, if not two.

Quarterback can wait as well, as Smith deserves one more year with emerging weapons in Vernon Davis and Crabtree, and a revamped offensive line. Though a C.J. Spiller or a Dez Bryant would’ve been a lot of fun on draft day, if Davis can reach his potential as a pass protector and Iupati becomes a more polished run-blocker, the Niners could have a lot more Pro Bowlers and playoff runs in their future.