Buzz By The Bay

In a day filled with quarterback drama, Belichick scheming and way too many awkward Boomer moments, the Niners came away with two more high upside players in areas of need.

After addressing the offensive line with both picks Thursday, the defensive backfield was the clear priority going forward. The 49ers had the league’s 12th-worst pass defense last season, and of the four starting positions, not one is held by a bonafide starter. The corners have been ineffective (Nate Clements has been especially disappointing given his contract), FS Dashon Goldson is improving but still raw, while SS Michael Lewis is only helpful in run support.

With the No. 49 overall pick, the Niners opted for hard-hitting USC safety, Taylor Mays. Considered by many to be a first-round talent because of his size, speed and pedigree, Mays fell to the Niners in the second round because of concerns over his coverage and ball skills. Though Mays has made it clear that he intends to work diligently on becoming more of a ballhawk in coverage, he will most likely take over for the aging Lewis at SS, at least initially. The fact that Mays has linebacker size with cornerback speed makes him an especially intriguing prospect. But he greatly underachieved during his senior campaign and will have to make some significant changes to his playing style to become the elite safety that he is capable of one day being.

Mays also made headlines for his comments about former coach Pete Carroll late Friday night, after the new Seahawks head coach passed him up in the first round for infinitely superior safety Earl Thomas. Mays essentially blamed the slide on Carroll — basically calling him dishonest and disloyal — prompting an entire nation of 49er fans to exclaim: “Real classy douchebag. You better show up on Sundays, especially against the Hawks.”

When it came time for the 49ers to draft at No. 79 in the third round, the Niners worked a trade with the Chargers to move back to the No. 91 spot, while also picking up a sixth-round pick (No. 173) as well the Chargers’ fourth-round pick in 2011. This trade, like the first one the Niners made, does raise some eyebrows but wasn’t terrible. While the move allowed us to acquire more picks, it's unlikely that the 2011 draft will be as deep as this year’s. Especially with guys like Jordan Shipley, Colt McCoy and Eric Decker still on the board — and the 49ers would benefit greatly from a possession receiver or a third-round value like McCoy — it was hard to see us trade back, especially once all three players got scooped up over the 12 spot gap.

But once San Francisco was on the clock, it made another promising selection with OLB Navarro Bowman out of Linebacker U. Bowman is a great athlete with phenomenal instincts and physical makeup. However, a lack of discipline on and off the field led to his drop from possible first-round status to a late third-round selection. Though the Ben Roethisberger saga is proving that character concerns are not something to be overlooked, if there was any coach that could whip a player like Bowman into shape, my money would be on Singletary. For proof, look no further than his work with Vernon Davis last season. Bowman is not expected to start right away, but should help out on special teams while he is likely groomed to eventually take over as Takeo Spikes’ successor.

The Niners potentially came away from the first two days with four first-round talents in their possession. That said, three of the four have serious bust potential as well. It will be up to Singletary and his coaching staff to make sure these guys tap into their vast potential, and remain professional both on and off the field. Perhaps even more scary is how good the Seahawks seem to be getting, having nabbed top OT Russell Okung, dynamic safety Earl Thomas and home-run receiving threat Golden Tate. Here’s to hoping Hasselbeck is back on the injury report before the opener.