Pascoe, Taylor, and Jeanfrancois newest 49ers

By David Zizmor

April 28, 2009
 
 



SANTA CLARA--The 49ers took a tight end in the draft named Bear Pascoe and this is like a real Bear like in "grrrrrr, I like picnic baskets, I like honey" Pascoe will probably contribute immediately to the Niners as this draft was deep in tight ends.

Pascoe was down in Fresno State and you might have seen him on TV this is a guy who is a pretty good receiver but he's an even better blocker. He's really going to end up being the third string tight end and probably a special teams guy this is a guy whose going to get some snaps on the starting offense.

He's a great blocker and considered one of the best blockers in the entire draft as a matter of fact he's just considered a huge guy. If you have a name like Bear you have to earn it by being strong and that's what this guy is. He's going to be in on short down situations when they need a big block.

He's going to be in there to give Vernon Davis and Delaney Walker a rest and he might be there on the kicking unit trying to block field goals and punts. As a matter of fact at Fresno State he blocked six field goals.

So we know Bear can play on special teams and your going to see this guy contribute although he's a sixth rounder and you don't always expect sixth rounders to play but the 49ers only have two tight ends and Pascoe was drafted specifically to be the third tight end.

So your going to see him make a impact on this team so keep an eye out for Bear Pascoe he's going to contribute to the 49ers.

The guy the 49ers took in the last round Curtis Taylor a safety and defensive end Ricky Jeanfrancois both played at LSU. There's questions about these guys. Their two players who played in a very strong conference again the SEC.

At the same time they were on a fantastic team and everybody knows that LSU has one of the best programs in college football right now. These are two guys who have tremendous athletic ability. They just haven't quite been able to put it all together.

Both Taylor and Jeanfrancois are guys who are heavily recruited out of high school and guys who have played quite a bit they were starters but they never quite lived up to their physical ability.

So their kind of risky picks and it's not guaranteed that either of these guys would make the team but at the same time because they have great ability and with the right coaching these are guys who could play right away at least on special teams.

As a matter of fact if your looking at Ricky Jeanfrancois who was the Niners last pick and they picked him 244th overall he was the 35th pick in the seventh round as a matter of fact. He's a defensive tackle and he's a guy who thinks he's better than he plays but at the same time you watch him in some games you might swear he's a first round pick.

He has that kind of talent and if he was ever to put it all together he would have been picked to be in the first or the second round and if you watch him in the bowl game he was actually LSU's MVP in 2008.

So Jeanfrancois has tremendous talent, he has first round talent, the only problem is he has never been consistent enough from game to game to justify picking him high. However with the 49ers coaching staff giving him some attention around the clock this is a guy with some luck can develop into a good defensive lineman for the 49ers.

Taylor whose at safety he was the 49ers other second round pick and a guy with good instincts and that good ability but again he wasn't consistent as a tackler. The knock on him is they go for the big hit too much and because he does he might miss giving up a really good play.

Anybody whose watched the 49ers safeties knows that's probably what they might not need they already have guys who are already trying to do that already. Taylor is a guy who can come in and play on special teams and he would be a great addition to the kick coverage unit.

So Taylor has a chance to contribute but he probably won't play as a starter anytime soon. If he makes the team he should be a guy who contributes right away on special teams. All in all the 49ers have a really solid draft. They drafted a number of guys that really fit some of their needs. They filled some holes on their team and it was surprising that they didn't pick up an outside linebacker, defensive end, and someone who could rush the passer.

That's going to be a weakness this year but the 49ers defense did look a lot better under Singletary once he took over as the head coach. So hopefully after a whole off season of new coaching by Singletary and some improvements here and there hopefully the 49er pass rush will improve.

David Zizmor covers 49ers football with Tony the Tiger Hayes and Morris Phillips for Sportstalk Radio

 

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