The 2009 49er draft class was severely hurt by a senseless hold out, injury, and dare I say it even a few bad draft picks. This class really ends up being a draft class of back ups. While I was pretty down on this draft a year ago, WR Michael Crabtree might have had a great year had he not held out, and we really can blame that on Al Davis.

A quick look at the 2009 49er draft class:

1.Round One (10)- Michael Crabtree WR
2.Round Three (74)- Glen Coffee RB
3.Round Five (146)- Scott McKillop
4.Round Five (171)- Nate Davis (QB)
5.Round Six (184)- Bear Pascoe TE
6.Round Seven (219)- Curtis Taylor DB
7.Round Seven (244)- Ricky Jean-Francois DT

Ok so Crabtree missed five games in his holdout, and frustration over not being the first WR selected. Coffee played in 14 games but was fairly unproductive. McKillop was a backup who saw action in 15 games. Davis is their third string QB, and will remain there with the pickup of David Carr. Pascoe was cut in the pre-season. Taylor’s season was ended by a hip injury, and Francois played in three games.

Let’s be blunt, that is simply not good enough. This is a team that was partially rebuilding and Head Coach Mike Singletary might have though he could coach some of these guys up, but that did not prove to be the case. If Crabtree becomes a star, this draft class looks a lot better, other wise it is in the bottom of the C range, grade wise.

Related Links:

•2009 NFL Draft, one year later
•San Francisco 49ers news and notes
•2010 NFL Mock drafts
•2010 NFL team needs
•MTR Football.com

2009 NFL Draft one year later: San Francisco 49ers is a post from: The Inquisitr

After a long hold out, the San Francisco 49ers and Wide out Michael Crabtree finally reached a deal on a six year contract. As we start to look at the details of this contract we start to realize that Crabtree didn’t get anything more than what he was going to get in August. Crabtree essentially flushed a good portion of his rookie year away, for a couple of incentive clauses that will be nearly impossible to reach. He is still getting paid by where he was selected, 10th overall.

So overall this is a six year 32 million dollar deal. Around 17 million of it will be in guaranteed money. It is also right in line with the deal that 9th overall pick BJ Raji received. There is a clause in this deal that can void the fifth year. However several other performance clauses make Crabtree and his agent look kind of silly for holding out this long. IN the first four years of the deal Crabtree must make two pro bowls, or he must make a pro bowl and participate in 80% of the offensive snaps in a season where the 49ers make the playoffs.

Since this is year one of the deal and Crabtree is unlikely to participate in 80% of the Niners snaps, and he is but one receiver in a crowded NFC receivers crops it doesn’t seem likely that he will be able to make the pro bowl either. On top of the clause to make this a 6 year 40 million dollar deal is totally unreachable.

In the end this deal is worth a tepid 2.83 million dollars guaranteed, and one has to wonder what did Crabtree really achieve with this holdout? On the surface it looks like nothing but having his ego stroked, and that is a dangerous sign of another Diva player headed for a meltdown.

Crabtree ends hold out, signs deal is a post from: The Inquisitr

Michael Crabtree’s agent has made the threat that if they do not get the contract that they want they will sit out 2009 and re-enter the NFL draft in 2010. According to NFL rules the San Francisco 49ers own Crabtree’s rights for a full year after selecting him 10th overall in the first round of 2009.

Crabtree was rated as the number one Wide receiver prospect of the 2009 draft, but the Oakland Raiders reached way down beyond him to select Darius Heyward Bey with the 7th overall pick. The Raiders signed Bey to a five year 38.25 million dollar deal with 23.5 million of that in guaranteed salary.

Crabtree wants a contract bigger than that to reflect his position as the highest rated wide out prospect of 2009. However that is not how things work in the NFL. Draft picks are paid on a slotting/scale system. Based on where he was drafted, what position he plays, and on what the congruent pick from the previous drafts were paid.

Based on that formula Crabtee should be due a five year20 million dollar contract with 15 million or so in guarantees. Apparently that is not going to be enough to satisfy Crabtree and his agent. However re-entering the draft a year later could be a total disaster for Crabtree.

In recent memory only one player has sat out a year and then been drafted within the top 10. That player, Mike Williams, was drafted 10th overall by the Detroit Lions and to call that pick a farce it being a little too nice. At this point the only real alternative for Crabtree would be to play the six game season of the new United Football League and hope one of their four teams pay him a significant amount of money.

Other than that Crabtree is going to have to reconcile the fact that he was not the first wide out drafted and accept the salary that goes along with his draft status

Crabtree to re-enter NFL draft? is a post from: The Inquisitr