Profile: Jimmie Ward

The 49ers made their first-round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft overnight on Thursday, and once again general manager Trent Baalke surprised everyone.

Many expected the Niners to use the considerable amount of selections they possess to move up to a better spot in the first round. That did not happen, but the bigger shock was the player San Francisco chose to select with pick No. 30.

Baalke opted to go with Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward, a move that initially raised eyebrows among fans that had eagerly awaited the announcement of the 49ers' pick.

However, Ward put together an extremely impressive collegiate career, and there are a number of reasons why the 49ers opted to take him with their first choice. Here is a quick profile on San Francisco's newest recruit.

Size: 5'11", 192lbs

Collegiate Statistics (courtesy of Sports Reference)

A third-team All-American in 2013, Ward enjoyed an outstanding final year with the Huskies, recording 95 tackles and seven interceptions with one returned for a touchdown.

Despite his outstanding production, the Niners' decision to select him looks an odd one on the face of things, especially considering that San Francisco brought in Antoine Bethea to replace the departed Donte Whitner in free agency.

Yet this is a versatile and talented playmaker who projects as a good fit for a 49ers' defense in need of help in the secondary.

And it is that versatility that played a big role in San Francisco's move to bring Ward to the Bay Area.

Ward operated primarily as a strong safety in college, but spent a substantial amount of time at nickel cornerback, which was an area of need for the 49ers heading into the draft following the exits of Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed that Ward will compete with EricWright and Perrish Cox for the nickel spot while they develop him at safety, meaning that he will have the opportunity to contribute right away.

A violent hitter with good speed and strong coverage skills, Ward has the ability to mature into an excellent NFL safety while giving San Francisco added depth and versatility in the secondary. Some may be underwhelmed, but this is another smart and perhaps underrated pick by the 49ers.

San Francisco 49ers Draft Preview

So here we are, the long arduous wait for the NFL Draft is finally over. All the talking will soon stop and we will finally know the players that are become new members of the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers have 11 picks in the draft, with six of those coming in the top 100.

Here is a quick rundown of the selections San Francisco possesses:

1. First round: own - No. 30
2. Second round: Chiefs (Alex Smith trade) - No. 24 (No. 56 overall)
3. Second round: own - No. 29 (No. 61 overall)
4. Third round: Titans (2013 draft trade) - No. 13 (No. 77 overall)
5. Third round: own - No. 30 (No. 94 overall)
6. Third round: Comp for Dashon Goldson FA departure - No. 36 (No. 100 overall)
7. Fourth round: own - No. 29 (No. 129 overall)
8. Fifth round: own - No. 30 (No. 170 overall)
9. Seventh round: Saints (Parys Haralson trade) - No. 27 (No. 242 overall)
10. Seventh round: Panthers (Colin Jones trade) - No. 28 (No. 243 overall)
11. Seventh round: own - No. 30 - (No. 245 overall)

San Francisco undoubtedly have one of the best rosters in the NFL, but there can be no doubt that there are still a number of holes that need to be addressed by general manager Trent Baalke. Here I break down the 49ers' requirements in the draft, rank the top players in each of those areas and make my first foray into the world of mock drafts. Enjoy!

The needs

First let's start with the holes the 49ers will be looking to fill in the draft.

Cornerback: Arguably San Francisco's greatest area of need following the departures of Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers, it would be a big surprise if the 49ers did not draft a corner early in the draft, especially considering the uncertainty over Chris Culliver's future given his off-the-field indiscretions.

Providing that Culliver - who is slated to be the starter alongside Tramaine Brock in 2014 - is able to play next season, then the 49ers will most likely be searching for a nickel corner in the draft.

There a few outstanding candidates for that position, but do not be surprised San Francisco choose to bring in two quality player in an area where their depth has been significantly reduced.

Wide Receiver: The 49ers may have brought in veteran Brandon Lloyd, but the fact remains that they need to add another dimension to their passing attack, either with a speed receiver to stretch the field, or a big body to aid an often ineffective red-zone offense.

Luckily this is one of the deepest receiver classes for years, meaning that San Francisco should have plenty of opportunities to give quarterback Colin Kaepernick an extra weapon to work with.

Defensive Line: San Francisco possess arguably one of the best defensive lines in football, but this is an ageing unit that could be well served by an injection of youth.

Veteran Justin Smith is 34, while Ray McDonald has only two years remaining on his contract. And, while the presence of 2013 second-round pick Tank Carradine - who missed the entirety of last season through injury - will help, the D-Line could certainly benefit from some extra depth.

Quarterback: Kaepernick is set for a contract extension, while Blaine Gabbert is seemingly locked into the back-up spot behind the Niners' premier signal-caller. However San Francisco does not have a clear number three QB and could be tempted to add one in the later rounds and give head coach Jim Harbaugh another project to work with.

Offensive Line: The 49ers signed Daniel Kilgore to an extension in the off-season, and he is likely to replace Jonathan Goodwin at center, however, it certainly could not hurt to infuse a little competition at the position.

NFL teams always like to have much depth as possible in the trenches, so expect the Niners to bolster the offensive line on day two or three.

Linebacker: With Aldon Smith facing a potential suspension from the NFL, and NaVorro Bowman set to miss much of the campaign as he recovers from the knee ligament injury sustained in the NFC Championship game loss to Seattle, the Niners could look for help at both inside and outside linebacker to help solidify an outstanding defense that may have a few extra holes in 2014.

Rankings

So now we've established the needs the 49ers need to address, but which players should they be targeting at those position. Here I've ranked my top 10 players at cornerback and receiver and outlined some players to watch at the other, perhaps less important needs.

Cornerback

1 Darqueze Dennard  - Michigan State
2 Kyle Fuller - Virginia Tech
3 Jason Verrett - TCU
4 Justin Gilbert - Oklahoma State
5 Bradley Roby - Ohio State
6 Phillip Gaines - Rice
7 Pierre Desir - Lindenwood
8 Stanley Jean-Baptiste - Nebraska
9 Jaylen Watkins - Florida
10 Marcus Roberson - Florida

Selcted others to watch: Lamarcus Joyner - Florida State, Bashaud Breeland - Clemson, Keith McGill - Utah

Wide Receiver

1 Sammy Watkins - Clemson
2 Mike Evans - Texas A&M
3 Odell Beckham Jr. - LSU
4 Marqise Lee - USC
5 Brandin Cooks - Oregon State
6 Cody Latimer - Indiana
7 Allen Robinson - Penn State
8 Kelvin Benjamin - Florida State
9 Bruce Ellington - South Carolina
10 Martavis Bryant - Clemson

Selected others to watch: Jordan Matthews - Vanderbilt, Donte Moncrief - Ole Miss, Davante Adams - Fresno State, Jared Abbrederis - Wisconsin

Players to watch at other positions

Quarterback

Jimmy Garoppolo - Eastern Illinois
Aaron Murray - Georgia
Logan Thomas - Virginia Tech
David Fales - San Jose State
Tajh Boyd - Clemson

Defensive End/Outside Linebacker

Demarcus Lawrence - Boise State
Marcus Smith - Louisville
Scott Chricton - Oregon State
Taylor Hart - Oregon
Josh Mauro - Stanford

Others

Shayne Skov - ILB, Stanford
Weston Richburg - C, Colorado State
Travis Swanson - C, Arkansas
Dri Archer RB/WR, Kent State

Those are just a selection of the players that the 49ers could be targeting in what is viewed as one of the best draft classes in years.

In my final pre-draft piece for Bleacher Report, I have tipped the 49ers to trade up and select LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in the first round, that piece can be found here.

But with the draft less than two hours away, I've prepared a three-round mock without trades specifically for this blog, here goes:

1. First round (No. 30 overall): Allen Robinson - WR, Penn State
2. Second round (No. 56 overall): Phillip Gaines - CB, Rice
3. Second round (No. 61 overall): Marcus Smith - DE/OLB, Louisville
4. Third round (No. 77 overall) - Weston Richburg - C, Colorado State
5. Third round (No. 94 overall) - Dri Archer - RB/WR, Kent State
6. Third round (No. 100 overall) - Bashaud Breeland - CB, Clemson

But this is all just guess work, and after all the speculation and chatter, there is nothing left to do but enjoy the draft!

Captioning the off-season madness

Since my last update on the 49ers' off-season, things have gotten a little crazy out by the Bay, with off-the-field indiscretions taking centre stage.

So much has happened that it can be difficult to keep track so, with that in mind, here is a quick recap of the bizarre events that have seen the Niners make the headlines for the wrong reasons:

• Cornerback Chris Culliver received a misdemeanour hit-and-run charges and felony charge of possession of brass knuckles following an incident with a cyclist on March 28
• Quarterback Colin Kaepernick has become part of an investigation into a "suspicious incident" involving himself wide receiver Quinton Patton, the Seattle Seahawks' Ricardo Lockette and a 25-year-old woman at a Miami hotel last month
• Outside linebacker Aldon Smith was charged with the false report of a bomb threat at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in April.

The 49ers have had a lot to deal with this off-season, and have done so in different ways, they have been quiet on the situation involving Culliver - who has denied the charges against him - but have shown full support to both Kaepernick and Smith. 

Indeed, San Francisco opted to pick up a fifth-year option on Smith's contract last Friday, despite the incident at LAX and the felony gun and DUI charges against him from previous indiscretions, a decision that will keep the pass-rush specialist signed through the 2015 season. 

Smith could be set for a suspension from the NFL as a result of his antics, however, by picking up the option on his deal, the 49ers have shown that they have long-term faith in the 2011 first-round pick.

As for Kaepernick, the investigation against him isn't a criminal one, and the details over what actually happened remain sketchy, although it now seems clear - as you can ascertain from this wonderful timeline of events from Bleacher Report - that the 49ers' signal-caller did little, if anything wrong.

The 49ers have put talks over a contract extension on hold out of respect for the investigation, but with head coach Jim Harbaugh giving his public backing to Kaepernick, it seems likely that this one will quickly blow over and that San Francisco will reach a new multi-year deal with the 2011 second-round selection.

Now time to switch the focus over to actual normal off-season stuff we're meant to be talking about.

Since I last posted a detailed blog post the following roster moves have happened:

• Fullback Bruce Miller signed to a three-year contract extension
• Receiver Kassim Osgood re-signed to a one-year deal
• Cornerback Perrish Cox re-signed to a one-year deal
• Linebacker Michael Wilhoite and defensive lineman Demarcus Dobbs both signed restricted free-agent tenders
• Brandon Lloyd signed on a one-year contract

The majority of these moves are no surprise. Miller has been an important and perhaps underrated part of the 49ers' offense and is very much deserving of an extension, while Osgood performed magnificently on special teams.

Wilhoite, who could start in the absence of the injured NaVorro Bowman at inside linebacker, was an exclusive rights free agent and had no real choice other than to sign tender.

Dobbs provided useful depth to the defensive line last season, however, it is debatable whether he will even make the roster.

Cox impressed during the play-offs and, given his familiarity with the 49ers' system and the issues surrounding Culliver, the decision to bring him back looks to be an astute one.

But undoubtedly the most surprising move the 49ers have made during the off-season is the one to bring back receiver Brandon Lloyd for a second spell.

Lloyd sat out the 2013 season after being released by the New England Patriots but, despite being 32 years of age, is not much of a gamble.

A fourth-round pick in 2003, Lloyd was very productive in his time with the Denver Broncos and the Patriots and his experience should be of value to a team a receiving core that lacked depth in 2013.

Lloyd's comeback may prove to be a success, however, with the Niners likely to draft a receiver in the early rounds, I do worry as to whether this signing could damage the development of Quinton Patton, who impressed during the back end of the season following his return from injury.

That is an issue for another time, though. So for now let's just sit back and watch the draft unfold, but not before my preview piece, which will be with you shortly before things kick-off on Thursday.

Scrutinising the 49ers' 2014 Schedule

I'm back. I apologise for neglecting this blog for nearly two months, but I'm here ready to cover all things 49ers with the NFL Draft just days away.

Before the draft I will give my views on the off-the-field controversy that has enveloped the Niners during the off-season and preview the draft prior to the start of proceedings.

But to get things going again here is quick breakdown of the 49ers' 2014 schedule, which was released last month.

San Francisco's schedule for the 2014 season is as follows (all kick-off times in BST): 

Pre-Season:

1: @ Baltimore Ravens - August 8, 12:30am

2: vs Denver Broncos - August 17, 9:00pm

3: vs San Diego Chargers - August 24, 9:00pm

4: @ Houston Texans - August 29, 1:00am

Regular Season:

1: @ Dallas Cowboys - September 7, 9:25pm

2: vs Chicago Bears (Sunday Night Football) - September 15, 1:30am

3: @ Arizona Cardinals - September 21, 9:05pm

4: vs Philadelphia Eagles - September 28, 9:25pm

5: vs Kansas City Chiefs - October 5, 9:25pm

6: @ St Louis Rams (Monday Night Football) - October 14, 1:30am

7: @ Denver Broncos (Sunday Night Football) - October 20, 1:30am

8: Bye Week

9: vs St Louis Rams - November 2, 9:05pm

10: @ New Orleans Saints - November 9, 6:00pm

11: @New York Giants - November 16, 6:00pm

12: vs Washington Redskins - November 23, 9:25pm

13: vs Seattle Seahawks (Thanksgiving, Thursday Night Football) - November 28, 1:30am

14: @ Oakland Raiders - December 7, 9:25pm

15: @ Seattle Seahawks - December 14, 9:25pm

16: vs San Diego Chargers - December 20, 9:30pm

17: vs Arizona Cardinals - December 28, 9:25pm

The key dates are easy to notice, a season-opening clash with historical rivals the Dallas Cowboys is a mouthwatering one, as is the Thanksgiving game with the Seattle Seahawks.

The opening regular season game at Levi's Stadium comes against the Chicago Bears, while Alex Smith will return to the Bay with the Kansas City Chiefs in week 5.

A week 7 trip to face the reigning AFC Champion Denver Broncos should set the pulses racing, along with the week 14 Battle of the Bay with the Oakland Raiders.

San Francisco's schedule is statistically the fourth toughest in the NFL but, although it is very early to make predictions, I think this can still be viewed as a favourable set of fixtures for the 49ers.

The key, as usual, will come in the division games against the Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and St Louis Rams.

Super Bowl champions Seattle should prove to be a force to be reckoned with once again, and both the Cardinals and Rams will be eyeing further progress after varying degrees of success in 2013.

The 49ers are poised to face a number of high-calibre opponents in 2014, however, Jim Harbaugh's men have largely excelled in tough games during his tenure, and if they can do the same in the coming season then San Francisco should be well set for another run at the play-offs.

Martin and Cook arrive as Brown leaves in free agency frenzy

The San Francisco 49ers have been busy in the first days of free agency, and have now brought in four players following a further addition on Friday.

Offensive lineman Jonathan Martin just missed the cut for my previous blog post, signing late on Tuesday in a trade from the Miami Dolphins.

San Francisco parted with an undisclosed draft pick to acquire Martin, whose short NFL career has been enveloped by controversy.

Martin has not played a down since late October, when he left the team as a result of harassment against him from team-mates Richie Incognito, Mike Pouncey and John Jerry, the extent of which was revealed in a report commissioned by the NFL.

The 24-year-old tackle will get a fresh start in the Bay Area, reuniting with 49ers' head coach Jim Harbaugh, who coached Martin during his collegiate career at Stanford.

Martin, who has played at both ends of the offensive line, is likely to operate as a 'swing tackle' and work as an extra lineman in the 49ers' heavy formation.

And Martin is looking forward to working with Harbaugh as he aims to get his NFL career back on track.

"I'm just looking forward to getting back to playing football," Martin said. "It's a blank slate for me. I'm looking forward to revitalizing my career."

"His (Harbaugh's) enthusiasm is infectious. You can see it at every level of the organization it rubs off on anybody. Being with an organization focused on winning is the best thing I can ask for.

"Hindsight is 20-20. My focus is 100 percent on the future and moving forward.

"I want to do whatever I can do contribute to this o-line. It's one of the best o-lines in football already. They have five great starters and I'm going to do whatever I can to help the team."

On the defensive ball the 49ers have not retained free-agent cornerback Tarell Brown, who has made the move across the bay to join the Oakland Raiders.

Brown has signed a reported one-year $3.5million deal, as per ESPN's Adam Schefter, to join the Raiders and will line up against the Niners when Oakland hosts San Francisco in 2014.

The 49ers have negated the loss of Brown somewhat by bringing in cornerback Chris Cook from the Minnesota Vikings.

Cook, who measures in at 6'2" and 200 pounds is a big, long-armed cornerback, but struggled in four seasons with the Vikings, failing to grab a single interception.

In a conference call with Bay Area reporters, Cook said the Niners see him as a "press guy", and - much like Martin - that he sees his move to San Francisco as a fresh start.

There is very little risk involved in the Cook deal, and the 49ers will hope that secondary coach Ed Donatell can help the former second-round pick quickly turn his career around.

The 49ers do not appear finished in free agency, instead it could yet be the case that they add further depth to their roster in the coming days.

New England Patriots' wide-receiver Julian Edelman and Seattle Seahawks' cornerback Walter Thurmond III - as per SB Nation - were both scheduled to visit with the 49ers on Friday, while Pittsburgh Steelers' receiver Emmanuel Sanders is set to do the same on Saturday.

Thurmond would not be the first player to cross the Seattle-San Francisco divide but, after playing a considerable role in the Seahawks' title success, it is a move that would not go down well among fans of the NFL champions.

The 26-year-old, who has also visited with the Jacksonville Jaguars, played in the Seahawks' nickel defense last season, and could easily fill the same role for the 49ers.

Edelman is coming off a season that saw him gain over 1000 yards receiving and score six touchdowns.

Both he and Sanders, who totalled 740 yards and six touchdowns in 2013, could provide the 49ers with options on offense and the return game, although it is the latter that may prove to be the cheaper and more realistic solution for Jim Harbaugh's men.

Meanwhile, 49ers' free-agent running back Anthony Dixon has tweeted that he is to join the Buffalo Bills following four seasons with San Francisco.

Free Agency Brings Changes to the 49ers and this Blog

Free agency has started and it has been a day of change for the San Francisco 49ers and for this blog.

Indeed, 'A Brit's Bay View' is in the process of undergoing a revamp and has now become the official blog of '49ers Faithful UK.'

49ers Faithful UK is a fans group that allows all British supporters of the Niners to connect and communicate. They produce a regular podcast, and I am delighted to announce that this blog will now form part of their content.

Further alterations to the look of this page will be forthcoming, but for now please check out group's official Facebook and Twitter pages.

Now on to free agency, where the 49ers have been busier than expected in the early going.

There had been reports that San Francisco were keen to re-sign strong safety Donte Whitner, but those ambitions went unfulfilled as Ohio native Whitner put pen to paper on a deal that will see him return to his home state and play for the Cleveland Browns, as per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

But the Niners have moved to immediately sign a potential replacement by signing Antoine Bethea from the Indianapolis Colts on a four-year $21million deal, as per Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee.

Bethea is an eight-year veteran that should be considerable experience to the San Francisco locker room.

The 29-year-old's style differs to that of the hard-hitting Whitner, but he has still totalled 100 tackles or more in six of his eight seasons in the NFL.

ESPN analyst Matt Williamson believes Bethea is "better near the line of scrimmage than in deep coverage", but insists that the two-time Pro Bowler is "better than a stop-gap signing" (hat-tip to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com).

San Francisco may still choose to add another safety in May's draft but, with Whitner now gone, it is reassuring to have a veteran presence at the position to pair with impressive youngster Eric Reid.

Whitner will be a loss to an underrated San Francisco secondary, which lost another member as cornerback Carlos Rogers was released.

Cutting the 33-year-old Rogers saves the 49ers a reported $5.1m in salary cap space.

Rogers made the Pro Bowl after his first season with San Francisco in 2011, however, the 49ers had hoped to release the former Washington Redskin before last term, although that move was put on ice when Chris Culliver sustained a knee ligament injury.

Injuries hampered Rogers late in the regular season and in the post-season, and it comes as no surprise that the 49ers have opted to rid themselves of his salary.

One cornerback who is staying in San Francisco is Eric Wright, who re-signed to a reported one-year deal, as per The Sacramento Bee.

Wright enjoyed limited playing time last season after signing following his release from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, although he did snare the game-clinching interception in the week 14 win against the Seattle Seahawks.

The San Francisco native will likely have to prove himself to the front office and the coaching staff after a debut season in which he played in just 7 regular season games, but his ability to play in the team's nickel defense should help his cause.

Kicker Phil Dawson has also opted to re-sign with San Francisco on a two-year deal, a move that will please all 49ers fans after Dawson converted 32 of his 36 field goal attempts in a hugely impressive first campaign.

However, the 49ers did manage to shock everyone on the opening day of free agency by trading a sixth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

It is a trade that will rightly bemuse fans given Gabbert's terrible NFL career so far.

Gabbert was selected 10th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, but has endured three miserable seasons, playing just three games in 2013.

But the 49ers have a plethora of draft picks this year, and exchanging a late round selection for a back-up QB that has first-round talent is no gamble whatsoever.

San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh has had success developing Colin Kaepernick and Alex Smith, now with the Kansas City Chiefs, despite doubts over their respective abilities.

And the 49ers are hopeful Harbaugh can do the same with Gabbert.

"We thought highly of Blaine as an early entry into the 2011 NFL Draft," said 49ers general manager Trent Baalke on the 49ers' official website.

"He is a high-character individual that will be given every opportunity to develop within our system and we are looking forward to working with him."

Niner News: Boldin re-signs, Harbaugh refutes rumours

It's been fair few days since I last updated this blog, and in that time a lot has happened in the world of the San Francisco 49ers.

Thankfully, the 49ers news that has come out of San Francisco recently has been positive.

Indeed, fans were able to breathe a huge sigh of relief on Monday as wide receiver Anquan Boldin put pen to paper on a two-year extension.

Boldin had been set to enter free agency, which starts next Tuesday, but will  now stay with the 49ers after an excellent first season with San Francisco that saw him go over 1,000 yards for the campaign, a contribution that proved crucial in the prolonged absence of Michael Crabtree.

All you need to do is look at Boldin's highlight reel to see what kind of impact he had on the 49ers in 2013, but even with with his presence San Francisco will likely need to add another receiver to a talented group that lacks true breakaway speed.

Yet this remains extremely positive news for the 49ers and head coach Jim Harbaugh, who gave supporters something else to smile about by clarifying the speculation over his future with the team.

Reports had indicated that Harbaugh's days with the Niners could be numbered following suggestions of a power struggle, per CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora, with general manager Trent Baalke.

However, in an interview with Sports Illustrated's Michael Rosenberg, Harbaugh insisted that there is "zero possibility" of him leaving before the end of the 2015 season, when his contract with the 49ers expires:

Harbaugh also addressed the speculation of a feud with Baalke and was dismissive of the widely reported revelations that the Cleveland Browns had discussed a trade for his services with the 49ers:

"We're (Harbaugh and Baalke) both demanding and we want to be accountable for ourselves, for each other," Harbaugh said. "If you haven't had a brother, you probably don't understand the relationship between the GM and the head coach. We're partners on the same team. I have great respect for him. He works extremely hard at it and is very good at it. We are all part of a team. I believe in the structure we have. I don't want to change anything that we do in that regard.

"There was never any opportunity to leave the San Francisco 49ers. If that existed, it existed in somebody else's mind, not mine. I am too fond of my team, the players, the coaches. I really feel like we have one of the best, if not the best organizations in football."

San Francisco fans will hope that Harbaugh's long-term future is soon resolved, but with the coach seemingly committed to the team and last season's top receiver locked down to a new deal, the 49ers faithful have good reason to be cheerful.