Far-Out Wideout Grooves On S.F.

John Crumpacker, San Francisco Chronicle

When the 49ers made the trade with Seattle for Darrell Jackson, they got more than a wide receiver in return. They got someone who looks and acts like he walked out of a different era. With his unkempt Afro, scraggly beard and relaxed outlook on life, if not football, Jackson seemingly would have been right at home in the San Francisco of 40 years ago, during the Summer of Love. If anyone on this team is going to flash a peace sign, it's Jackson, who answers only to "D-Jack."

"His personality, he acts like a hippie in the late '60s as a laid-back guy," coach Mike Nolan said. "He's got a very low-key personality when it comes to everyday things. On the field, he's a competitor. I enjoy being around him."

His former head coach does, too, although Mike Holmgren is not happy that Jackson is now a 49er and will oppose his old team Sunday at Candlestick. "You'll never get me to say anything bad about Darrell Jackson," Holmgren said Wednesday in a conference call. "He was one of my guys. I'm a Darrell Jackson fan and I root for him except when he plays against us." Seattle's Pro Bowl tackle, Walter Jones, said, "He was liked by everybody. He was a down-to-earth guy. He came in and worked and when he went out onto the field on Sundays, he made plays. That's all you could ask of a player." Jackson leads the 49ers in receptions with 11 for 166 yards. He is finding his groove in San Francisco and developing that wide receiver-quarterback vibe with Alex Smith.

"It's getting better every day we go out on the practice field," Jackson said. "It takes time to get acclimated to. Every day it gets better."

Holmgren drafted Jackson from Florida in the third round in 2000 and in his seven years in Seattle, Jackson led the Seahawks in receptions and receiving yards four times. "He played very well for us," Holmgren said. "He felt there was a problem with management and his contract. He felt that way the last couple years. By mutual agreement, he's no longer here." Jackson said his problem was with Seahawks general manager Tim Ruskell. "I was cool with the organization," Jackson said. "I just had problems with one dude. It just so happened it was the head dude. Everything else was cool." Faced with a lack of interest in Jackson, the Seahawks were limited to the 49ers when it came to a trade. The 49ers got a proven wide receiver in return for their fourth-round pick in the draft, which Seattle used to select Mansfield Wrotto, currently No. 3 at right guard . Jackson missed time in training camp recovering from offseason dings and dents and has dropped a couple of passes in the first three games. His most notable noncatch came in the opener against Arizona, on the last, frantic drive for a touchdown. Smith's perfect pass slipped through Jackson's hands in the end zone. One of the problems, Jackson said, might have been his off-kilter helmet.

"I couldn't see the ball. My helmet sat too high on my head," he said, citing his Afro as the culprit. His hair is now trimmed.

"I'm a very easy-going guy, very laid-back," he said. "Even in my style of play, I like to observe everything and not fly by missing a lot. High-energy guys get a lot of glory. Guys like me that make everything look easy get misconstrued."

It's not easy being an emissary from another time, but Jackson is doing his best. He might get to the point where he'll even say, "Far out, man," after a particularly good game. Sunday against his old team would be a nice place to start.

Inside Alex Smith's Fortress

By Dennis Georgatos, Mercury News

Alex Smith got aggressive Tuesday - playing "Halo 3."

The 49ers quarterback hosted an Xbox 360 sneak preview at his Los Gatos home. Several teammates plopped into bean-bag chairs in Smith's family room to play the science-fiction game against NFL counterparts in Washington and Cincinnati; Smith mixed it up with former 49ers receiver Brandon Lloyd, who's now with the Redskins.

"He was on there talking," Smith said. (Not much surprise there.)

It was a rare glimpse into Smith's life outside of football, which includes:

• A view of the Santa Cruz Mountains (example, left) from his kitchen, a backyard pool, and a pool table and pingpong table in the front room.
• Two Labrador retrievers, brothers Winston and Truman, and an English bulldog named Dwight. "It's kind of a history thing going on there - the Great Generation, but it probably would have been more fitting if I named the bull dog after Winston Churchill," Smith said.
• A game room with a sound system, two flat screens and a projection screen, and a popcorn maker.
• Books such as "Finding Fish," Antwone Fisher's biography that in part inspired Smith to dedicate his foundation to helping emancipated foster children, and "The World is Flat," Thomas L. Friedman's look at globalization.

"I read a lot more than I play video games," he said. "And I've always followed economics. A lot of focus in my major at Utah was economic history going back to the consequences
of the Crusades, stuff like that."

• And some football. As soon as backup quarterback Trent Dilfer arrived, he sat down with Smith in the kitchen and started talking about Sunday's game in Pittsburgh.

Will Alex Smith Be Out of Excuses? 49ers Heavy Depth Chart at Wideout

For most of his first two seasons, quarterback Alex Smith, (right) might have known where his first read on a route was, but he often didn’t know what receiver would be there. Back then Johnnie Morton was in the mix, along with Brandon Lloyd, and Arnaz Battle who was in and out of the lineup as he batted a knee injury. Last year Smith’s go-to-target early on became Antonio Bryant, which quickly drew double coverage. Smith would look and often find tight ends Vernon Davis and Eric Johnson, but he would throw the most of his passes underneath to Frank Gore or Battle who finished with a team leading 61 and 59 catches respectively. There are many reasons Smith says the team and this camp are not even comparable to the past two years. For starters, there's the obvious. For the first time, he's not learning a brand new offense. Secondly, he's got weapons to work with in the passing game.

Not only has Davis matured as a receiving tight end, but the landscape looks much improved this training camp with the off-season additions of wide receivers Darrell Jackson, (below,right with Seattle), Ashley Lelie and Jason Hill, (below, left, Washington St.) . Across the board, wide receivers coach Jerry Sullivan has a group that will be hard to sort out when the 53-man cuts roll around. Veteran receiver Bryan Gilmore has been a long-time pupil and benefactor of Sullivan’s technique-sound coaching and continues to be in the mix, but wide receivers Taylor Jacobs and Brandon Williams are also showing polish in their second season with the 49ers. A third-round pick Williams was selected primarily for his skills as a returner, but the young receiver used this off-season to improve, hoping to make his case during training camp and the preseason as to why he should see playing time at receiver.

The Redskins parted ways with Jacobs, a former second-round pick who had battled injuries since coming into the league in 2003 last year during camp. Jacobs finished the season with only four receptions for the 49ers, but he’s caught just about everything in sight this camp to find his way ahead of Lelie on the depth chart.After sitting out the OTAs with a quad injury, Lelie is also fighting hard for his spot on the roster. Lelie has worked primarily with Trent Dilfer in the team periods and as expected has been able to stretch the field vertically. He also shows a solid ability to track the ball well in the air and make adjustments, something he did while getting air born during the Tuesday morning practice to make the play of the day on a 40-45-yard deep ball from Dilfer.

Lewis Ready To "Bring The Pain"

The free-agent signing of strong safety Michael Lewis has reunited the former University of Colorado standout with San Francisco 49ers secondary coach Vance Joseph. In an interview on the team's official Web site, Lewis explained his decision to sign with the Niners during free agency. Did the signing of Nate Clements influence him?

"He had a little to do with my situation. Nate's an outstanding cornerback and he's one of those guys you can just leave alone out on an island and just let him play," said Lewis. "Another factor was my coach, Vance Joseph. I played under him at Colorado and I played some of my best ball under him so it was an opportunity to get back playing for him."

While in college, Lewis twice won the school's Dave Jones Award for the most outstanding defensive player and the Hale Irwin Award for the most outstanding DB in his junior and senior seasons. He finished his collegiate career ranked ninth on the school's all-time list with 336 tackles, which was second best among defensive backs. Joseph was the secondary coach during Lewis' senior season, one that saw the defender become a unanimous All-Big 12 first-team choice and a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award, given to the nation's top DB. The expectation is that Lewis, a former second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2002, will regain his Pro Bowl form under Joseph's tutelage. The play of Clements and Walt Harris should provide Lewis the freedom to fly around the field, inflicting pain on opponents. Lewis shared his delight about such an opportunity.

"Of course I love to hit and I love to lay somebody out. I grew up watching Ronnie Lott, Tim McDonald and some of the great safeties who have played here and I try to emulate my game after them," said Lewis. "That's very important to me. Striking fear into your opponent is something you always strive to do at this position. My role is to make plays. When the opportunity presents itself, I need to step up and make the play, whether that's an interception, a big hit, or causing a fumble." This much is clear: The situation Lewis finds himself in, playing for a former coach and with great corners, will offer him the best opportunity to make a significant impact next season. Opponents beware -- Lewis is ready to bring the pain.

Gore Focused on Dickerson's Mark

After a memorable 2006 season in which he racked up 2,190 total yards (1,695 rushing, 495 receiving), the third-year running back has set his sights on Eric Dickerson's 23-year-old single-season rushing record -- at least 2,106 yards, to be exact.Word has it he is even trimmed about 10 pounds from his frame to gain more speed for those breakaway runs. And don't mistake his goal as part of a free agency-inspired contact drive -- Gore was well taken care of by the Niners this offseason, signing a large contract extention.

That being said, here are the four things Gore needs to do if there is to be any chance of his lofty goal being fulfilled during the upcoming season:Stay healthy - Not exactly the easiest thing to do for a running back, let alone one who took a real pounding last year. Gore's health has been up and down in the past, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see the cumulative workload catch up to him sometime this season. Spoil the big guys - It is customary for running backs to shower their brawny linemen with lavish presents after a season's worth of thankless blocking. Gore may need to pay it forward and shell some out of his new contract to buy the big guys a fleet of top-line automobiles as an inspiration for the grunt work they are about to do for him. Hope the passing game clicks - If Gore is to have any chance of making this thing happen, he's going to need some open lanes.

Quarterback Alex Smith has some nice options at wideout, including Darrell Jackson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle. Last year the Niners' top receiver was Gore, who led the team with 61 catches. All in all, Gore faces a heck of a challenge that will take the perfect storm of stars aligning to bring to fruition. It's highly unlikely that it would happen, but at this time of year anything is possible. All he can do is try. And hey, 2,105 yards wouldn't be that bad.

Players Tend To Improve Most From First To Second Year

By Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com

Here are a few more players who either didn't get much playing time or fell short of expectations as rookies in 2006, but are being counted on to play significant roles in 2007

Brodie Croyle, Chiefs , Sinorice Moss, Giants, Brodrick Bunkley,Eagles, DeAngelo Williams, Panthers

(But of course, most importantly, here's where our guy comes in on the list),

Vernon Davis, 49ers

Many observers felt Davis, San Francisco's wonderously gifted tight end, might challenge for Rookie of the Year honors, but injuries limited him to 10 appearances, eight starts and 20 receptions. It should help Davis some in 2007 that the 49ers upgraded their wide receiver corps, at least modestly, in the offseason. What will benefit him more, though, is good health. Davis has the kind of physical tools to be a monster in the San Francisco offense and emerge as a viable playmaker.

O.T.A. Reports - Hostler's Notes

From Fox Sports,

At the conclusion of the 49ers' Organized Team Activities, offensive coordinator Jim Hostler made an observation to his unit. Hostler spent the previous two seasons as quarterbacks coach. "We've gone through two years of learning in the offseason," Hostler said. "This is the first time we've had a chance to get better at what we do. And there's a huge difference there." Quarterback Alex Smith learned two different offenses in his first two NFL seasons. He was paired with Mike McCarthy and a West Coast scheme in his first season. Last year, Smith came under the tutelage of Norv Turner's vertical passing game.

Although Smith has his third offensive coordinator in three years, he will not be asked to learn a new scheme this season. In fact, the 49ers will use mostly the offense that Turner installed, while incorporating some aspects of the West Coast system. "We didn't throw the ball down the field and we didn't stretch the defense," Smith said of McCarthy's short-passing game. "Defenses were on top of us, and playing downhill was hard. It was like we were the passive ones and they were the aggressors."

Last year, Turner implemented more seven-step drops and deeper pass routes. Although the 49ers got more big plays, they ranked among the worst in the league on third downs and in red-zone efficiency. "I think a little bit we missed the controlled-passing game, and five-step drops and things like that," Smith said. "It's nice that (Hostler) is incorporating both. And we need to be able to do both."

Franklin -"Filling A Big Hole In The Middle"

The 49ers signed nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin (right) to a three year, $6 million contract in early March with the expectation that he could be the space eater for the defense. San Francisco ranked 19th in rushing defense last season, allowing 121.0 yards per game on the ground.

Coach Mike Nolan has ties to Franklin from his days in Baltimore as the Ravens' D-coordinator. And it's evident that Nolan has the utmost confidence that Franklin, a fifth-round pick in 2003, can solidify the middle and help improve the team's rush defense.Last year, Franklin saw playing time as the primary backup to Ravens starting defensive tackle Kelly Gregg. His patience should pay off this season, and his performance will be a critical factor in determining whether the Niners' 3-4 defense will be successful. If Franklin can clog the middle and absorb blockers, he will open rushing lanes for the team's explosive blitzing linebackers.

The recent addition of D-lineman Sam Rayburn, who was signed to a one-year deal for the minimum salary of $595,000, should provide some depth at nose tackle, too, and he's also expected to back up veteran Bryant Young at left DE. Despite picking up Rayburn, the team has lofty expectations for Franklin, who is determined to take full advantage of his new opportunity.

Moran Norris, Unsung Character Guy

Only long snappers perform at the NFL level with more anonymity than the average fullback. At most positions, statistics tell the story, but some of the best fullbacks in the league hardly ever touch the football. 49ers starting fullback Moran Norris has been a solid force in the backfield, especially after the loss of Pro-Bowler Fred Beasley. He may not accumulate the glamour stats of some fullbacks, ala Mike Alstot of the Buccanneers in his heyday, but Norris' impact goes further than numbers.

For example, Norris had two carries for 8 yards last season, and caught five passes for 36 yards (and two touchdowns). He also made three special teams tackles and returned a kickoff. Don't look for him to be returning kicks on a regular basis any time soon -- his return covered 1 yard. The most telling numbers where Norris is concerned are the ones attached to RB Frank Gore, who frequently followed his burly teammate into harm's way. The 49ers averaged 4.9 yards a carry in 2006, and Norris was a lot of the reason.

At Kansas, (right) things were different. After signing with the Jayhawks out of Houston as a tight end, he rushed for 864 career yards on 199 carries. He also turned 17 receptions into 84 yards. The New Orleans Saints signed Norris out of KU, then waived him. Picked up by the Houston Texans , he spent several years blocking for Dominick Williams and playing in his hometown. It must have hurt when the Texans released him in 2006, but Norris landed on his feet in San Francisco. The team can look forward to the future with this great character guy who adds leadership to a young locker room and is a mentor for his young backfield mates.

Alex Smith Anxious To Get To Work

Heading into this season, there is a great deal of pressure on 3rd year quarterback Alex Smith (left) to deliver on the promise he showed last year and as the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. In order to do that, he will need a lot of help, first from the solid ground game of Frank Gore, but more urgently, from the improved air attack bolstered by some new faces. However, early in this off-season's OTA's, Smith hasn't had much chance to work with those faces.

Absent from the field were his three primary receiving targets. Wideout Darrell Jackson will not participate with the team until training camp as he continues to recover from an injured toe that has plagued him since last season. Receivers Ashley Lelie (quad) and Arnaz Battle (hamstring) missed the last few days of OTAs for precautionary reasons. Despite the absence of his main receivers, Smith was on target and established a good rhythm with the players at his disposal. He was particularly impressed with Bryan Gilmore and Taylor Jacobs, completing a 30-yard pass to each of them. Although establishing a connection with his backup receivers is a good thing, Smith understands the importance of developing a solid rapport with his primary targets.

In his first two seasons as the 49ers' signal-caller, Smith has yet to find a receiver whom he can depend on regularly. In 2005 and 06, Smith hasn't had a single receiver gain more than 733 yards, a number that former 49ers Brandon Lloyd (2005) and Antonio Bryant (2006) accumulated.

The most obvious choice from this year's group is the veteran Jackson, but that is contingent on him getting and staying healthy. He had three 1,000-yard seasons during his stint with the Seattle Seahawks and provides Smith with his most proven wideout to date. As a former first-round pick in 2002, Lelie is widely viewed as an underachiever. He had only one 1,000-yard season with the Denver Broncos in 2004, but his production has dropped each year since. He has an opportunity to turn his career around with the 49ers. He'll offer Smith a legitimate deep threat.

Battle has increased his production every year. In 2006, he achieved career highs in receptions (59) and receiving yards (686), and he should continue to be a solid option for Smith. When Smith has the opportunity to work with these three players, San Francisco's offense should become much more efficient. One thing's for sure: Smith is looking forward to having these guys back on the field.

Lelie With One Foot Out the Door?

The 49ers made several additions in the offseason to improve the team, one of which being the signing of wide receiver Ashley Lelie (right, with Denver in 2005),to a two year, $4.3 million contract. San Francisco made the decision in an effort to add speed and big-play capability on the outside.

Lelie's brief stint in San Francisco has been clouded by injury, however. He strained his right quadriceps muscle on the first day of May minicamp in a non-contact drill. When the 49ers' OTAs began on June 4, the 2002 first-round pick returned to the field only to immediately aggravate the injury.

Lelie's inability to stay on the field without hurting himself has left head coach Mike Nolan skeptical and indifferent about his free-agent acquisition's prospects for the season.The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Lelie expects to be ready when the team opens training camp on July 29. He has downplayed his current situation, explaining that he rushed his return to OTAs.

Tucker Out For The Year

Cornerback B.J. Tucker will miss the entire 2007 season after suffering a torn pectoral muscle on Friday. Tucker's injury will require surgery and at least four months of rehabilitation. Tucker was slated to be a backup cornerback this season.

There is no scheduled time yet for his surgery.Tucker did have one start in 2006 but was not expected to be a major factor in the 49ers' secondary.

Harris Out - Staley In

Former 2003 first round pick tackle Kwame Harris (right, #77), may miss the next 2 months recovering from back spasms suffered during offseason O.T.A.'s (Organized Team Activities). After failing to solidify himself as a franchise left tackle, Harris has floundered as an undisciplined and unreliable right tackle. Harris' injury opens the door for rookie Joe Staley (left) to get reps with the first unit.

This latest turn of events bode well for the 49ers and their fans. Staley should capitalize on this opportunity and establish himself as the starter at right tackle. The team sacrificed a lot to acquire Staley -- a former Central Michigan standout -- with the 28th overall pick of this year's draft, giving up a 2008 first-rounder and a fourth-round choice in last April's draft to the New England Patriots .

This bold draft-day move demonstrates the team's lack of confidence in Harris, whose playing time has reached escalators in his contract that voided the final two years of his deal and increased his 2007 base salary to over $2 million. That's a stroke of good luck for the Niners. The team should try to trade him, if anyone will take him. Harris' trade value declines daily, and the addition of Staley only weakens the 49ers' leverage. This will likely be Harris' last season in San Francisco. Moving forward, the 49ers should expect Staley to anchor their offensive line for the years to come.

Jay Moore Adapts to Linebacker Position

Playing from a standing start, refining his footwork and regularly dropping into pass coverage are among the adjustments defensive end-turned-linebacker Jay Moore is dealing with as he prepares for his rookie season with the 49ers.

A fourth-round draft pick out of Nebraska, Moore caught the eye of 49ers coaches at the Senior Bowl, with three sacks against the South team they were coaching. He has been taking repetitions primarily behind outside linebacker Manny Lawson, who has typically played on the strong side over the tight end in the 49ers' 3-4 scheme. Moore played defensive end in a 4-3 set last season at Nebraska and led the team with 17 tackles for losses, including six sacks.

The 6-foot-4 Moore played at 278 pounds last season. He said he's down to 272, and the 49ers probably will ask him to drop a few more pounds to heighten his speed and maneuverability in the open field. Moore is fairly lean but said he'll have no problem getting to whatever weight the 49ers staff determines is optimal for him.

Willis: The Pick of The Litter?

From ESPN's Matt Mosley

Editor's note: Our two-week series, "The Best," looks at the NFL's best in a number of key categories.

Best Rookie:

Patrick Willis, LB, San Francisco. Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson may be the most talented rookie we've seen in years, but the rookie who will have the best season in 2007 is Willis. After watching him from afar in college and now talking to his coaches, I think Willis has a shot at being this season's DeMeco Ryans, who had 155 tackles for the Texans in 2006 and was named rookie defensive player of the year.

Willis will start immediately at inside linebacker, and his Hall of Fame position coach Mike Singletary says he has the potential to be the best we've seen in the last 20 years. Willis combines excellent speed (4.5) and intelligence. He managed to become one of the top linebackers in the nation at Ole Miss even while having to care for several family members. The one thing we have to find out is whether he has the strength to take on massive linemen in the middle of the field, but Singletary believes Willis could be a Brian Urlacher-type player. Head coach Mike Nolan is anxious to see what Willis can do now that he's able to simply concentrate on football.

Melvin Oliver Out For The Year

According to the Sacramento Bee, the injury that sidelined Melvin Oliver on Tuesday is worse than originally anticipated. It turned out to be a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Surgery hasn't been scheduled yet, but Oliver is expected to miss the 2007 season.

In anticipation of this news, the 49ers signed free agent defensive lineman Sam Rayburn, who spent 2006 with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Over Hyped - Under Rated

CBS Sportsline has constructed a rating what they think are the most over-rated and under-rated players on each team. Here are their choices for the 49ers roster. One is a suprise because of the praise given to the team for acquiring him, the other a depth player who could well be a starter on many other teams.

Overrated -
WR Darrell Jackson. If they think he's going to cure their receiver problems, they are wrong. He's not better than Antonio Bryant, the guy they let go. Jackson drops a lot of passes.


Underrated -
LB Brandon Moore. Moore,(left,standing) had 6½ sacks last year, four games with 10 or more tackles, including the last three, and yet you'd be hard-pressed for people on the East Coast to know his name. He's a heck of a player.


It is easy to agree that Brandon Moore is indeed underrated and will most likely be forgotten again this year when surrounded by the likes of Manny Lawson and first round pick Patrick Willis. On the other hand, the opinion that Darrell Jackson is overrated is somewhat unjust since Jackson has produced well and other than 2005 when he played in only 6 regular season games, has been fairly durable. The knock on him has been that he suffers from "the drops", which has been a symptom of all Seahawk receivers in the last 5 years. To assume that he will automatically transfer that mindset or problem to a new atmosphere of the bay-area is abit premature. We will have to wait and see.

As Gore Goes, So Will The Niners

With almost 1,700 yards last season, Frank Gore emerged as one of the league's top backs. In his second pro season, Gore proved that trading Kevan Barlow last summer was the right move to make. In addition, Gore finished the season with 2,180 yards from scrimmage and led the team with 61 receptions, establishing himself not only as an exceptional runner ,but as a solid all-purpose threat, as well.

It is behind Gore that things start to look thin, depth-wise. To say that the Niners lack depth at running back is an understatement. Behind Gore and quarterback Alex Smith, the team's third-leading rusher from 2006 was rookie Michael Robinson, a converted QB out of Penn State. Robinson is a great athlete and has potential, as illustrated by his two-touchdown performance against the Eagles last September; however, he had just 38 carries as a rookie and remains both unproven and untested.

The problem facing the Niners is this. Should Gore still to be thought of like fine china? He has dealt with major injury problems in the past. After a 500-yard freshman campaign at the University of Miami, he tore the ACL in his left knee in the of spring 2002, when he was listed on the Hurricanes depth chart ahead of such future NFL stars as Willis McGahee and Clinton Portis. He returned in 2003 and played four games, but he went on to tear his right ACL that year. Gore worked hard and managed to recover well from that injury, gaining nearly 1,000 yards in 2004, but struggled somewhat with a groin problem in his first NFL season in '05. Most questions about Gore's durability were put to rest after his phenomenal '06 season, but any time a running back has dealt with knee and groin problems in the past, there is definitely concern. One wrong move on either knee and it could be career over for Gore and square one again for the Niners.

The 49ers cannot afford to lose Gore for the simple fact that they aren't adequately prepared to replace him. No other returning RB on the roster has ever posted more than 100 carries or 400 yards in a single season, and character issue labelled rookie sixth-round pick Thomas Clayton gained fewer yards in his career at Kansas State than Gore did in '06 alone.

For the 49ers to become a playoff contender this year, Gore needs to stay healthy. If they lose him, that is a lot to put on Alex Smith's shoulders. So a word of advice, enjoy the run he's on, because who knows how long it will last.

Running Down Hill

From Curtis Conway to Johnnie Morton to Brandon Lloyd to Cedrick Wilson to Arnaz Battle to Antonio Bryant, the 49ers have cycled through receivers who were washed up (Conway and Morton) or problematic (Lloyd and Bryant) or just not cut out to be starters (see first-round wasted pick Rashaun Woods).

The 49ers are one of just four teams without a 1,000-yard receiver over the past three seasons

While the short term solutions seem to be established veteran newcomer, Darrell Jackson, from Seattle, as the assumed number 1 man, and speedster journeyman Ashlie Lelie, as a deep threat, the future is in the hands of the "third" guy" - Jason Hill. Hill could be the guy who becomes Alex Smith's main man over the next five or six years.

The former Washington State standout looks like a great find in this year's third round. A local product out of Sacred Heart Cathedral High School, Hill quickly became a star at WSU. He started as a sophomore, setting a school record with 12 touchdown catches and becoming the sixth Cougar to surpass 1,000 receiving yards. He followed that with an equally great junior season, again going over 1,000 yards (1,097) with 62 catches and ranking third in the nation in yards per game (109.7).

He contemplated going pro after that campaign but decided to return for his senior season in hopes of improving his draft stock. Alas, the ever-feared injury bug hit. He still put up respectable numbers (41 catches, 600 yards, seven scores), but not enough to bump him into the second or third round.

Hill finished as WSU's career leader in touchdown catches (32) and then turned in an unexpectedly good combine performance that seemed like it might vault him into the second round. But he was still there for the 49ers in the third round, and that should turn out to be the team's fortune.Hill showed blazing speed at the combine, but that is not his forte. He is a great leaper who gets into and out of his routes smoothly and runs well after the catch. Like Jackson, he has had problems catching the ball at times; but his production speaks for itself, and he certainly knows how to get into the endzone. He is a decent deep threat and is not afraid to go over the middle.

Hill has been compared to Reggie Wayne (both are 6 feet) and Chad Johnson, and if Hill can come close to the production of either of those guys or even a healthy Jackson, the 49ers should be very happy they spent a third-rounder on him.

Nolan's First Draft to Pay Off in Third Year?

The first draft class of the Mike Nolan era in San Francisco set the tone for the team's upward trend last season. The first five players selected in the 2005 NFL Draft have become pivotal and dependable assets to the organization.

We are all aware of the importance put on Nolan's first pick as a head coach, first overall in Utah QB Alex Smith and how the "face of the franchise" is supposed to restore 49er glory. However, let's look at how the other selections in '05 are shaping up to play cornerstone rolls.

The Niners' second-round pick that year was David Baas,(right), a versatile offensive lineman from the University of Michigan. The big fellow from Ann Arbor can play either center or guard and has been a solid contributor upfront. Baas played in all 16 games last year without committing a single penalty, and his contributions to the team should continue to increase this upcoming season.

With the first pick in the third round, the 49ers struck gold with running back Frank Gore, (left). The former Miami Hurricane had a breakout year in 2006, grinding out nearly 1,700 yards on the ground at an average of 5.4 yards per carry. Needless to say, Gore is being counted on to duplicate last season's performance in 2007. Considering less successful RBs Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams were top five overall picks in '05, the addition of Gore in Round 3 should be considered legalized theft and a good indicator of Nolan's eye for talent.

Later in the third round, San Francisco chose guard Adam Snyder, who has made 14 starts in two seasons. Impressed by his play, the 49ers rewarded Snyder with a four-year contract worth about $10.5 million, including a $4 million signing bonus.

The team got good value with its fifth-round selection, too, drafting defensive lineman Ronald Fields out of Mississippi State. He started the last nine games of the '06 season, compiling 28 tackles. Fields is expected to be a regular on the D-line this season.

The success of the 49ers' 2005 draft class has been crucial to the team's return to respectability. If this year's draftees can even come close to the contributions made by the '05 selections, then the team's prospects for the future will be even brighter.