San Francisco 49ers

All Shaun Hill does is win football games but he always seems to be a long shot to start.  Hill doesn’t have a great arm but he gets the ball where it needs to be even if it’s not too pretty.  Hill has worked his way into this opportunity with good old fashioned hard work.  Alex Smith will “compete” with Hill for the starting job this summer.  Smith has looked overwhelmed at the NFL level and missing a whole season due to injury has set him back even further.  He has the look of a first round (and pick) bust but he still has time to turn his career around.  Veteran Damon Huard will be the #3 QB for the Niners this season and he’s a capable game manager type of QB so he could succeed if forced into action by the Niners.  Rookie QB Nate Davis has the look of a practice squad player due to his intelligence.  But, on the football field in college he did look pretty good so he does have a nice little upside.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  C

The 49ers have signed undrafted OT Alex Boone to a 1-year deal.  Boone is a big guy at 6′7″, 330 pounds but he often looks uninterested on the field.  He played in 46 games (34 starts) in his 4 seasons at Ohio State.  If the 49ers can motivate Boone he could be helpful for them down the road.

The 49ers have signed 27-year old linebacker Marques Harris to a 1-year deal.  Harris played in 15 games for the Chargers last season and he made 28 tackles, had 2.5 sacks and he forced 2 fumbles.  Harris has now played in 56 games in his 4-year NFL career and he has made 81 tackles, has defensed 4 passes, has 8 sacks and he has forced 3 fumbles.  This was a solid addition for the 49ers as Harris still has a decent upside.

The 49ers have signed 5′11″, 203 pound rookie running back Kory Sheets.  Sheets played in 50 games (37 starts) in his 4 years at Purdue and he carried the ball 664 times for 3,341 yards (5.0 ypc) with 48 TD runs.  Sheets also caught 108 passes for 814 yards (7.5 avg) with 5 TD grabs at Purdue.  Sheets likely didn’t get drafted because of his 40 time of 4.55, but no one times players after the game begins.  With that in mind the 49ers’ might have something in Sheets.

The 49ers have signed 32-year old cornerback Dre’ Bly to a 1-year deal.  Bly played in all 16 games for the Broncos last season and he made 62 tackles, defensed 8 passes, forced 1 fumble and he intercepted 2 passes.  Bly has now played in 151 games in his NFL career and he has made 455 tackles, has defensed 136 passes, has 4 sacks, forced 18 fumbles and he has intercepted 40 passes (5 of which he returned for TDs).  This was a nice pickup for the 49ers as Bly can still play.