I would really like to hear those words in the 3rd round! Great story here: Lattimore on the fast track to recovery. I think this could be one of those guys you do stash away and let heal FULLY and he turns out to be star. This is the perfect player for a team with 2014 aspisations.
Not sure if we have the luxury to stash away a player, but I would love to have Lattimore on this team. You look at a player like McGahee, who ended up being a pretty good RB for a number of years (including last year). Sadly, I see the 49ers taking him with a surplus of picks - they have that luxury
If we are adding extra picks by trading Revis or trading down in the first round, sure. Otherwise it's a bit risky.
I wish we had a way of getting in contact with Idzik and convincing him LOL I want this guy soooo bad!!
That depends on a few things. How highly do you value a player of Lattimore's ability? How much do we expect out of young players this season? Do we truly feel we are a challenger this year? Now I'm not calling 2013 a throw away season, you always want to be as competitive as possible, but you also need to take long term goals into account here. A healthy Marcus would have been the best RB in this draft no questions asked and a first rounder. If your able to grab him in the second, it's like spending your second this year to gain a first round talent the following year. It's a decent investment, even more so if we acquire any extra second round picks with a draft day trade or two. It seems less likely because of all our holes, and sanfran would be a great landing sport for him, but I would not rule it out based solely on current needs.
What's going to change for Lattimore at this point to prevent his third catastrophic knee injury? Remember Kris Jenkins? Lattimore is either the unluckiest guy on earth or he's doing something wrong. Do we want him in either case?
Lattimore is going to be redshirted in 2013, he's not going to be 100% by September. I wouldn't risk playing him in late season of 2013, even if he's close to 100%. Marcus would be an excellent back in a WCO, has very good receiving and blocking skills. I expect some team to draft him in Rd 3, he's going to be a force when 100% healthy. The 49ers have the luxury to wait a year, with so many picks and draft their future #1 back.
Pre-Injury Marcus Lattimore was beautiful to watch & better prospect than all other RB in this draft. If Jets didn't have so many holes on offense & defense, I'd be happy to draft & sit him down for a season. For this year's Jets draft, I'd push for him if it's 4th round or later but it's way too late. Somebody is gonna grab him in 3rd. Wouldn't surprise me if Niners grabbed him with one of their 2nd round picks also.
With the backfield the 9ers have I cant see them drafting him. Gore, yeah he is old but still a horse, James as the speedy guy, and my favorite of them all Hunter. They are pretty much set if you ask me.
Gore as you said is on the downside, none of the other players you mentioned are #1 backs. As I said, with all the picks the 49ers have, they can take a shot on Lattimore and wait...it makes perfect sense. The rich get richer when you have a solid roster, multiple picks and can draft for the future and not a need.
Great point withthe 2nd this year being like a first next year. So if we took him in the third it would be a steal
I agree with you. We're looking to build for the long term so why not make a move to acquire a clearly talented player and let him rest to full recover from injury. Could you imagine drafting him in the 3rd round, letting him sit out until the 2014 season. Another interesting angle would be if we are indeed targeting a QB in the 2014 draft, lets say we play poorly this year and get a top 2 pick to select Bridgewater, we'd be entering the new season with what we'd hope would be our franchise QB and a young stud RB. That would be amazing. As crazy as it sounds, I'd select Lattimore with our 2nd round pick without a second thought. He's a top quality player who would be a big asset going forward. Again to me it fits our current model of what seems to be a patient building process. If we had to wait a season to see Lattimore I think we would be willing to do it.
I understand the logic behind that, but the fact of the matter is that he did injure his knee. An absolutely horrible injury that, at the time, I wasnt even sure if he would be able to run again. He was a borderline 1st round pick before he got injured the 2nd time. Right about when he got injured he was just starting to show glimpses of his old self. He wasnt even fully recovered from his 1st tear. Then he injures himself again and that gives his draft stock a huge hit. Even if he can come back 100%, there's still major concern for future risk. It may be like getting a 1st round talent in the 2nd or 3rd round, but you are also getting a player with two major surgeries to his knees... and he plays running back. I dont think its a question really of "can the Jets afford to pick him and then redshirt him for a year", but more so "can the Jets afford to take the risk on a player with two reconstructed knees in a high round". If I had to choose between Lattimore or Jonathan Franklin in the 3rd, I choose Franklin. I would start to consider Lattimore in the 4th, but I think he'll be gone by then from a team that can afford the risk.
One could argue that since the Jets won't be a contender this year, that stashing guys might be the best way to go. Draft for talent, its not like we are pressured to win the Superbowl anymore. I hope Idzik will focus on 5 years down the road rather than just next year.
The bolded part is true, but people are making it out to be a lot more serious than it is. He's not a pure speed guy, and he's not a leg drive power guy, he's a vision-based back. These kinds of injuries can certainly affect elite ability, I see no reason to think that he can't regain what he had in terms of his solid, yet unspectacular speed and his aggressiveness as a runner. That, and the fact that these injuries, as long as they are given proper time to heal, are not recurring, it's really not that major a problem. Plus, teams will be honestly looking for what, six years out of him? Any long term effects from the knee injuries would probably hit at earliest when the body starts to wear down at 28-29, but he'll no longer be depended upon then anyway.
I'd love it... it's not like we'll do anything next year so he can take his time in getting back to full strength.
