Posts tagged KentwanBalmer at FanHouse

San Francisco 49ers 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (29): Kentwan Balmer, DT, North Carolina
Round 2 (39): Chilo Racal, OG, Southern Cal.
Round 3 (75): Reggie Smith, DB, Oklahoma
Round 4 (107): Cody Wallace, C, Texas A&M
Round 6 (174): Josh Morgan, WR, Virginia Tech
Round 7 (214): Larry Grant, OLB, Ohio State

The Good: Every pick was spent on a position of need, though I can nitpick a little. Racal was the draft's second-best guard and the 49ers desperately need some help there. Smith at one point was a solid first-round selection. He's talented and his versatility will allow the 49ers to let him roam the secondary. Balmer, if motivated, seriously addresses their need for a standout defensive end in the 3-4

The Bad: I'm not one of those people who has a lot of faith in Balmer. Some see him as an emerging player, I'm skeptical of a one-year star who was playing for a contract, but the jury remains out. I preferred Johnathan Sullivan over Wallace, though there's nothing wrong with that pick (plus, I'm an idiot). I don't think receiver was as big of a need as others were making it out to be, but I still think they should have addressed that and outside linebacker higher than they did. The team could have also stood to come out of the draft with a developmental offensive tackle.

The Grade: B+. Even though I feel like they really only nailed one pick -- Smith -- out of the park, their first five picks should all make the team and at least the first four will contribute. They did address their needs and improved them across the board. This isn't a flashy draft, but it's one that makes teams better.

Click here to read other Draft Grades.

I talked to North Carolina defensive end Kentwan Balmer at the scouting combine and came away liking him a lot, and I like the value of picking him with the 29th selection in the first round a lot. This was a very good pick for the 49ers.

Some people think the fact that Balmer only had one good season (his senior year) in college as a problem, but I tend to view Balmer's career in the opposite way: He has the potential, I believe, to develop into one of the league's best defensive linemen, and he was just beginning to develop during his senior season at North Carolina.


Previously on FanHouse:
FanHouse Mock Draft: San Francisco 49ers Select OLB Quentin Groves No. 29
Despite What You May Heave Heard, the 49ers Shouldn't Go Receiver in the First Round
I Hope You're Prepared for More Alex Smith: 49ers Dont Plan on Drafting a QB

Jonathan Stewart is off the board. Branden Albert is long gone. Even Gosder Cherlius and Jeff Otah, the Steelers' fall-back picks have already gotten phone calls from their new coaches.

So with running back and offensive tackle no longer logical options, Pittsburgh faces a choice. They can trade down and pick up some more picks or they can stick here and take either a corner or a defensive end. The best bet is to trade down, if they can find a trade partner--trading down seems easy this year with teams bouncing up and down all through the first round. If they do, Sam Baker and Brandon Flowers could still be there in the early second round.

But if they can't, every indication is that Kentwan Balmer, the defensive end from North Carolina, will be the pick. Balmer will likely not start anytime in the near future, but he will give the Steelers three defensive ends who can all play 60-65 percent of the snaps while staying fresh. It's not the sexiest pick, but it seems like the most likely.

The other options are to take a cornerback with Mike Jenkins, Brandon Flowers, Aqib Talib (character issues) still on the board with only three picks to go to Pittsburgh's spot. And there are plenty of wide receivers, including Devin Thomas and Limas Sweed.

With each pick of the FanHouse mock draft, we get into the head of an NFL general manager and let you know who he'll pick and why.

The 49ers are in a rough spot here. In real life, with pretty much no viable options where need and value intersect, I think they trade back. Since that's not an option here, they have to reach.

Ideally, the team wants Gosder Cherilus to bookend the offensive line with Joe Staley. With him off the board, and Kentwan Balmer -- a defensive tackle who could play end in the 49ers' 3-4 -- gone as well, it's about the pass rush.

The 49ers like Quentin Groves, and he's got the measurables to play the pass-rush role in the 49ers' scheme opposite of Manny Lawson, but his actual game skills are slightly more cloudy. Worse yet is his reputation as having an inconsistent motor, which is a death blow when you want someone speeding towards the quarterback on almost every single down. Still, he's the best of what the 49ers need at this point. He can start from Week 1, but 49er fans will have to expect some sort of learning curve.

Calais Campbell is a backup plan to Balmer in case the team feels it's necessary to fix the end position, but that would really be a stretch. Likewise, the 49ers love Notre Dame's Trevor Laws. Though Laws played tackle in college, he's got the frame for a 3-4 end and all the intangibles Groves doesn't have. Still, he might likely last until the 49ers pick only 10 selections later at #39.

The Skinny:
Team Needs: DE, OLB, OT, OG
Player Selected: Quentin Groves, OLB, Auburn
Also Considered: Calais Campbell, DE, Miami; Trevor Laws, DT, Notre Dame

Previous Pick: No. 28,

Next Pick: No. 30, Green Bay Packers

With each pick of the FanHouse mock draft, we get into the head of an NFL general manager and let you know who he'll pick and why.

So Jaguars.com editor Vic Ketchman has this ongoing tussle with his readers in his daily Q&A column about how NFL teams should draft. Some fans say teams should draft based on need. Ketchman says teams should they take the best player available in the first round, regardless of need.

I considered both arguments before making this pick, and I tried to find balance between both arguments. The Jaguars' biggest need is a pass rusher, but the entire defensive line could use a boost. They could also use some depth in the secondary and perhaps another receiver.

However, the Jags addressed the receiving corps and secondary in free agency with the signings of Jerry Porter and Drayton Florence. They haven't addressed the defensive line, and while you can make the argument that DeSean Jackson is the best player available, you can do the same for UNC defensive tackle Kentwan Balmer, who has great quickness and range for a DT and could help the team deal with the loss of Marcus Stroud.

With each pick of the FanHouse mock draft, we get into the head of an NFL general manager and let you know who he'll pick and why.

The Denver Broncos find themselves in an odd spot come the 12th pick of the first round. Their biggest need is for a defensive tackle but players like Glenn Dorsey and Sedrick Ellis will be gone by the time they pick and the next tier, headed by Kentwan Balmer of North Carolina, is a bit of a reach at such a lofty spot.

A player like Malcolm Kelly of Oklahoma would match up well opposite Brandon Marshall. Kelly's got talent to spare and might fit the criteria of best player available but the Broncos took a big hit on the offensive line when Matt Lepsis retired following the season. The line in general was a need but when Lepsis hung up his cleats, left tackle became a glaring one.

With Jake Long and Ryan Clady off the board, the Broncos can choose between Chris Williams and Jeff Otah, both strong prospects but Williams is the obvious choice. Williams's biggest strengthes are his quickness and technique, which makes him a nice fit for the zone blocking Broncos. Plus he's already got experience protecting Jay Cutler's blind side and it never hurts to have a happy quarterback.

More than a month after the NFL Combine and just a few weeks from the draft, UNC defensive tackle Kentwan Balmer is still an enigma. FanHouse's Michael David Smith reported that Balmer used the Combine to improve his stock, particularly since Glenn Dorsey didn't participate.

But after his Pro Day earlier this week, Balmer's draft status is more unclear than ever. At least to hear ProFootballWeekly.com's Nolan Nawrocki explain it:

Disheartening to scouts who watched him clock a good time [in the 40-yard dash] was the way Balmer reacted, claiming that he tweaked his hamstring and could not run a second time. Despite the so-called injury, the career underachiever was able to go through a full positional workout, leaving scouts feeling like they had just been misled about an injury.

"He has no career production," one evaluator said. "He's got excuses for everything, and he did the same thing (Tuesday) when he pulled himself out of the workout. I would be surprised if he gets drafted in the first round."

Wow, way to hold back, Nolan. Interestingly, I came away feeling exactly the opposite about Balmer after reading MDS' report. Maybe Nolan's source is just really down on Balmer, or maybe something's changed in the last six weeks. Whatever, Balmer's still the third-best defensive tackle in the draft behind Dorsey and Sedrick Ellis. And as has been the case all off-season, the only question is when he'll get drafted.

Despite Nawrocki's doubts, he admits that the Packers and Giants, two teams picking late in the first round, are interested. And there's never been a first-round pick who proved to be a shiftless layabout, so it can't be as bad as all that.*

* This does not include Lawrence Phillips, Charles Rogers, Mike Williams, Ryan Leaf and countless others.

Notes on a trip to the NFL Scouting Combine.

If LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey's absence from the combine causes him to move down on draft boards, who will move up?

The answer may be North Carolina defensive tackle Kentwan Balmer, an engaging young man who says he's excited about the prospect of working out in front of all 32 NFL coaches.

"That's what we came here for, to work out, right?" Balmer said when asked if he'd go through every drill.

Balmer, a 6-foot-4, 300-pounder, takes his football seriously. He talked about the way he watches what he eats, always makes sure to get enough sleep, and studies lots of films. So detailed is his film study, Balmer says, that he's at times been able to know whether a run or pass is coming because he has learned that an opposing offensive lineman tips off whether he's run blocking or pass blocking based on whether he staggers his feet when he lines up.

Balmer's likely NFL position is as a three-technique defensive tackle, but he can play anywhere on the defensive line. Although everyone seems to think the top three defensive lineman in this year's draft are, in some order, Dorsey, Chris Long and Sedrick Ellis, don't be surprised if Balmer makes a move.

NFL Offseason Roadmap is a series focused on the needs of NFL teams as they begin the offseason.

1. Offensive Tackle. There is a reason the 49ers gave up the most sacks in the league last year. There's a reason Frank Gore had a letdown year (a few, actually, but this is one). The 49ers are off to a good start at overhauling the position with Joe Staley, but Staley's moving over to the left side, and it's up in the air how he'll respond. Backup Kwame Harris is a free agent, and the 49ers aren't really fans of either him or Jonas Jennings. The team is going to need a starter at right tackle, whether that's Jennings or someone new. But the team need a general upgrade in talent and depth. Bad news. The 49ers don't have a late first round pick. They could hope that Jeff Otah, Ryan Clady, or Sam Baker fall to them. An intriguing pick for later in the first day is Heath Benedict from Newberry. They'll have to get some help out of the draft, because free agency is scarce. Max Starks looks to be the the best available, meaning someone will grossly overpay for him.

NFL Offseason Roadmap is a series focused on the needs of NFL teams as they begin the offseason.

1. Offensive Tackle. A disaster zone. Forget the 54 sacks Jon Kitna took last year. As terrible and incriminating as it is, it doesn't even come close to scratching the surface of all the crimes against football the Lions' tackles have committed. Running backs dream of rushing for 2,000 yards; I don't think any offensive line wants 2,000 yards of penalties in a season, but the Lions looked like they were trying hard, particularly the tackles. Jeff Backus was terrible and, when George Foster wasn't riding pine, he was worse. Damien Woody did pretty well stepping in at right tackle towards the end of the year, but he looks likely to sign somewhere else this summer. So that leaves zero NFL-caliber tackles on this squad. As for answers, well, teams don't let starting quality tackles hit free agency, so they're kinda screwed if they want experience. While their 15th pick puts them out of the running for Jake Long, they could decide to go with Ryan Clady or Jeff Otah, the next tier in this class.