A flurry of small signings for the Niners culminated in the signing of DL Justin Smith this free agent season. The Niners once again made solid moves that makes them much more versatile in the upcoming draft. So in saying that lets look at the signings they made and how they bode for the future.

DL – Justin Smith – (sigh of relief) How I feel about this signing is encapsulated in the preceding parenthesis. The departure of Bryant Young demanded that the Niners do something about this position in their 3-4 system. They were very thin until they nabbed this guy. However, I do have some worries in making this signing. Smith has protypical size for a 4-3 DE rather than a 3-4 end. However, in his time in Cincinnati he has turned to be a much more productive run stuffer. He has amassed 470 tackles in his time in Cincinnati which is a lot for a prototypical pass rusher. He never had amazing sack totals but Nolan and McCloughan are signing him to be a run stuffer not necessarily a solid pass rusher. Either way, Nolan has stated that they may run a hybrid (3-4/4-3) package to better utilize his talents if they need to. With the small amount of decent pass rushers on the market and Smith’s abilities, this was a good signing despite the 20 million in guarantees he received.

WR – Issac Bruce – Bruce’s signing was a great move but the scary thing is that a 35 year old receiver now becomes our No. 1. What does that say about our receiving corps? Not much. However, Bruce is more familiar with Martz’s system than anyone on the face of this planet and can better help the other receivers become acquainted with it. Just don’t expect him to have, “Greatest Show on Turf,” numbers.

RB – DeShaun Foster – Should come and give Gore a break. He never was able to stay healthy as a No. 1 in Carolina but was explosive when he was a backup. Great signing but what does this mean for Michael Robinson after he signed a three year extension.

LB – Dontarrious Thomas – I’m very intrigued by this kid. He comes from Minnesota where he was stuck behind three good linebackers in EJ Henderson, Chad Greenway and Ben Leber in a system that didn’t fit him the moment he got there. He is only 27 years old and a former 2nd round draft pick. I can’t find exact statistics but I’ve read that when he was in the game he produced which makes me wonder why he was the fourth linebacker on this team if Thomas was good. He fits the TED role in the Niners defense where he will mostly take on blockers at the D-line and could be a good complement to Patrick Willis. However, the recent news that the Niners are hosting Takeo Spikes today is a cause for concern because Spikes is not coming to the Niners to back up anyone. So we will see where this goes.

QB – JT O’Sullivan- Great signing just from the standpoint that you bring a third stringer who knows Martz’s offense from his time in Detroit and will only push the competition between Smith and Hill since he knows it so well.

Now while I loved all these signings I still want to see what they are going to do in the draft. The offensive line is a growing cause for concern. All the depth we had last season has left and signed with other teams and Larry Allen is still up in the air. Jonas Jennings is one false step away from another injury and if he goes down, we are in big trouble with no other solid tackle option other than Joe Staley who will be starting on the left side this season. Wide receiver still needs to be addressed and the Niners will pick up at least two receivers in the draft in my opinion. Some option with our first pick include OT Gosder Cherilus, WR James Hardy, OLB Quentin Groves or DE Calais Campbell. Can’t wait until the draft and see you in April!

-SC Norcal