San Francisco 49er draft: A new year, a new coach, a new staff and a new team

2010 was supposed to be the year the San Francisco 49ers would shine. Coach Singeltary would finally get going with his tough linebacker coaching style and a talented team under his wing. Quarterback Alex Smith would ultimately cement his place as the 49ers’ main man with a spike in team leadership and strong performances throughout the year. Running back Frank Gore would finally show the NFL his true talent with an injury-free 1,000+ yard season. Standouts like Takeo Spikes and Nate Clements would go on to play at a high level defensively. The NFC West would be an easy one to take with teams like Seattle and St. Louis providing sub-par competition for the Niners.

The 49er season did not go as planned. Fast forward to January 2011: The Seattle Seahawks are in the playoffs and the 49ers are watching from their homes in Marin and Atherton. Mike Singeltary is looking for a new job and highly praised Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh is emerging as the 49ers’ new savior. Alex Smith’s future as San Francisco’s franchise QB also appears to be in serious doubt. Frank Gore appears to be emerging as the centerpiece of the team, with a potential new focus on the passing game and several unsuccessful seasons that focused on running the ball.

If Harbaugh performs at the same level he did at Stanford in 2010, the Niners could have a brilliant 2011. However, the new coach really needs to make some recruiting and personnel changes in the City by the Bay, which seems to have a good start with. Harbaugh is already working on making some big recruiting moves, including hiring two of his staff from the winning Stanford team. Both defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and assistant head coach Greg Roman could very well be on their way to the 49ers’ staff. Fangio and Roman have extensive NFL experience and could be a great asset to the Niner’s new training formula.

As for the 49ers’ new and improved roster, San Francisco’s recruiting efforts primarily involve signing a franchise quarterback who can pick up right where Joe Montana and Steve Young left off. Cam Newton, fresh off his BCS National Championship victory with Auburn, appears to be the target talent. Newton could provide the passing game the Niners have been needing in recent years along with the mobility that would allow more time for the offensive line to get organized.

Still, Harbaugh really needs to make some big, risky changes to give the San Francisco 49ers a fighting chance in 2011. It all starts with the recruiting process: Staff and players alike need to be reassessed and rehired wherever. necessary.