MVN - Most Valuable Network

More 49ers rookie free agent signings; more to look out for

Officially now, 11 free agent rookies have been signed by the 49ers.

That list includes some already mentioned names and some newer players:
S Lewis Baker (Oklahoma), G John Booker (San Jose State), LB Lance Brandenburgh (Nebraska), LB Ezra Butler (Reno), WR Cam Colvin (Oregon), G Brian De La Puente (California), TE Joe Jon Finley (Oklahoma), DE Louis Holmes (Arizona), WR Robert Jordan (California), S D.J. Parker (Virginia Tech), LB Shaun Richardson (Tennessee State).

The 49ers site gives a nice break down on each player. I’ll give you a little bit on the player’s I had not mentioned before. Hope some of these players are impressive during the weekend’s mini-camp.

Baker (6-3, 203) saw action in 50 games with 19 starts at Oklahoma and tallied 171 tackles, nine tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and five passes defensed in his career. In 2007, Lewis played in all 14 games with 12 starts at linebacker and recorded 91 tackles and seven tackles for loss. A year prior, Baker saw action in all 14 games, tallying 31 tackles, one fumble recovery and a team-high 15 special teams tackles. Baker played in 11 games with seven starts at the strong safety position in 2005 and registered 36 tackles and two passes defensed. Baker redshirted in 2004 after playing in 10 games in 2003 as one of only two true freshman on the team to see action, posting 13 tackles.

Booker (6-4, 313) started 35 games at San Jose State, lining up at different positions along the line during his career. In 2007, Booker started nine games at right tackle and one game at left tackle, earning All-WAC second-team honors as one of four team captains. Booker started at three different offensive line positions (left guard, right guard and right tackle) in 2006 for the Spartans. A year prior, he held down the right guard position. Booker became the first true freshman to start at offensive guard for the Spartans since freshman eligibility was restored in 1972. He made his first start against Boise State (11-13-04) just two months after his 18th birthday and went on to start the final two contests of the season.

Brandenburgh (6-1, 230) was a versatile member of Nebraska’s linebacking corps throughout his collegiate career, earning four letters while lining up at all three linebacker spots. He played in 41 games and made 118 career tackles. His most impressive year came as a senior in 2007 when he tallied 51 tackles before his campaign was cut short when he suffered a season-ending injury in the ninth game of the season. Brandenburgh was also a three-time first-team Academic All-Big 12 choice (2005-07).

Parker (6-0, 198) started the final 27 games of his collegiate career at free safety for Virginia Tech. He was considered the captain of a secondary that in 2006 led the nation in pass defense (128.23 ypg) and total defense (219.46), while the entire defensive unit also led the nation in scoring defense (11.0 ppg). As a senior in 2007, the Hokies ranked third in the nation in scoring defense (16.07 ppg) and fourth in total defense (296.93 ypg). He finished his career with 144 tackles, including a career-high 59 stops in his senior season to earn All-ACC honorable mention recognition. He also forced three career fumbles and returned another for a touchdown, while picking off five passes and returning one for a score.

Richardson (6-1, 248) played in 11 games at defensive end for Tennessee State in 2007, earning All-OVC Conference first-team and All-Ohio Valley Conference first-team honors after tallying 46 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, four forced fumbles, one interception returned for a touchdown and one fumble returned for a touchdown. In 2006, Richardson posted 25 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two passes defensed. Richardson transferred to Tennessee State from Joliet (IL) Junior College.

Baker and Booker seem to be the only two I think are worth my attention. But it probably is because I have yet to see much on any of these athletes, so I don’t know much. Booker’s from my school at SJSU, so that’s cool!

DJ Parker I thought the team had originally signed with the first batch of UFA, but I guess he is on the team. I think he might be a good look too. The thing that I hope would come out from this draft is just finding that rare talent that can blossom. Remember, the draft was an OK one for the team, so if they can get someone to make an impact from this bunch, the Niners have a good outlook for the upcoming season.

I’ll get more updates on these players, but I have a busy weekend ahead of me so I’ll try my best at it.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 2nd, 2008 at 9:33 am and is filed under Lewis Baker, DJ Parker, John Booker, Lance Brandenburgh, Shaun Richardson, Ezra Bulter, Cameron Colvin, Brian De La Puente, 49ers, Rookies, Louis Holmes, Robert Jordan, Joe Jon Finley, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.