Now Onto the UDFA’s

It didn’t take long for the 49ers to lock up their first UDFA (Undrafted Free Agent). Shortly after the draft Oregon wide receiver Cameron Colvin agreed to join the 49ers. Earlier in the week we mentioned that if Colvin was drafted he’d most likely sign as a UDFA.

The other names that are tied to the 49ers as UDFA’s are

• Gary Guyton LB (Georgia Tech) (signed with Pats)
• Robert Jordan WR (California)
• Ezra Butler LB (Nevada)
• Lewis Baker LB/S (Oklahoma)
• Joe Jon Finley TE (Oklahoma)
• Louis Holmes DE (Arizona)
• DJ Parker S (Virginia Tech)
• Lance Brandenburgh LB (Nebraska)
• Brian de la Puente OG (California)

Gary Guyton Profile

Overview: Veteran outside linebacker with experience at the weak-side and strong-side positions, Guyton lacks eye-popping athleticism but has the size and strength teams are looking for. Guyton remains a bit raw, but has the physical tools and showed improvement as a senior when moved to the weak side. A solid performance at the East-West Shrine Game helped him get a late call as an injury replacement at the Senior Bowl and further boost his stock.

Positives: Long athletic build with room for additional growth. … Good use of his size in a variety of ways on the field. … Good size and strength to come up and fill lanes as a run-stuffer. … Long arms and strong hands are used well to supply a pop to blockers and disengage. … Shows some burst as blitzer. … Flashes explosiveness as a hitter and can wrap up and make the secure tackle. … Switched to weak-side linebacker as a senior and improved as the season wore on.

Negatives: Only marginal instincts for the position, which makes his pedestrian 40 time even more of a concern. … Lacks great overall athleticism and is more of a straight-line player who plays pretty stiff in coverage. … Isn’t the physically intimidating player his size would indicate.

Ezra Butler Profile

Overview: Butler is a wide body athlete with rare timed speed for his position. He hasn’t really been used as a classic outside linebacker, as the “Bandit” position he played is more like a 5-tech rush end. He is a solid blitzer coming off the edge with his hand on the ground and can be used on the front wall, having begun his collegiate career as a 285-pound defensive tackle before trimming his frame to compete playing outside the box.

Positives: Has a well-developed frame with long arms, large hands, good overall muscle tone, wide hips and thick lower body that can carry another 10 pounds of bulk…Has rare timed speed for his position and runs well to plays in front of him, showing good quickness, agility and balance…Has better instincts vs. plays in front of him or inside the box than when on the move or in zone coverage…Highly emotional type who can fire up his teammates, but sometimes gets reckless and out of control (must play at a more even keel, as he can be taken out of his game)…Hard worker in practices and in the training room…Shows better discipline working through trash and plugging rush lanes rather than giving chase on the perimeter…Will usually play on that perimeter, but shows the ability to engage, shed and make tackles in the hole better…Flashes the ability to redirect and has a strong closing burst on the blitz…Willing tackler with strong, explosive hits and when he keeps the action in front of him, he generates good pop on contact…Sees the plays develop better when closer to the line of scrimmage and might be a better fit as an inside guy in a 3-4 alignment, as he is a tough inside force who might not shed well but can occupy multiple blockers…Not a smash-mouth type of hitter, but does show good force behind his hits…Could be more explosive shooting his hands at the point of attack, but his size and strength let him win most of his battles vs. smaller blockers (full-backs, slot receivers, tight ends)…Must be quicker bouncing back up when knocked down, but has natural pop on contact when he uses his hands forcefully…Although he doesn’t play well in deep coverage, he has the speed to run with any back or tight end as well as many wide receivers (needs to learn how to stay on the hip of the route runner and not eye the quarterback as much as he does)…Shows athleticism while dropping into zone coverage and can get depth in his drops, but needs to do this quicker and show better awareness to handle switch-off activity in zone coverage…Gives a nice effort in pursuit, when he avoids blocks on the move…Has improved his ability to bring his arms and feet to fit and secure when tackling in the box…Comes off the edge well and fights through traffic to get to the quarterback…When he sinks his weight and keeps his hands inside the frame, he can keep better leverage on the ball…More active on the move while blitzing, with a strong, explosive arm swipes that lets him get to the passer when unimpeded…Is just an average pass rusher from the classic linebacker stance, but is a more effective rusher with his hand on the ground (good 5-tech rush end)…When he uses his hands to prevent from getting hung up in traffic, he can generate the short-area burst to close and pressure the pocket…Although he hasn’t played on special teams lately, he possesses good coverage skills and collision-tackling ability.

Negatives: Has a well-built frame, but played at 285 pounds in 2004, and while he can add another 10 pounds of bulk to his frame it could affect one of his better assets - his foot speed…Needs to mature off the field, as his violation of team policies resulted in a one-game suspension in 2007…Gets frustrated when his initial move fails and when he doesn’t keep his emotions in check, it usually leads to costly mistakes…Has good hand strength, but needs to be more active with them, as he can be reached and is slow to shed blocks…Tries to over-power blockers rather than slip past or avoid, causing him to be tied up in the battle longer than he should (late to come off blocks, redirect and make the play)…Has rare speed for a player his size, but fails to keep his feet on the move at times and lacks that sudden burst needed to get to the perimeter to take on outside run plays…Must take better angles shooting the gaps and be more conscious of cut blocks and double teams (can be washed out when he fails to recognize blocking schemes)…For a player with his decent change of direction agility, he looks too awkward moving in space and gets out of control at times, taking arm swipes rather than getting into position to wrap and secure (lots of missed tackles)…Used mostly as a wide 5-tech defensive end, but will struggle vs. the bigger blockers playing that role at the next level…Gets reckless in his pursuit, out-running the play and then struggles to get back into the action…Adequate covering the pass in the short area, but has a choppy backpedal and fails to generate the hip snap needed to come out of his breaks cleanly to mirror the receiver throughout the route…Liability playing in the deep zone, as he does not have a good feel for the ball in flight (struggles to look the ball in over his shoulder)…Needs to get a quicker read on the quarterback in pass coverage, as he will eye the backfield too long and lacks ideal recognition skills (will bite on pump fakes/play-action)…Good blitzer, but needs to show more explosion coming off the edge and execute better angles when he has a clear lane (takes a wide loop)…Will disappear for long stretches and needs to be more aggressive initiating contact at the X’s.

Robert Jordan Profile

Strengths: A good natural athlete…Adequate height…Is very quick and plays faster than he times…Runs excellent routes…Elusive and can make something happen after the catch…Good awareness…Tough and will work the middle…Trys hard as a blocker.

Weaknesses: Doesn’t have the bulk that you look for…Below average timed speed…Is not very strong or physical…Has trouble beating the jam…Goes down easy…Lacks natural hands….Was never featured in college…Durability?….Does not have much upside.

Joe Jon Finley Profile

Positives: Has a big frame with room for additional growth…Shows large, soft hands and adequate arm length to extend for the ball outside his frame…Has an adequate initial burst, but can build his acceleration throughout the route (more of a one-cut runner)…Has the agility to steer and create movement as a cut blocker in space, but needs to show better hip flexibility when redirecting on in-line blocks…Has an aggressive nature seeking out second-level defenders and is not the type that will back down from a challenge…Has a good understanding of coverage, settling in nicely underneath…As a former quarterback, he realizes the importance of eyeballing the passer and working back when the pocket is pressured…Will compete for the ball in a crowd, but must maintain his focus better (looks to turn and run before securing the ball)…Shows functional movement agility working in space and plays with good urgency getting into his routes…Does a good job of jabbing and beating the press with a good hand punch coming off the snap and there are no false steps in his release…Knows how to convert routes vs. man and zone coverage and, while he was not featured, his routes tend to be crisp, showing decent explosion in and out of his cuts…Knows how to drop his pads and gather at the top of the route…Better when settling underneath than challenging the deep zone, but he has the ability to uncover due to his body control…Gives the quarterback a big target in the middle…No issues with ball security when catching in a crowd…Has the size and hand punch to box out in traffic and while he needs to improve his focus, he will fight until the whistle to get to the ball…Has some hip stiffness that causes him to have problems going for the low throws, but catches the ball in stride when the pass is directed at his numbers…More of a position blocker, but has a good concept for taking angles pursuing in the second level.

Negatives: Has good timed speed for a player his size, but needs to show more explosive moves coming off the line of scrimmage, as he will get tall in his stance and narrow his base, causing him to struggle to open his hips in attempts to evade defenders moving into the second level…In a short area, he shows good aggression going for the ball, but will lose focus and drop a few easy passes when he hears the defender’s footsteps…Must do a better job of using his reach to extend and pluck the ball outside his frame and might need to get his vision checked, as he seems surprised by the ball and doesn’t track it well in flight…Has adequate strength to break tackles after the catch, but is more of a one-cut runner who lacks elusiveness in the open to win footraces…Has good size and hand placement, but must put his foot in the ground to anchor vs. the bull rush, as he does not use his weight-room strength effectively when blocking in-line, failing to generate a smooth kick slide due to some hip stiffness…Could do a better job of setting up the defender, as he tends to run right into contact when working into the second level…Decent cut blocker, but needs to sustain his hits longer…His tight hips are evident when he struggles to adjust to off-target throws.

Louis Holmes Profile

Overview: After posting 192 tackles, 40 tackles for loss and 16 sacks while at Scottsdale Community College, Holmes was almost universally ranked as the elite JUCO prospect in the country before signing with Arizona. Though he certainly looks the part and showed flashes while with the Wildcats, his production simply never materialized at the D-I level. Holmes’ size-speed package will be enough to entice some NFL team to take a chance, but he displayed little on the football field while at Arizona to warrant consideration. A classic boom or bust prospect.

Positives: Looks the part. Lean, ripped upper and lower body with room for additional growth…Flashes quickness off the snap. … Flashes some explosiveness in his initial confrontation with the offensive tackle and can control his man. … Helped himself with a productive week of practice at the Hula Bowl. … Good straight-line speed. … Expected to work out well.

Negatives: Inconsistent. … Flashes quickness off the snap, but is just as often late. …Flashes explosive hands to jolt the offensive tackle, but more often is controlled at the point and occasionally driven back. … Marginal instincts. … Struggles to locate the ball and lacks the change of direction to react. … Invited to Combine on the basis of his reputation, not his play on the field.