Brando19
04-27-2007, 10:24 PM
The San Francisco 49ers, one of the more aggressive teams this offseason in terms of acquisitions, enter this weekend's draft with a league-high eight picks in the first four rounds: one first-round selection, a second, two thirds and four fourths.
On the eve of the draft, the Niners already were poised to maximize the value of one of those fourth-round picks.
According to a league sources, San Francisco and division rival Seattle are working toward a trade that would send Seahawks wide receiver Darrell Jackson to the Niners in exchange for one of their fourth-rounders, believed to be the Niners' third selection in the round, No. 124 overall. The New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans, whose new general manager Mike Reinfeldt came over from Seattle, are also believed to be talking with Seattle about Jackson.
The deal is contingent upon Jackson passing his physical, scheduled for Saturday at the Niners' Santa Clara, Calif., practice facility. Jackson missed 10 regular-season games in 2005 after undergoing surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee, underwent a second operation on the knee following Seattle's loss in Super Bowl XL, and missed the final three regular-season games of last season because of turf toe.
Jackson, 28, caught 63 passes in 2006 for 956 yards and 10 touchdowns -- all team-leading totals. At the time of his toe injury, Jackson was leading the league in touchdown catches. He's exceeded 1,000 receiving yards three times in seven seasons.
However, Jackson and Seahawks management reportedly have been at odds following negotiation of the six-year, $25 million contract extension Jackson signed in March 2004, his decision to skip voluntary workouts in 2005, and the manner in which the team handled his knee injury last season.
The presence of Deion Branch, Nate Burleson, and D.J. Hackett in the Seahawks receiving corps made Jackson expendable; Jackson has been on the trading block all offseason but Seattle apparently could not fetch more than a second-day pick -- from its up-and-coming division rival, no less. Branch, whom the Seahawks acquired from the Patriots last season, presumably would become Matt Hasselbeck's No. 1 target.
Should the trade go through, as expected, Jackson's addition represents yet another coup for the Niners, who via free agency added, among others, cornerback Nate Clements, safety Michael Lewis, and Ashley Lelie. Though the Niners lost offensive coordinator Norv Turner to San Diego, they appear to have, in quarterback Alex Smith, running back Frank Gore, tight end Vernon Davis, wide receiver Arnaz Battle, Lelie, and now possibly Jackson, the makings of an explosive offense.
And there's still the draft. With the 11th overall pick, the Niners could pick up a blue-chip prospect such as Penn State offensive tackle Levi Brown or LSU wide receiver Dwayne Bowe to further bolster the offense, or tap Mississippi linebacker Patrick Willis to help head coach Mike Nolan's defense.
In 96 games, including 89 starts, Jackson, a third-round selection in 2000 out of Florida, has 441 receptions for 6,445 yards (14.6-yard average) and 47 touchdowns.
One might say Jackson's new team is scoring big this offseason.
On the eve of the draft, the Niners already were poised to maximize the value of one of those fourth-round picks.
According to a league sources, San Francisco and division rival Seattle are working toward a trade that would send Seahawks wide receiver Darrell Jackson to the Niners in exchange for one of their fourth-rounders, believed to be the Niners' third selection in the round, No. 124 overall. The New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans, whose new general manager Mike Reinfeldt came over from Seattle, are also believed to be talking with Seattle about Jackson.
The deal is contingent upon Jackson passing his physical, scheduled for Saturday at the Niners' Santa Clara, Calif., practice facility. Jackson missed 10 regular-season games in 2005 after undergoing surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee, underwent a second operation on the knee following Seattle's loss in Super Bowl XL, and missed the final three regular-season games of last season because of turf toe.
Jackson, 28, caught 63 passes in 2006 for 956 yards and 10 touchdowns -- all team-leading totals. At the time of his toe injury, Jackson was leading the league in touchdown catches. He's exceeded 1,000 receiving yards three times in seven seasons.
However, Jackson and Seahawks management reportedly have been at odds following negotiation of the six-year, $25 million contract extension Jackson signed in March 2004, his decision to skip voluntary workouts in 2005, and the manner in which the team handled his knee injury last season.
The presence of Deion Branch, Nate Burleson, and D.J. Hackett in the Seahawks receiving corps made Jackson expendable; Jackson has been on the trading block all offseason but Seattle apparently could not fetch more than a second-day pick -- from its up-and-coming division rival, no less. Branch, whom the Seahawks acquired from the Patriots last season, presumably would become Matt Hasselbeck's No. 1 target.
Should the trade go through, as expected, Jackson's addition represents yet another coup for the Niners, who via free agency added, among others, cornerback Nate Clements, safety Michael Lewis, and Ashley Lelie. Though the Niners lost offensive coordinator Norv Turner to San Diego, they appear to have, in quarterback Alex Smith, running back Frank Gore, tight end Vernon Davis, wide receiver Arnaz Battle, Lelie, and now possibly Jackson, the makings of an explosive offense.
And there's still the draft. With the 11th overall pick, the Niners could pick up a blue-chip prospect such as Penn State offensive tackle Levi Brown or LSU wide receiver Dwayne Bowe to further bolster the offense, or tap Mississippi linebacker Patrick Willis to help head coach Mike Nolan's defense.
In 96 games, including 89 starts, Jackson, a third-round selection in 2000 out of Florida, has 441 receptions for 6,445 yards (14.6-yard average) and 47 touchdowns.
One might say Jackson's new team is scoring big this offseason.