Source: Eric Gilmore, Contra Costa Times [ Full Article ]
Raise your hand if you could pick defensive lineman Aubrayo Fanklin or safety Michael Lewis out of a police lineup.
Take a step forward if you've intently tracked cornerback Nate Clements' performance while he toiled the past six seasons for the struggling Buffalo Bills.
Holler if you've studied outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain's pass-rush moves since he left Cal for the NFL or wide receiver Ashley Lelie's route running.
Someone? Anyone? That's what I thought.
In a frenetic five-day shopping spree, the 49ers signed these five free agents. They spent some $40 million in bonuses and guaranteed cash and used up all but $12 million of their $38 million in salary cap space.
I'll admit it. I don't know enough about this supposed Fab Five to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt whether it was money well spent by the 49ers or a waste of cash.
But if I had to bet, I'd wager that the 49ers invested wisely.
Why so?
Scot McCloughan has earned that trust based on his track record as the 49ers vice president of player personnel.
Two weeks after Mike Nolan was hired as 49ers coach on Jan. 19, 2005, he hired McCloughan to lead his personnel department and help rebuild a depleted roster.
Nolan, as we know, is Master of the 49ers Universe, and has final say on everything from free-agent signings to draft picks to the color of the locker room carpet.
But Nolan relies heavily on McCloughan's personnel advice and expertise.
It was McCloughan who lobbied hard to draft running back Frank Gore in the third round in 2005, despite Gore's history of knee injuries that scared away many teams.
Gore rushed for 1,695 in 2006 and made the Pro Bowl, giving McCloughan's credibility a huge boost in the process.
It was on McCloughan's watch that the 49ers drafted quarterback Alex Smith with the No. 1 overall pick in 2005, a choice that began to look better and better last season when the team won seven games.
Last year, 49ers cornerback Walt Harris and guard Larry Allen, a pair of free-agent pickups, made the NFC's Pro Bowl team. Both had been cut by their previous teams.
OK, McCloughan's not perfect. The 49ers rolled the dice on free-agent wide receiver Antonio Bryant last year but crapped out. At least they cut their losses after one season.
I look at McCloughan as the 49ers' answer to New England Patriots personnel chief Scott Pioli.
Pioli and Pats coach Bill Belichick are on the same wavelength. Pioli knows the type of player Belichick wants, and he consistently delivers them to the Pats' roster.
It appears that Nolan and McCloughan are developing a similar vibe.
"From the get-go it's been smooth because we want the same kind of football player," McCloughan said Thursday. "We've both been burned by taking the height-weight-speed guy."
McCloughan typically shies away from workout wonders, the so-called Tarzan-Jane players. You know, players who look like Tarzan but play like Jane.
McCloughan tries to target savvy, motivated team-first players who have proven their worth on the field and fit Nolan's system.
McCloughan learned the NFL personnel business from an icon, ex-Green Bay Packers personnel chief Ron Wolf, a former Raiders scout.
He added those lessons from Wolf to the ones he learned growing up as the son of former Raider defensive back Kent McCloughan, a longtime scout for the team.
Along the way, McCloughan learned that "you overpay" for free agents so you can't rely too heavily on them when building a team.
Smart man.
"I was taught by Ron Wolf that you build through the draft and supplement through free agency," McCloughan said.
The 49ers, however, had so much cap space available and so many needs to fill that they were willing to overpay this year, but only for the right players, players who fit Nolan's blueprint, McCloughan said.
All five free agents they signed are still relatively young, 26 or 27. All five are experienced and healthy.
"This is hopefully a one-year thing," McCloughan said of the 49ers' heavy foray into free agency. "You need to draft well. That's where you invest your money the best way."
McCloughan and his staff began scouting this year's crop of free agents when the 2006 season began. With a month still left in the season, McCloughan had his initial free-agent wish list/rankings.
"We pinpoint about 20 guys and have them ranked, not only by position but one to 20," he said. "We were ready to roll once the season was over."
During the season, Nolan periodically joined McCloughan for an update on his free agency preparations. Then after the season, they made sure they were "on the same page" before free agency's opening bell, McCloughan said.
"We have our arguments just like everybody does," McCloughan said of Nolan. "But we're in this together."
For 49ers fans, that's reason enough to have faith in this free-agent crop.
Cause For Faith In 49ers' Free Agents 
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