Grading a draft is just as pointless as a post-draft power ranking. There is just no way of knowing how the prospects turn out. A high overall pick could become a flop. A seventh-rounder might become a future Hall-of-Famer. An injury, heaven forbid, could stall the rebuilding process for another year. Nonetheless, teams expect their first-round choices to become starters and others are expected to make an immediate impact. Let's see whether the 49ers drafted potential starters and impact players.

The 49ers did a great job in free agency, addressing their need for a deeper and more talented receiver corps. With the exception of maybe a right guard San Francisco didn't need to draft a designated first-year starter. The Niners could use all their picks to add depth and slowly transition the draftees into impact players.

San Francisco selected WR A.J. Jenkins (first round), RB LaMichael James (second), G Joe Looney (fourth), OLB Darius Fleming (fifth), FS Trenton Robinson (sixth), OT Jason Slowey (sixth) and DE Cam Johnson (seventh).

A.J. Jenkins won't be a starter in his first season with the team. He is more of a safety net in case the WR Randy Moss experiment backfires. Jenkins can do everything the 49ers are expecting to get out of Randy Moss. Expect him to catch one or two passes per game with an opportunity to earn an increased role.

The selection of LaMichael James in the second round makes little sense at first. RB Frank Gore and RB Kendall Hunter will almost certainly be ahead of him once the season kicks off and RB Brandon Jacobs and RB Anthony Dixon are set to compete for the short-yardage downs. In the long run, however, James could be groomed to form a one-two-punch with Kendall Hunter once the Frank Gore era has come to an end.

G Joe Looney provides competition at the guard spot and could end up starting on opening day. Looney and G Daniel Kilgore are unproven though. The search for a right guard might not be over yet and a trade seems a possibility, considering the 49ers have a number of additional draft picks in 2013.

OLB Darius Fleming adds depth to the linebacker corps and could make an impact on special teams.

FS Trenton Robinson and T Jason Slowey provide depth but may not survive the cut.

DE Cam Johnson dropped down the draft boards but could turn out to be a steal in the seventh round. Teams were concerned about his history of injuries but if he is healthy he could continue where OLB Aldon Smith left off last season.

It is possible that none of the drafted players wind up starting in 2012. From this angle the draft hasn't made the 49ers a better team but San Francisco was drafting for depth and did just that. Depth is something you can never have enough of. A.J. Jenkins, Joe Looney and Cam Johnson are the most likely players to make an immediate impact. With the exception of the guard spot San Francisco has an overall improved roster compared to last season.

San Francisco 49ers

LOLB Ahmad Brooks, will he stay or will he go? The speculations can finally be put to rest. Brooks will stay as the 49ers signed the linebacker through 2017. The six-year extension is worth $44.5m with $17.5m guaranteed. The 27-year old had a career-best 34 solo tackles and 7 sacks last season. Brooks is expected to start alongside LILB NaVorro Bowman, RILB Patrick Willis and OLB Aldon Smith next year. The 49ers have to decide now if they want to keep ROLB Parys Haralson, who will make $2.45m in 2012.

Seattle Seahawks

It is no big secret that the Seahawks are trying to improve their quarterback situation. They are interested in trading up in the draft to get Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III but face stiff competition from the Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins. They are also interested in QB Peyton Manning, provided he becomes available, but the Seahawks aren't considered favorites to lure him to Seattle. Where does the passer come from then? "Every year going into the draft we're looking to take a quarterback and effectively upgrade the quarterback position, and this year is no different," head coach Pete Carroll said. Free agent QB Charlie Whitehurst will likely not return which opens up a vacancy. Carroll is intrigued by Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill, Wisconsin's Russell Wilson and Arizona State's Brock Osweiler or could turn his attention to undrafted rookie free agent Josh Portis.

Pro Football Weekly listed the 100 top free agents in the NFL. Here is where they ranked the free agents of the four NFC West teams:

San Francisco 49ers

29. CB Carlos Rogers. The cornerback had a career-best six interceptions last season and brings leadership to the secondary. The 49ers are trying hard to re-sign the veteran.

32. FS Dashon Goldson. The hard-hitting safety had six interceptions last season. He is San Francisco's top candidate for the franchise tag.

34. QB Alex Smith. The passer thrived under head coach Jim Harbaugh and had the best season of his career. The Niners are working on a contract extension.

60. OLB Ahmad Brooks. OLB Aldon Smith is slated as a starter next season, which means the 49ers will only re-sign Brooks if the price is right. Ahmad Brooks had a career-best 34 solo tackles and 7 sacks last season.

89. WR Ted Ginn Jr. Ginn is a speedy receiver and excellent returner. The 49ers could attempt to re-sign him or look for a replacement in the upcoming draft.

Arizona Cardinals

14. DE Calais Campbell. Campbell had a career-best 58 solo tackles and 8 sacks in 2011. He missed only one game in his four-year career in the NFL. GM Rod Graves told fans that they should not have to worry about the team losing Campbell.

57. CB Richard Marshall. Re-signing the versatile defensive back is one of Arizona's top priorities but they should not expect to be without competition.

92. K Jay Feely. The 36-year old made less than 80% of his field goal attempts for the first time in seven years.

100. WR Early Doucet. Despite the best season of his career the Cardinals are willing to let the young receiver go. He could be a good fit for any team looking to add depth to their receiver corps.

Seattle Seahawks

17. RB Marshawn Lynch. The running back had a career-best 1,204 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns last season. GM John Schneider said that the team would give him the franchise tag if both parties couldn't work out a deal.

50. DE Red Bryant. The run-stopper intends to re-sign with the Seahawks but could draw some interest if he hits the open market.

59. MLB David Hawthorne. The linebacker led the team in tackles in each of the last three seasons but the Seahawks have concerns regarding his speed and durability.

62. TE John Carlson. Head coach Pete Carroll indicated that he would like to re-sign the tight end but it shouldn't be surprising if Carlson played somewhere else next season, considering the Seahawks have Zach Miller on their roster.

98. FB Michael Robinson. Marshawn Lynch's lead blocker is also a prominent figure on special teams.

St. Louis Rams

35. WR Brandon Lloyd. The Rams want to re-sign the receiver but not at all costs. Apparently the franchise tag is not an option.

The San Francisco 49ers crushed what little playoff hope the Seattle Seahawks may still have had by beating their divisional rival 19-17 at CenturyLink Field. The Niners on the other hand keep pushing for a first-round bye in the playoffs and put some pressure on the New Orleans Saints, who are facing the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.

In the beginning it looked like the Seahawks were trying to beat the 49ers through the air. They only ran the ball twice on their first drive but their passing plays brought them closer and closer to San Francisco’s end zone. The Seahawks were in San Francisco’s half after a 44-yard reception from WR Ricardo Lockette. Three passes later WR Doug Baldwin, who was a game-time decision, caught a touchdown pass for 13 yards to give Seattle a 7-0 lead.

San Francisco needed to respond and showed that they were prepared to take risks. On 4^th and 1 at Seattle’s 48-yard line head coach Jim Harbaugh decided not to punt and QB Alex Smith ran 1 yard for another first down. The Niners were in field goal range after a 12-yard catch from WR Michael Crabtree but David Akers could not connect from 52 yards.

It didn’t take David Akers long to redeem himself. The 49ers marched down the field on their second drive, thanks to great rushing plays from RB Frank Gore and RB Kendall Hunter, but came to a halt at Seattle’s 35-yard line, when LB Leroy Hill sacked Alex Smith for a loss of 4 yards. Akers attempted a field goal from 53 yards and made it.

The Seahawks could have responded with a field goal straight away but an offensive pass interference call on WR Ben Obomanu and a sack from LILB Navorro Bowman for a loss of 4 yards moved the home team out of field goal range and they had to punt instead.

Seattle was more successful on their next possession. The Seahawks began the drive at San Francisco’s 43-yard line thanks to a 15-yard interference call on C.J. Spillman after the punt. It was mainly RB Marshawn Lynch who moved the ball close to the end zone but the Seahawks failed to get into it. Steven Hauschka restored the 7-point lead with 19-yard field goal.

The Niners had 1:30 minutes left and were determined to score before half time but turned the ball over on downs.

San Francisco needed a score on the first possession of the second half to get some momentum going. At Seattle’s 40-yard line the Niners were faced with a 4^th and 2 and decided to go for a conversion. Alex Smith didn’t just go for 2 yards but passed to TE Vernon Davis for a gain of 16 yards and an automatic first down. Davis caught another pass for 17 yards and set up Frank Gore’s 4-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 10.

San Francisco’s defense forced a three-and-out on Seattle’s next possession and WR Kyle Williams, who replaced the injured WR Ted Ginn Jr., returned the punt for 36 yards to Seattle’s 48-yard line. Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and Alex Smith seemed unstoppable and ran the ball deep into Seattle’s red zone. Once there the progress stopped but David Akers’ 29-yard field goal gave the Niners their first lead of the game. The momentum had clearly shifted in San Francisco’s favor.

The 49ers forced yet another three-and-out and the offense repeated their now successful formula: Run, run and run. Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter moved the offense deep into Seattle territory but were stopped before the red zone. David Akers hit a field goal from 44-yards to give the Niners a 16-10 lead.

San Francisco had the win all but wrapped up, had it not been for a mishap on special teams. LB Heath Farwell blocked a punt from Andy Lee and Marshawn Lynch rushed for a 4-yard touchdown on Seattle’s subsequent first down.

The 49ers didn’t seem to be affected by this setback and restored the order of things within minutes. WR Michael Crabtree caught a pass for 41 yards at Seattle’s 28-yard line. Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter gained another 7 yards to set up David Akers’ field goal from 39 yards.

There were 1:18 minutes left to play when QB Tarvaris Jackson attempted to run for a first down at San Francisco’s 48-yard line. LB Larry Grant came from behind and stripped the quarterback for the only turnover of the game, when SS Donte Whitner recovered the fumble.

The Niners only managed to take 15 seconds off the clock on their ensuing drive but the Seahawks turned the ball over on downs and San Francisco’s 19-17 win at the Seattle Seahawks was official.

Game Tidbits

Alex Smith completed 14 of 26 passes for 179 yards and a passer rating of 75.6.

Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter rushed for a combined 156 yards.

OLB Aldon Smith recorded his team-leading 14^th sack of the season and needs one more to set a new NFL record for rookies.

San Francisco converted only 20% of third downs but went 2-for-3 on fourth downs.

The 49ers outsacked the Seahawks 3-2.

David Akers set a new NFL record for field goals made in a season with 42.

Alex Smith is tied with Joe Montana for most fourth quarter come-from-behind road wins in one season for the 49ers with 4.

TE Delanie Walker suffered a jaw injury and could miss the rest the season.

Kyle Williams left the game with a potential concussion.

Marshawn Lynch ran for 107 yards and is the first running back since week 11 of the 2009 season to top 100 yards against the Niners. He is also the first running back to rush for a touchdown against San Francisco this season.

Two power outages delayed the game for about 35 minutes but the San Francisco 49ers played lights out even when the electricity was back on and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-3 to remain on course for a first-round bye in the playoffs.

QB Ben Roethlisberger, who played despite an ankle injury, started Pittsburgh’s first drive 20 minutes later than anticipated due to a power outage just before kick-off. It was clear from the start that the Niners would not allow a running game against them and force Roethlisberger to throw. A 36-yard pass to WR Mike Wallace brought the Steelers to San Francisco’s 22-yard line but CB Carlos Rogers intercepted a pass intended for Mike Wallace two plays later for the first turnover of the night.

San Francisco’s first possession of the game lasted 17 plays and took 10:36 minutes off the clock. The 49ers reached the dreaded red zone for the first time after multiple passes to WR Kyle Williams and a 13-yard rush from RB Frank Gore. They managed to get another first down at the 4-yard line but failed to get the ball into the end zone. David Akers made a 22-yard field goal to put the first points on the scoreboard.

Pittsburgh’s second possession of the game led to the same result as the first. Ben Roethlisberger turned the ball over on the seventh play of the drive, when he threw an interception to FS Dashon Goldson.

The Niners reached the edge of the red zone on their following drive but had to settle for another field goal. David Akers was successful from 38 yards to give San Francisco a 6-0 lead.

The Steelers were determined to take a lead, or at least three points into half time when Ben Roethlisberger started the drive at their own 5-yard line with 1:26 minutes to spare. The Steelers had four seconds left when Roethlisberger found WR Antonio Brown for a 24-yard reception but S C.J. Spillman tackled the receiver before he could reach the end zone.

In the third quarter the Pittsburgh Steelers avoided a shutout. Two receptions from TE Heath Miller for a total of 50 yards helped getting the Steelers into field goal range. Shaun Suisham attempted a 51-yard field goal in extremely windy conditions and made it.

San Francisco responded immediately with a perfect passing drive. QB Alex Smith completed each of his five pass attempts for 71 yards and found TE Vernon Davis in the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 13-3.

The Steelers were in field goal range again when WR Jerricho Cotchery caught a 36-yard pass at San Francisco’s 30-yard line but the 48-yard attempt proved to be too much for Shaun Suisham.         

The Niners sealed Pittsburgh’s fate at the beginning of the fourth quarter. LE Ray McDonald and OLB Aldon Smith sacked Ben Roethlisberger for a loss of 12 yards and RE Justin Smith recovered the fumble at Pittsburgh’s 17-yard line. Five plays later Frank Gore ran the ball into the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown and the final score of 20-3.

Game Tidbits

Alex Smith completed 18 of 31 passes for 187 yards, 1 touchdown and a passer rating of 86.4.

Aldon Smith recorded 2 sacks and breaks Charles Haley’s franchise record of 12.5 sacks for rookies.

Carlos Rogers and Dashon Goldson now lead the team with 6 interceptions.

San Francisco converted 31% of their third downs.

The 49ers outsacked the Steelers 3-0.

The Niners allowed Ben Roethlisberger to pass for 330 yards.

San Francisco allowed the Steelers to convert 57% of their third downs.

David Akers sets a new franchise single-season record with 141 points, formerly held by Jerry Rice with 138.

The 49ers are the first team in NFL history to hold an opponent without a rushing touchdown through each of the first 14 games.

LT Joe Staley left the game in the second half with a leg injury.

WR Ted Ginn Jr. injured his right ankle on the second half kick-off.

The San Francisco 49ers entered the final quarter of the regular season with a 21-19 loss at the Arizona Cardinals, jeopardizing a first-round bye in the playoffs.

San Francisco’s defense didn’t allow a first down in the first quarter and forced Arizona’s offense to a three-and-out on all three possessions. The pass protection did not perform quite as well in the beginning.

The 49ers had a great field position on Arizona’s 43-yard line to start their second drive. 11 plays later they had gained just 15 yards. Three sacks prevented the Niners from moving closer to the end zone but a 15-yard penalty against the Cardinals kept San Francisco in field goal range. David Akers opened the score with a field goal from 46 yards.

WR Ted Ginn Jr. returned a punt for 52 yards to Arizona’s 4-yard line on the last play of the first quarter but San Francisco’s woes in the red zone continued. The Niners could not reach the end zone and had to settle for an easy field goal from 22 yards.

QB John Skelton, who replaced the injured QB Kevin Kolb after Arizona’s first drive, turned the ball over on the Cardinals’ next possession, when OLB Aldon Smith tackled him and forced a fumble. LE Ray McDonald recovered the ball at San Francisco’s 43-yard line.

Seven plays later, David Akers was asked to give San Francisco a 9-0 lead but the field goal attempt from 50 yards was no good.

The 49ers were in control up to this point but it sometimes takes just one play to change the momentum of a game. John Skelton threw a pass to WR Early Doucet for a 60-yard touchdown to give the Cardinals a 7-6 lead.

San Francisco regained the lead on their next possession but the red zone once again proved to be a dead end for the Niners. QB Alex Smith started the drive on San Francisco’s own 22-yard line and drove the offense down the field to Arizona’s 6-yard line. One incomplete pass and a rush for –3 yards later the 49ers had to settle for another field goal instead of a touchdown. David Akers connected from 27-yards for a 9-7 lead.

Arizona had 1:58 minutes left in the first half to get a second score but FS Dashon Goldson intercepted a pass intended for WR Larry Fitzgerald, which gave the Niners the ball back at Arizona’s 16-yard line, with 1:10 minutes remaining.

San Francisco’s third appearance in the red zone ended with, you guessed it, yet another field goal attempt. David Akers made it from 22 yard to give San Francisco a 12-7 lead at half time.

Things seemed to change in the second half. If you cannot score a touchdown in the red zone then you have to score one from outside. Ted Ginn Jr.’s punt return for 11 yards gave the Niners a first down on Arizona’s 37-yard line. Alex Smith handed the ball to RB Frank Gore who ran into the endzone.

Sadly, this was San Francisco’s only noteworthy drive of the second half. Each of their following drives ended after just three plays. Arizona on the other hand seemed to have made the right adjustments during the break and was far from being beaten.

John Skelton finally showed that he can be a challenger for the permanent starting job and figured that the Niners cannot be beaten on the ground. He found Larry Fitzgerald for a 46-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to five points.

The 49ers were able to stop the Cardinals on their last drive of the third quarter, when CB Tarell Brown intercepted a pass intended for Larry Fitzgerald, but they couldn’t stop them on Arizona’s first drive of the fourth quarter.

Larry Fitzgerald caught a pass for 53 yards and brought the Cardinals within 20 yards of the end zone. After Skelton realized that you cannot run the ball into San Francisco’s end zone he tried a different approach. After a 9-yard pass to Early Doucet he found WR Andre Roberts for a 3-yard touchdown to seal a 21-19 victory over the 49ers.

Every team has a bad day and it is safe to say that this was by far San Francisco’s worst performance of the season. RILB Patrick Willis was inactive, LT Joe Staley and FS Dashon Goldson left the game with injuries and CB Carlos Rogers and CB Tarell Brown were banged up but this should not serve as an excuse. Red zone offense and passing defense have to be addressed, with the playoffs just around the corner, or San Francisco’s return to the postseason will be a short one.

Game Tidbits

Alex Smith completed 18 of 37 passes for 175 yards and a passer rating of 62.3.

Frank Gore surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the fifth time.

Dashon Goldson caught his career-best 5^th interception.

Rookie Aldon Smith recorded his team-leading 11^th sack of the season.

Ted Ginn Jr. averaged 23 yards per punt return.

San Francisco converted only 18% of third downs.

The 49ers held Beanie Wells to 27 yards on the ground.

Larry Fitzgerald caught 7 passes for 149 yards and 1 touchdown.

The Niners were outsacked 5-2.