Big Splash

Five potential starters signed, McCloughan now eyes draft

Scot McCloughan returned to watching film of college players Wednesday. The draft is still more than seven weeks away, and the 49ers' vice president of player personnel said 90 percent of the team's draft board is set.

The 49ers doled out $39.7 million in guaranteed money to sign five potential starters in the first week of free agency - a feat that McCloughan considers a once-in-a-lifetime experience. "This is the last time you'll see this many guys signed or I won't be here," he said.

And now a lot of the team's focus has shifted back to the draft.

McCloughan's goal was to add five to seven new defensive starters in the offseason. With the signings of cornerback Nate Clements, safety Michael Lewis, nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin and outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain, the 49ers potentially already have four new first-teamers.

When asked how many defensive starters the 49ers can get in the draft, McCloughan said, "Depending how it shakes out, two or three. Who knows?"

The 49ers upgraded many of their glaring weaknesses on defense, as well as adding receiver Ashley Lelie to the offense.

Still, McCloughan said the addition of those five free agents will not change the team’s draft strategy.

“But it makes me feel better about knowing we can still take the best player, which is huge, huge, huge,” McCloughan said. “We were able to add five relatively young players and all five are healthy. We feel they have three or four of their best football years ahead of them.”

The 49ers finished with a surprising 7-9 record last season. They are fresh out of the salary-cap problems that have plagued the organization since the advent of the cap more than a decade ago. The 49ers entered free agency with more than $30 million in cap space.

Paraag Marathe and Lal Heneghan in the team’s football operations department structured contracts that make it unlikely the 49ers will return to salary-cap purgatory in future seasons. They took advantage of their cap room to reduce the risk of large amounts of “dead money” in later years. Dead money is when a large sum of a player’s already-earned money counts against the team’s salary cap after he is gone.

The 49ers awarded Clements $22 million in guaranteed money, but $10 million of that came in a roster bonus that counts immediately against the salary cap. If the money were awarded in a signing bonus, the impact on the salary cap would have been pushed back to future seasons.

Lewis’ deal also does not include a signing bonus. Instead, he received guaranteed roster bonuses of $3.5 million, $3.3 million and $3 million the next three seasons. In 2010, if Lewis is no longer playing for the 49ers after three years of his six-year deal, his contract will not burden the 49ers’ cap situation with any dead money.

McCloughan said the 49ers will continue to study the waiver wire to see if anybody comes free who the club believes can help them win. He said he would be surprised if the 49ers do not sign another free agent or two — but that their big spending is likely finished.

The 49ers have approximately $12 million in cap room. Here are some other notes regarding the team:

- The team will match the offer sheet to retain punter Andy Lee, a restricted free agent, as early as today. The Steelers signed Lee to a six-year, $7.1 million deal with $1.66 million guaranteed on Tuesday. Lee, a three-year player, averaged 44.8 yards per punt.

“Andy had a nice year for us. We like the development he had,” McCloughan said. “We look forward to having that type of player around. We identified guys when we got here and we see him as one of our guys.”

- The 49ers continue to hold talks with Frank Gore’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, about a contract extension, though the sides have made little progress.

The 49ers can control Gore’s rights for three seasons. The Pro Bowl running back is signed through 2007. But he would be a restricted free agent in 2008, and the team could retain him with the franchise tag in 2009.

- Free agent tight end Eric Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Saints. The 49ers had offered Johnson a contract, but he opted for a starting opportunity in New Orleans. The 49ers wanted him to be a backup to Vernon Davis. Johnson called coach Mike Nolan to inform him of his decision.

- McCloughan said the 49ers are not shopping offensive linemen Justin Smiley and Kwame Harris. The team has not received any inquiries about potential trades, though it is possible the 49ers will be contacted prior to the draft.

“They’re starters on an offensive line that blocks for a Pro Bowl starter. We’re not trying to get rid of guys who help us be successful on the field,” McCloughan said.