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• With a sizable chip on his shoulder (at least if you judge by the barbs aimed at Pete Carroll on draft day), a new style to learn and a lot to prove in the NFL, it made sense that Taylor Mays would be an early signing. He was neither early nor late, putting pen to paper this morning, a couple hours before he was scheduled to sit in his first meeting of training camp.

  Now we know why Mays didn't sign earlier: He had to wait for the player slotted directly in front of him, former Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen.

  How Taylor Mays became a film buff

• We've seen plenty of the 49ers' rookies by now, after two minicamps and numerous voluntary practices. But when the Niners put on the pads and do some hitting Monday - the team will line up in shells on Sunday afternoon - it will be a whole new viewing experience.

  Watching a football team in non-contact practices is like watching a professional boxer hit the speed bag. It may be impressive in some ways, but it isn't highly instructive.

  Now the gloves comes off, so to speak.

  49ers' rookies ready for some contact

• The 49ers had a busy and encouraging Friday morning, signing all four of their top draft choices to contracts by 10:30 a.m.

  Tackle Anthony Davis, the No. 13 overall pick, signed a five-year deal worth as much as $26.5 million, with nearly $16 million of it guaranteed (as first reported by ESPN). Guard Mike Iupati, taken four picks later, bagged a five-year deal of his own that will bring a maximum of $18.25 million, with $10.8 million guaranteed (first reported by NFL Network).

  49ers sign all their draft choices

• Forty-Niners rookies are supposed to report to Santa Clara tomorrow, and still no word on the top four - T Anthony Davis, G Mike Iupati, S Taylor Mays and LB Navorro Bowman - signing contracts.

  Rookie contracts, especially at the upper end, tend to come in a torrent rather than a trickle, as every agent and NFL general manager (or vice president of player personnel) waits to see what everybody else is getting paid.

  Very few first-round selections have signed yet, but second- and third-rounders have been using up a lot of ink in the past 48 hours. And because of those deals, I'm predicting that Bowman, a third-round pick out of Penn State, will secure a four-year contract worth a maximum of $3.3 million, with a signing bonus of $700,000.

  Predicting Navorro Bowman's contract

• I went out to the field behind the Napa Valley Marriott on Wednesday to see what Tom Cable had to say about the Raiders and the start of training camp.

  There was one awkwardly funny moment worth repeating. A writer for one of the big national web sites asked a couple questions regarding Jason Campbell, Oakland's new starting quarterback, then followed up with this query: How strange was it to deal with a QB who had no love for the game?

  Two coaches, two approaches

BLOG: BOB PADECKY

• Why I am rooting for Rob Gingras Why I am rooting for Rob Gingras
• Kathryn Gingras wishes it would have been a broken arm. In retrospect, Kathryn Gingras had to laugh.
• The ump's name is Dave Abbitt and apparently he suffered no broken bones. Dave Abbitt is his name

BLOG: COHN ZONE

• This is not Grant. This is Lowell.I write that because my kid's last 2 posts have gone off the charts and I'm really proud of him.Now, to Trent Baalke. I'd like to lay out his job responsibilities for you and raise some questions. He is the head of personnel for the 49ers. Not the general [...] Baalke: what is his job?
• Grant here.This is a follow-up to my last blog, in which I wondered why the 49ers ignored Alex Smith in their State of the Team pep rally.Zohn reader Stan points out Tim Kawakami gives a theory why in his column today.Tim basically argues that not talking about Alex Smith means the 49ers are confident in [...] Alex Smith: Is he an afterthought?
• My Thursday column is about Brandon Hyde, a Santa Rosa native who, unexpectedly, became the Florida Marlins' bench coach six weeks ago. To read my column click here. If you can't click here go into the post where you will find the real click here there. Santa Rosa kid hits big time