MadDog's 49ers Best Player Available Board

MadDog49er · 2012-04-23T19:25:15-07:00

Only 70 hours away from the moment the Big Apple falls in the Big Apple. Should be another fantastic draft weekend. Here is my 49ers best available draft board. This would be the board I would use as the GM to construct the team in the draft. Couple notes: 1. This is a not a NFL draft grade board. If so, I would grade Luke Kuechly and Bobby Wagner much higher. Since this is a Niners draft board, some of these positions already covered well by the depth chart drives some deserving players down the Niners' board. However, at a certain point, the value of these players is worth the addition of a player that is not immediately needed by the team. 2. Players outside the Niners' scheme, like Mike Martin of Michigan, are completely taken off the board. This also tends to drive down the value of players who may be questionable in their ability to transition to another position in the NFL (Ex: Vinny Curry) 3. Players taken at a specific position earlier in the draft may cause a skip in following rounds for players at the same position (overkill to draft a WR in Round One and Two). 4. Some players at OT would obviously be shifted to G. During the draft, I will be using this chart to show which player I would target, and in later rounds, take the next level of players off the board from #51 on. Questions on why a player is placed so high or low, feel free. 2012 NFL Draft 49ers Best Available Board 1 Andrew Luck Stanford QB 2 Robert Griffin Baylor QB 3 Morris Claiborne LSU CB 4 Trent Richardson Alabama RB 5 Justin Blackmon Oklahoma State WR 6 David DeCastro Stanford G 7 Peter Konz Wisconsin C 8 Cordy Glenn Georgia OT/OG 9 Andre Branch Clemson DE/OLB 10 Stephen Hill Georgia Tech WR 11 Fletcher Cox Mississippi St DT 12 Janoris Jenkins North Alabama CB 13 Mohamad Sanu Rutgers WR 14 Michael Floyd Notre Dame WR 15 Whitney Mercilus Illinois DE/OLB 16 Michael Brockers LSU DT 17 Stephon Gilmore South Carolina CB 18 Amini Silatolu Midwestern St G 19 David Wilson Virginia Tech RB 20 Doug Martin Boise St RB 21 Brandon Brooks Ohio G 22 Luke Kuechly Boston College LB 23 Quinton Coples North Carolina DE/DT 24 Matt Kalil USC OT 25 Bobby Wagner Utah St LB 26 Coby Fleener Stanford TE 27 Brandon Thompson Clemson DT 28 Riley Reiff Iowa OT 29 Brian Quick Appalachian St WR 30 Bruce Irvin West Virginia LB 31 Ryan Tannehill Texas A&M QB 32 Mark Barron Alabama S 33 Kevin Zeitler Wisconsin G 34 Marvin Jones Cal WR 35 Brandon Boykin Georgia CB 36 Kendall Reyes Connecticut DT 37 AJ Jenkins Illinois WR 38 Rueben Randle LSU WR 39 Shea McClellin Boise St DE/LB 40 Jerel Worthy Michigan St DT 41 Bobbie Massey Mississippi OT 42 Vinny Curry Marshall DE/OLB 43 Kendall Wright Baylor WR 44 Jarius Wright Arkansas WR 45 Alemeda Ta'Amu Washington DT 46 Mychal Kendricks Cal LB 47 Kelechi Osemele Iowa St G 48 Jamell Fleming Oklahoma CB 49 Josh Robinson Central Florida CB 50 Jonathan Martin Stanford OT Final note: Reviewing my 49ers board from the 2011 draft, I would not make many changes at all. Last year, I had as the top five picks for the Niners: 1. AJ Green 2. Patrick Peterson 3. Von Miller 4. Marcell Dareus 5. JJ Watt Since the top four players were off the board through pick number six, my board had JJ Watt as the selection at number 5. Aldon Smith was 12th overall on my board, which was an obvious undervalue in retrospect.

Apr 23, 2012 at 7:31 PM

LieutKaffee
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Posts: 1,988

Interested in some of the WRs. Why do you have Sanu higher on the 49ers board than Floyd? And why so down on Randle?

Apr 23, 2012 at 7:35 PM

Butter
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Posts: 2,484

I'm surprised that Silatolu is ranked higher then Zeitler. Zeitler played in a bigger conference and appears to be a mauler. What makes Silatolu so much better?

Apr 23, 2012 at 7:39 PM

mebemused
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Posts: 2,027

Originally posted by Butter:
I'm surprised that Silatolu is ranked higher then Zeitler. Zeitler played in a bigger conference and appears to be a mauler. What makes Silatolu so much better?

Silatolu is a mauler also, slightly more agile, and plays with a nasty streak.

Apr 23, 2012 at 7:47 PM

MadDog49er
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Posts: 19,400

Originally posted by LieutKaffee:
Interested in some of the WRs. Why do you have Sanu higher on the 49ers board than Floyd? And why so down on Randle?

Both guys have a similar characteristics. Big, strong, and solid blockers, highly competitive. Floyd is naturally more gifted. However, in the end, I think it comes down to focus, and I believe Floyd's struggles in the past to curb bad behavior will haunt him again, and distract him from maximizing his abilities.

However, I wouldn't take the lower grade as a knock on him. It is simply my gut feeling that Sanu is going to be a really solid player in the NFL. He runs terrific routes, fights for the ball, has a huge catch radius, and hands like glue. The best blocking WR in the draft.

I see Sanu as being similar to Dwayne Bowe, minus the diva-esque tendencies. Sanu is the same height, 10 pounds lighter, and although he ran .10 slower than Bowe (combine time), outperformed him in nearly every other catagory.

Apr 23, 2012 at 7:49 PM

MadDog49er
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Posts: 19,400

Originally posted by Butter:
I'm surprised that Silatolu is ranked higher then Zeitler. Zeitler played in a bigger conference and appears to be a mauler. What makes Silatolu so much better?

Bigger upside, more athletic. Zeitler's ceiling is probably about reached. Silatolu is much higher.

Apr 23, 2012 at 7:57 PM

sean610
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Posts: 284

Glad you left out Kilpatrick but surprised to see AJ Jenkins and Gilmore so low

Apr 23, 2012 at 8:04 PM

Butter
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Posts: 2,484

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Bigger upside, more athletic. Zeitler's ceiling is probably about reached. Silatolu is much higher.

I'm wondering if the Niners could trade up in the second and still get him.

Apr 23, 2012 at 8:12 PM

LieutKaffee
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Posts: 1,988

MadDog, based on most mocks I've been able to take in, it seems like the players with a legitimate chance of being available at #30 are Konz, Hill, Jenkins, and Sanu.

So that means that if you were GM of the 49ers you would reach for Sanu if the other three were gone? Or you would trade back? Or what?

Apr 23, 2012 at 8:13 PM

ninerlifer
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Posts: 17,237

MD thanks as always for your contributions , boyh you and OTC is what make this site valuable more than any teams websites ....cheers bro!!!

Apr 23, 2012 at 8:16 PM

#10

mebemused
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Posts: 2,027

Down your list you have ranked your receivers:
Marvin Jones
A J Jenkins
Kendall Wright

Is the reason that Wright is at the bottom is that his production is inflated by the quality of the Baylor offense? In contrast, neither Jones or Jenkins had a great QB throwing to them.

Apr 23, 2012 at 8:23 PM

#11

fan49
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Posts: 6,293

i agree with your wr assesment. i believe hill is second, above the rest is because he covers a lot of ground in a reciever. 1. hes big, 2. hes fast 3. He's got good hands. 4. he can block and has been doing it in the offense he was in a lot already- so he can contribute day 1.

Question. Do you feel randle and wright are too similar to crabtree, but might block better? I just cant see them being too dynamic with crabs and wright or randle. I see it way more lethal in the future with Hill, and Crabs.

[ Edited by fan49 on Apr 23, 2012 at 8:25 PM ]

Apr 23, 2012 at 8:32 PM

#12

MadDog49er
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Originally posted by sean610:
Glad you left out Kilpatrick but surprised to see AJ Jenkins and Gilmore so low

I like both players. AJ Jenkins continues to raise his game each year, and with some BAD QB's. Gilmore my number three graded corner, but dont see him in the same league as Claiborne and J Jenkins.

Apr 23, 2012 at 8:34 PM

#13

MadDog49er
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Originally posted by Butter:
I'm wondering if the Niners could trade up in the second and still get him.

50-50 he will be on the board at 30. Think he will gain a ton of interest from 23 onward

Apr 23, 2012 at 8:38 PM

#14

MadDog49er
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Originally posted by LieutKaffee:
MadDog, based on most mocks I've been able to take in, it seems like the players with a legitimate chance of being available at #30 are Konz, Hill, Jenkins, and Sanu.

So that means that if you were GM of the 49ers you would reach for Sanu if the other three were gone? Or you would trade back? Or what?

In the scenario you provided, try to trade back, like everyone else in the NFL. If unable, pull the lever for Sanu.

I just think one of those players will still be on the board at 30.