Phoenix49ers Mock Draft v3.0

Lets go for Round 3.


Round 1-Jonathan Jenkins-NT-Georgia. The 49ers biggest area of potential improvement is at NT. They lack the truly dominant attacking force that can collapse the pocket and lead to more opportunities for the edge rushers. Soap has done a solid job, but he's struggled at times to make much of an impact and has ranked at the bottom of NT's across the league in terms of overall performance. A big physical monster that can occupy blockers is one big way that this team can further improve defensively. I also choose Jenkins because quite frankly, none of the supposed 3-4 DE types impress me that much, most of the proposed prospects are ideal 4-3 DT's for the most part and are lacking in various ways. Additionally a starting NT will have the greatest overall impact and that is exactly what you want from a #1 pick.

Round 2-Chase Thomas-OLB/ILB-Stanford. Versatile playmaker, always around the ball, good pass-rusher, would provide VERY needed depth at the 3-4 OLB, can also play at inside linebacker, agile and intelligent, quite similar to Brooks Reed of the Texans.

Round 3-Quinton Patton-WR-Louisiana Tech. My hands down favorite WR prospect in the draft. Great football intelligence, awareness, hard worker is an understatement for him, shows tremendous quickness, skilled route runner with reliable hands, willing to do whatever it takes, aggressive blocker, plays with an edge, loves to compete, I think he'd be a wonderful addition to the receiving corps.

Round 3-Darius Slay-CB-Mississippi State. Possesses good size for a cornerback, very confident, not a ballhawk but a solid man to man corner with decent athletic ability.

Round 3-Ryan Swope-WR-Texas A&M. 2 wide receivers in the third round? Yep. Swope is a winner. An absolute hard-worker, not the fastest guy but he finds ways to make plays happen, he could be extremely dangerous in the slot, a guy with outstanding quickness that will frustrate the heck out of opposing defenses. I'm envisioning a future WR group that includes Crabtree, Patton, Swope and Jenkins.

Round 4-Baker Steinkuhler-DE-Nebraska. Has ideal 3-4 DE size, not a great pass-rusher but a very hard worker with a good motor that doesn't quit on plays. Shows very good strength and would provide solid depth at the 3-4 DE spot.

Round 4-Dennis Johnson-RB-Arkansas. Doesn't get near the acclaim of his teammate Davis but has been the true playmaker for Arkansas. Very decisive runner, hard to bring down, mostly north-south, seeks out physical contact, solid receiving ability out of the backfield, has been a kick returner at Arkansas as well, built very sturdy.

Round 5-Omoregie Uzzi-C-Georgia Tech. Undersized at guard, very athletic, a competent pass and run blocker, shows quick feet and terrific awareness and intelligence.

Round 5-Eric Gordon-CB-Tennessee. Slot corner potential, Brock is a free agent at the end of the season, in anycase, 49ers need better depth in the secondary, Gordon shows very good speed and quickness and could be useful to help cover some of the smaller, shiftier receivers that have given them trouble.

Round 6-Jarred Holley-S-Pittsburgh. Will get overlooked because of his perceived lack of speed and athletic ability. Terrific leader and playmaker, a bit undersized but more of a true free safety. He could easily replace McBath and provide depth at both safety and special teams.

Round 6-Tanner Hawkinson-OT-Kansas. Depth at tackle, with Goodwin possibly gone, Kilgore moving to center, Hawkinson provides depth and someone that can be developed at right-tackle to possibly take over for Davis some day if needed.

Round 7-Brett Maher-K-Nebraska. Only because Hopkins won't be here, otherwise self explanatory.

Round 7-Montori Hughes-DT/DE-His Ass Got Kicked Out State. About as "boom or bust" as it gets. Guy has tremendous physical size, good athletic ability, he's still pretty raw but everything is there for him to be a very good contributor. Could easily knock off RJF or Dobbs from the team.....could also easily be abysmal failure and make Kentwan Balmer look good, but hey, it is only a 7th round pick after all.

For some reason i don't think we get Jenkins. He's a rare breek and.i could see.a.couple of teams wanting his value. It would be nice to finally have a beast NT tho.

Agree on Jenkins. What do you think it would cost to move up to get Jenkins?

What makes Jenkins better than the NT from Alabama?

Would love for Jenkins to be there in the late 1st though not sure he will be. Slay is my favorite pick here but only because he might make a better Goldson-like safety than a CB. I worry about the quickness of Chase Thomas, but the production and pedigree are definitely there...just not sure he has the ceiling that some others have that might be had later in the draft. I was specifically thinking about injured guys like Brandon Jenkins, Quanterus Smith and Meshak Williams (probably fine now) or a high-motor, athletic guy like Travis Long.

bottom line though, these are quality picks.

Originally posted by Ninefan56:

What makes Jenkins better than the NT from Alabama?

They play into totally different schemes. Jenkins is about 20pds heavier. Jesse Williams is more of a NG he doesn't compromise gaps for pressure. Which could mean hes explosive. Jenkins is very explosive. Hes looks stronger. Hes like a knock you down guy type guy. Jesse williams is a stand his ground type guy. But then again this could all be about the.schemea they're playing in. Georgia plays a really aggressive 3-4. Alabama likes to contain and muscle the middle.

A,prime example. Jenkins got a sack in the sec champ by beating Barrett Jone ands breaching the middle. Alabama ran.straight at him tho and ended up rushing for over 300yrds.

I think both are very raw. And really it would come down to what fangio wants to do with the line and how much of them is still moldable.

BCS is going to have williams vs the C we might draft so it should be some good tape. Watch out for Amari Cooper he's got tricks.

BTW I fully expect the wildcards at the FO to trade up for someone on the D. They clearly don't like having to make more than 7 choices a draft so I dont see them being passive with 14 picks.

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:
Would love for Jenkins to be there in the late 1st though not sure he will be. Slay is my favorite pick here but only because he might make a better Goldson-like safety than a CB. I worry about the quickness of Chase Thomas, but the production and pedigree are definitely there...just not sure he has the ceiling that some others have that might be had later in the draft. I was specifically thinking about injured guys like Brandon Jenkins, Quanterus Smith and Meshak Williams (probably fine now) or a high-motor, athletic guy like Travis Long.

bottom line though, these are quality picks.

Lemonier is another possibility, I just want someone that is capable of generating a pass rush, that is versatile...etc. One thing I especially like about Thomas is that he's like a human vortex of turnover.....when he's around, the offense seems to be unable to resist coughing the ball up for whatever reason.

Like this draft. Substitute Jesse Williams for Jenkins and I would be happier. Also, I would invest a 4th or 5th rounder and get Hopkins. Overall though.. very good.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:
Would love for Jenkins to be there in the late 1st though not sure he will be. Slay is my favorite pick here but only because he might make a better Goldson-like safety than a CB. I worry about the quickness of Chase Thomas, but the production and pedigree are definitely there...just not sure he has the ceiling that some others have that might be had later in the draft. I was specifically thinking about injured guys like Brandon Jenkins, Quanterus Smith and Meshak Williams (probably fine now) or a high-motor, athletic guy like Travis Long.

bottom line though, these are quality picks.

Lemonier is another possibility, I just want someone that is capable of generating a pass rush, that is versatile...etc. One thing I especially like about Thomas is that he's like a human vortex of turnover.....when he's around, the offense seems to be unable to resist coughing the ball up for whatever reason.

I thought about Lemonier too, but seeing how badly he was pwned by Luke Joeckel this year made me think twice...though Joeckel did that to pretty much everybody he faced. But he's definitely a possibility, as is Alex Okafor if he falls into the mid-to-late 2nd (always a possibility).

Originally posted by eonblue:
They play into totally different schemes. Jenkins is about 20pds heavier. Jesse Williams is more of a NG he doesn't compromise gaps for pressure. Which could mean hes explosive. Jenkins is very explosive. Hes looks stronger. Hes like a knock you down guy type guy. Jesse williams is a stand his ground type guy. But then again this could all be about the.schemea they're playing in. Georgia plays a really aggressive 3-4. Alabama likes to contain and muscle the middle.

A,prime example. Jenkins got a sack in the sec champ by beating Barrett Jone ands breaching the middle. Alabama ran.straight at him tho and ended up rushing for over 300yrds.

I think both are very raw. And really it would come down to what fangio wants to do with the line and how much of them is still moldable.

BCS is going to have williams vs the C we might draft so it should be some good tape. Watch out for Amari Cooper he's got tricks.

Thanks for the feedback that was most helpful.

I like it a lot...If Delanie goes, you may have to lose somebody to get a good TE, and if we lose Goldson safety has to go higher, but I love both those WRs and Jenkins would be a massive upgrade if we could find a way to trade up for him. Plus you obey the golden rule " you can never have too any cb's."

Nevermind.

I really like Jenkins in the first as well.

Gimme Phillip Thomas instead of Slay, and Hunt in the second(i know you feel he will be gone where we pick and you are probably right) then gimme robert Alford instead of Holley in the 6th to make up for the lost CB pick in the third and i would be super happy with this draft.

Do you think we will address the TE position by bringing back Walker, or some other FA TE, because we certainly need to address it in some fashion, or are you sold on Celek?

Nice draft and analysis as usual.

Originally posted by IdahoNiner:
I really like Jenkins in the first as well.

Gimme Phillip Thomas instead of Slay, and Hunt in the second(i know you feel he will be gone where we pick and you are probably right) then gimme robert Alford instead of Holley in the 6th to make up for the lost CB pick in the third and i would be super happy with this draft.

Do you think we will address the TE position by bringing back Walker, or some other FA TE, because we certainly need to address it in some fashion, or are you sold on Celek?

Nice draft and analysis as usual.

I like Thomas, I think if you are to take Hunt, you take him in the late 1st. If they feel he's a legit difference maker, then you pull the trigger, no question, he's got a ton of potential, enough so to become a legitimate top notch 3-4 DE in a couple years. If that was the case, 49ers could resign Soap and either stay with Williams as a backup or even sign a vet like Aubrayo Franklin.

Personally I think a starting NT is a huge need, I think a guy like Jenkins or Williams could come in, start and bring more to the table than Soap, who has done yeoman's work, worked his ass off, done whatever the team has asked of him, but in terms of the overall defense, that really is the position that offers the most possible improvement. I think even Floyd could be decent as a 3-4 NT, he's got the athletic ability and explosiveness, I just don't really like him much as a DE.


My possibilities for NT are:


Jenkins-Huge, massive body, aggressive enough to push forward and collapse the pocket, tremendous strength at the point of attack, not a great pass rusher but bull rush is very effective, he overwhelms any center he takes on. The downsides are that he's realistically a 2 down guy, he gets worn down relatively quick and proper subbing would need to be utilized to maintain his effectiveness. He has a decent-good motor but basically will fall into the offensive line without any push if worn down. BJ Raji would be a decent NFL comparison.

Williams-Absurd, stupid level strength. He has forceful hands, plays aggressively, definitely has a mean streak to him. He's not bringing much if anything to the table in terms of pass rush, he's a solid run defender, uses his length well, quick first step overall. In the NFL, his comparison could be anywhere from a stronger version of a guy like Soap to someone like Vince Wilfork. He'll be a constant aggressive presence in the middle that likes to mix it up. As a bonus, he's got experience in playing fullback and is a very happy, aggressive and more than willing lead blocker.

Floyd-Similar to Williams, though undersized, he'd have to pack on about 20 more pounds to play the NT position in the NFL. He uses his strength well, has a little bit better quickness than Williams, still very limited as a pass rusher, he's got a very good motor, plays with a chip on his shoulder and more often than not wins his individual matchups. Some have mentioned him as a possibility at DE, but I think he's far more suited to playing inside, either as an NT or a 4-3 DT.


Another possibility is Mister Cobble of Kentucky, who may or may not come out this year. He's undersized, goes between 6'0" and 6'1". He's been repeatedly compared to a bowling ball and I can't disagree, he really explodes off the line, controls the gaps, is outstanding at shutting down runs up the middle. Not much to be had as a pass rusher, but he's got a very good motor. Had success in high-school as a wrestler and he really knows how to tie offensive lineman up and uses his strength and leverage to shove them backwards. He's a very hard worker that keeps blockers from getting to the second level, plays with a lot of intensity as well.