It was a shocker of a selection. No mocks saw this one coming. No fans saw this one coming. Many figured that after the Arizona Cardinals' selection of cornerback Patrick Peterson, the San Francisco 49ers would either go with the next best cornerback in Prince Amukamara or maybe even quarterback with Blaine Gabbert. Instead, the team surprised everyone and took defensive end Aldon Smith of Missouri with their seventh overall selection.
Fans were very vocal with their reactions. Below are some quotes from fans from the 49erswebzone.com Facebook Fan Page.
"Wow. No. 7 pick in the draft and this is who we selected? Very underwhelming, to say the least." - C.j. Gish who graded this selection a C
"Craptacular pick" - Ryan Sprague who graded this pick an F
"at least we won't be overrated this year!" - Chris Fong who graded this pick a C
"Stand this kid up in the 3-4 and let him get after the QB. This team needs a pass rush badly, not a bad pick at all" - Jim Stover
"This was a great pick......Aldon will tear it up....nice work coaches and front office." - Nick Reese
"With so many glaring needs you actually believe this was a decent pick? Farley, Prince and other players that were on the board you go for Aldon Smith?" - Rafael Gutierrez
"If your calling him a no name then you really havent been paying any attention to the combine or draft...He is a qb killer from the hymilayas homie." - Lamont Hall
"Aldon Smith is going to be a huge upgrade to our pass rush, great pick! No name kid, are you serious?" - Greg Malone
"Prepare to get your hearts broken" - Geronimo Garcia Jr.
"I liked it. Pass rusher that we needed. Gabbert wasn't worth the pick so QB wasn't an option, in my opinion." - Wamiq Babul
"Good player but bad pick when U Need A QB........WTF!!" - Durell Reels
"Without a good pass rush, your CBs won't be any good. I like the pick." - Dan Reeder
"Good pick......we don't need a rookie QB when we still have a bust QB on our roster. We need to go out there and get a veteran QB to train" - Armando Sanchez
"Sorry ass pick our major need was CB but no we let all of the good ones get away let's just let NATE clemens get burnt a whole yr again" - Javier Solis
"Not terribly happy with the pick. First thing I said was "WHO!?!?!" Personally I was hoping we'd get Locker, but then again, I'm not the coach...." - Glen Shook
"reach at #7" - Bryan Fields
"I dont agree with the pick cause I think we are in desparete need in other positions" - Hugo Saucedo
"it was definately a reach no question..but time will tell us if it really was...i think we could have gotten aldon smith probably at 10 or 11 but who know mcshay had him in his final mock at 5 to the cardinals...idk of how big of a reach it really was....this kid can get after the qb bottom line..lets be happy for our niners" - Jay Simon
"reach. visions of kentwan balmer." - Chris Christofferson
"just down right freaking stupid, your kiddin, we need a corner or qb. Prince was there" - Ricky Medina
"he's a beast!!! his motor is sick! bye Manny!!! LOL" - Giuseppe Maranto
"Glad we didn't take Gabbert but not happy with the pick we did make" - Jeremy Sawvel
"Stupid is an understatement...they panicked! He was a projected 14-18....they could have easily traded down and gotten him AND an extra pic. Good player, but NOT a #7 pic!" - Eddy Gerovian
"At first, I really hated the pick. I agree with the Balmer visions fellas. But after doing more research, he seems to have the potential to be a Top 5 OLB in the league. Toughness, agility, and wingspan being his strongest attributes. With that being said, I still don't like the pick. You could've retained Lawson, and drafted Fairley or Prince. (Sorry guys, QB is not worth the 7th overall pick this year) Does this mean we're gonna give Nnamdi a fat ass contract???? We still need a CB!" - Roland Gaza
"I know one thing about this guy. He's not gonna be like Balmer. He's got great game speed. Still not happy about the pick @ 7." - Eric Salzman
DraftCountdown.com had this to say about Aldon Smith:
Not yet a finished product after entering the 2011 NFL Draft as a redshirt sophomore but is supremely talented and one of the premier natural pass rushers available --- Similar in many ways to Jason Pierre-Paul and may ultimately go down as one of the best players to come out of this class if he fulfills his vast potential.