MadDog's 49ers Best Player Available Board

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.

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

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?

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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?

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.