, I devised this mock draft utilizing mostly players that have never been included in any previous mock draft of mine. (PS-Baalke draft Quinton Patton.....he's that dude. )Resign-Dashon Goldson, re-sign Soap to a lesser deal.
Sign-Richard Seymour, throw him into the rotation as a 3-4 DE on a 2 year deal.
Trade one 7th rounder away to KC as part of Alex Smith deal(this is still being deliberated according to rumors).
Datone Jones, Desmond Trufant, Johnthan Banks and Jesse Wiliams are all gone before the 49ers first pick.
Round 1-Tavon Austin-WR-West Virginia-Yeah he kind of looks like an extra from the Munchkin Village tryouts for Wizard of Oz but he's a hell of a football player. Great timed speed, but more importantly, great football speed. Unlike a guy like Ryan Swope who made jaws drop when he ran his 40 at the Combine with people saying "no f**king way did we think he's that fast", Austin does look that fast out on the football field. He'd be a nice pick simply because he increases offensive explosiveness. In an ever-more passing-friendly NFL, he's someone who can make it due to rules that protect both QB's and WR's going over the middle of the field. He's got both quickness and speed and is an instant matchup nightmare that Kaepernick could have a lot of fun with. He'll provide the same deep, scary threat that Moss did, with teams have to keeping their safeties back just in case he goes off. Additionally, now you have your returner positions covered so people can stop crying about that too.
Trade down about 8-10 spots in the 2nd round, acquire another 4th round pick
Round 2A-Da'Rick Rogers-WR-Tennessee Tech-"WAIT, YOU CAN'T DO THAT, THAT'S 2 WR'S IN A ROW, BUT...BUT...BUT." Deal with it, this is my mock draft. WR has been such an issue for so long with this team, even after last season they were down to Crabtree, Moss, AJ Jenkins and Vince Papale. Adding Austin gives you explosiveness and a major downfield threat, adding Rogers gives you a big, physical WR that is very tough to press and can pick up major yards after the catch. If you can trot out a top 3 of Crabtree, Rogers and Austin, with whatever contributions the corpse of AJ Jenkins can provide, that's a lineup of WR's that can flat out light teams up. One point about Rogers that one other poster made quite succinctly is that he doesn't have any real weaknesses. He's not going to be a big downfield threat, but in terms of being a very physical receiver, making plays on the ball, having reliable hands, using his size to get open, he's really got all the tools to succeed.
Round 2B-Robert Alford-CB-Southeastern Louisiana-Everything I've seen from this explosive small school player tells me he's going to be a very good NFL cornerback. Shows great field awareness, doesn't have the best size but is a fighter, a very physical player, a ballhawk who adjusts to passes well in the air, has shown good prowess defending in the red-zone, I opted to keep him in because of the value he represents at this position.
Round 3A-Shawn Williams-SS-Georgia. I was going to go with JJ Wilcox who I love, but to balance it out and keep it fresh, I'll go with Williams, a very active safety, hard hitter but with surprisingly decent coverage ability. He had a GREAT combine and allayed a lot of concerns about his athleticism. He's a strong tackler and someone that could replace Whitner, sooner or later.
This is where I flip the script and trade up from the early 4th round, giving up 5th and 7th rounders to move up between the 28th and 30th picks of the 3rd.
Round 3B-Jamie Collins-OLB-Southern Miss. Athletic super-freak, just a tremendous beast that can play the 3-4 OLB, could be useful from a depth perspective, 49ers absolutely could use someone to add depth to keep guys like Aldon and Brooks fresh. Fleming is coming back off a season-ending injury and Cam Johnson is an unknown, I think Collins gives this team good pass rushing ability coupled with just freakish, off the charts athleticism, if this dude ever gets into trouble, he can definitely jump high enough to hit the floating magic block above to release the Mushroom Boost-Up.
Round 3C-Bennie Logan-DE/DT-LSU. Logan is someone I've gone back and forth on. He's a 4-3 player but does have potential as a 3-4 DE, although I'm not completely sold, at this point in the draft, his talent and upside is way to good to overlook. He plays with a high motor, not a good pass rusher per say but is active, always fighting hard. He does well in pursuit and has the necessary size to play as a 3-4 DE. He did fairly well at the Combine, would be a nice addition here.
Round 4-Montori Hughes-NT-Tennessee-Martin. Yes I've included him before, but I like him a lot better than Geathers. He's got a huge upside, which Baalke obviously likes in players that he drafts. Had some character issues but would be a nice player for depth, to start developing as a potential starter down the road. Had kind of a lousy showing at the Combine but he's a high-motor guy that is intensely competitive, good addition at this point in the draft.
Round 4(Comp)-Chris Gragg-TE-Arkansas-Delanie Walker is out the door, so Gragg would be a natural to bring in to replace him. He had a down year due to injuries but his Combine numbers were absolutely bonkers off the charts compared to the other TE's. Highly athletic, a very good receiver, needs to work and improve as a blocker, also has had issues with drops at times, needs better overall focus. With the right coaching, he could become a very effective TE, better than a guy like Jordan Reed.
Round 5-Dustin Hopkins-K-Florida-Akers clearly isn't the answer, 49ers obviously need a kicker and this guy is arguably the best in this year's draft, though I think Sturgis is up there as well in terms of talent.
Round 6-Shamarko Thomas-SS-Syracuse. I may be cheating here but this guy replaces McBath and becomes a top special teams gunner. Freakish athletic ability and loves to hit like a Mack Truck, I think the 49ers will now understand the value of special teams after the way things went down at the Superbowl.
Round 6-Braden Brown-OT-BYU. Very good pass blocker, has a lot of work to do in terms of run blocking. Great size and measurables for the position, needs to play more aggressively, quite passive at times but a lot of his issues can be coached up. Holds potential as a starting right tackle someday.
Round 7(Comp)-Colby Cameron-QB-Lousiana Tech. Sure, they don't get the WR I really want from Louisiana Tech but they do get the quarterback. Doesn't have a very strong arm, can be very erratic at times. Decent mobility, gets too cocky, has the ability to get the ball out quick but tries to force it into places he really shouldn't. Shows good leadership qualities. Good athleticism, fairly mobile, his ceiling is a quality NFL backup basically but well worth the pick here.
Round 7(Comp)-Nicholas Williams-DE-Samford. Good small-school player, has ideal size as a 3-4 DE, can also move around the DL as well. Had a very good showing at the Combine, very athletic, at this point in the draft he's more or less competing for the spot RJF held before he went and signed with the Green Bay Packers...that b*****d.
[ Edited by Phoenix49ers on Mar 1, 2013 at 5:43 PM ]
