San Francisco 49ers: 4 2012 NFL Draft Late-Round Sleepers to Target

49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh won 2011 NFL Coach of the Year honors with what he inherited. General Manager Trent Baalke must be a draft guru to take San Francisco to even greater heights.
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The dynasties of NFL history are typically built through the amateur draft. It's not like the NBA or Major League Baseball, where free agency can reverse the fortunes of underperforming franchises.

The San Francisco 49ers dominated the decade of the 1980s, thanks to Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh selecting Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana at the end of the third round in 1979 and Mississippi Valley State wide receiver Jerry Rice in the middle of round one in 1985.

But diamonds in the rough can be found in the later rounds as well.

Since the NFL went to a seven-round draft format in 1994:

- The Denver Broncos took Terrell Davis in the sixth round in 1995;

- The Green Bay Packers selected Matt Hasselbeck in round six in 1998;

- The New England Patriots took Tom Brady in the sixth frame in 2000;

- The Kansas City Chiefs picked Jared Allen in round four in 2004. The San Diego Chargers nabbed Michael Turner in the fifth round that same year;

- Denver plucked Brandon Marshall in the fourth in 2006. The Tennessee Titans grabbed Cortland Finnegan and New Orleans Saints selected Marques Colston both in the seventh round in that same draft;

- The Saints got Carl Nicks near the end of the fifth in 2008.

And those are just Pro Bowlers from the fourth round on. There are countless contributors and steady performers to be found later in the draft.

Just this past season, the 49ers got solid play from sixth-round tight end Delanie Walker and seventh-round linebacker Larry Grant.

Here are four promising prospects for the San Francisco 49ers to consider in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Round Four: QB Nick Foles, Arizona

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Arizona quarterback Nick Foles may go in the third round to a team looking to stash someone who could either be a development project or future starter, depending on the situation.

But if teams choose to address other needs or gamble on trying to secure Foles later, the San Francisco 49ers could look to move up in the third or fourth round to take him.

The 6'5", 240-pound Texan signed out of high school with Michigan State in 2007, but transferred to the Arizona desert after his freshman season.

As a redshirt sophomore in 2009, Foles took the job away from the Wildcats incumbent with 2,486 yards, 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions. In 2010, Foles got the Wildcats off to a fast 7-1 start before suffering a knee injury that sidelined him for two games. Foles finished off his junior year with 3,191 yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions despite that two-week absence.

During the 2011 campaign, Foles posted 4,334 yards passing with 28 touchdowns to only 14 picks. He ranked first in the Pac-12 Conference and fifth in NCAA Division I with a 352.58 average in total offense per game.

He could take Scott Tolzien's number three spot on the depth chart and be good insurance should the 49ers not bring back Alex Smith and turn to Colin Kaepernick.

The Red and Gold won't get big-namers like Stanford's Andrew Luck or Baylor's Robert Griffin III, but Foles has a similar tool set to Luck that just needs more polishing.

Round Five: WR Marvin McNutt, Iowa

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6'3". 215 pounds. 4.52 40-yard dash.

Faster guys are typically shorter, but Iowa wideout Marvin McNutt has the physical tools to be an impact player. He's got a few inches on Oklahoma State phenom Justin Blackmon, but McNutt weighs the same and has a nearly identical 40 time.

McNutt has been durable, playing 13 games during his last three collegiate seasons. He had 87 catches for over 1,500 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns combined between his 2009-10 sophomore and junior campaigns.

2011 was his breakout year, with 82 catches and single-season school records of 1,315 yards and 12 receiving scores. McNutt's 28 career touchdowns are an Iowa record and he was named All-Big Ten First Team during his senior season.

McNutt brings added height, as Michael Crabtree is only 6'1" and Josh Morgan is 6'0". But his nose for the end zone is a key contrast and someone to go alongside Vernon Davis in that department.

That makes him a steal in the fifth round, or someone to move up and grab in the fourth.

Round Six: LB Tyler Nielsen, Iowa

Another Hawkeye could be a sixth-round selection by the 49ers, or someone to go get in the fifth.

Linebacker Tyler Nielsen could play on the outside in the event that Ahmad Brooks leaves for greener pastures and Larry Grant shifts to Brooks' spot. Depth for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's 3-4 scheme could be furthered with this selection.

Nielsen started the first eight contests in 2010, making 42 tackles and four pass break-ups. His season ended after he broke a vertebrae in his neck against Michigan. He played through the pain for another one and a half games before sitting himself down. Nielsen's neck healed by April 2011.

At 6'3", 235 pounds, Nielsen's 4.54 40-yard dash, change of direction agility and open-field tackling earned him All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in 2011. Before the season began, he was on the Butkus Award and Lott Impact Trophy preseason watch lists.

Round Six: RB Brandon Bolden, Ole Miss

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The last time the 49ers drafted a guy out of Mississippi, it was Patrick Willis.

While the Niners All-Pro was a first-round selection, don't count out Ole Miss running back Brandon Bolden.

At 5'11" and 220 pounds, Bolden is battle-tested in the SEC conference. Competing for recognition with the likes of Alabama's Trent Richardson, Auburn's Michael Dyer and South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore, Bolden's 4.52 40-speed likens his skill set to Frank Gore.

During his breakout junior season, Bolden rushed for 976 yards with a six yard per carry average, caught 32 passes for 344 yards and scored a combined 17 rushing and receiving touchdowns.

The Rebels struggled mightily in 2011, reflecting in a dip in Bolden's overall numbers. However, he still rushed for a 4.9 yards per carry clip and had over 10 yards per catch within the ineptitude of the overall team offense.

Bolden's all-purpose ability helps him with gaining tough yardage inside the tackles and beat defenders to the edge either on the ground or through the air.