San Francisco 49ers 2012 Mock Draft: Scouting Prospects for Every Pick

We see the latest mock draft by Mr. Cement Hair, otherwise known as Mel Kiper, has been posted. Can you feel of increased speed to the whirring electrons that are the Internet?

49er fans, note that Mr. Natural Hardhat has deemed receiver Reuben Randle of LSU to be the Niners selection when their turn comes, as expected, at No. 30.

Randle indeed has the size (6’3”, 208) and decent—though hardly blazing—speed (4.57) for college receiver and it is no doubt a position where the Niners need help.

But Randle? He was nearly invisible against Alabama in the BCS Championship game, but perhaps it’s not his fault that the passing game of the Bayou Bengals resembled a bantamweight Pop Warner team.

You really think a player like Randle can come in and adapt to a highly-structured, timing-oriented passing game that is needed to succeed in the NFL when he couldn’t get open against (albeit good) Alabama cornerbacks?

For that matter, is he anything but a question mark when you consider he played in a passing offense that was hardly anything more than “go down to the blue car and turn right, I’ll hit you at the fire hydrant?”

Of course, at this time last year Kiper picked defensive lineman Nick Fairley to be the NFL’s 2011 first selection, which happened to be owned by the Panthers (they took some guy named Cam Newton, who turned out to be...well, you know). For the Niners' mock selection, he selected North Carolina DE Robert Quinn, who played in 14 games for the Rams and recorded five sacks.

Kiper did not have Aldon Smith in the top 30. With that pearl of bovine waste to go on, here’s an insider’s view of the 49ers draft.

First Round

There are times when you need a big-play man of specific specs—tall, fast, great hands who can outrun corners and safeties—the kind of guy that makes opposing defensive coordinators say, “OK, with every play we have to start with this guy.”

Calvin Johnson is like that. So is Andre Johnson. A.J. Green is getting there. And if you look around the NFL, that’s about it. These are rare, rare athletes. The only one who appears headed to this level who is in the draft class is Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State, who is considered to be among the top five players and some “experts” have going as high as No. 2 in this year.

The Niners are not going to radically shift their draft philosophy to move up 25 or 28 spots to get Blackmon. For that matter, the rest of the receivers behind Blackmon—Kendall Wright, Michael Floyd, Mohamed Sanu, Alshon Jeffery, Dwight Jones—are, with the possible exception of Floyd, questionable as first-round picks.

One might fall due to the needs of other teams. But here is where Niner fans have to trust general manager Trent Baalke and coach Jim Harbaugh. They are going to go to the combine next week and look over the prospects. Then they are going to do their diligence, and then they are going to assess.

They are not going to risk a first-round selection on any of the other receivers.

They’ll fix the receiver position through free agency; it worked last year with the secondary (Donte Whitner, Carlos Rogers, Dashon Goldson). They’ll do it again this year with someone like Steve Johnson of Buffalo, a young, fast, dependable player. Not a Calvin Johnson-type, to be sure, but a big improvement.

So, with that need addressed in free agency, the Niners will get a solid performer at right guard in Cordy Glenn (71) of Georgia.

The report from CBSSports.com:

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A standout wherever the Georgia Bulldogs needed him, Cordy Glenn enters the NFL having started 49 games at left guard (28), right guard (four) and left tackle (17). Scouts aren't only impressed with his versatility; they're left in awe at the athleticism demonstrated by the 6-5, 338 pound mountain of a man.

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Second Round

I’m going to say Baalke and Harbaugh do here what they did in 2011: combine picks to move up several selections. Last year they did it for Colin Kaepernick. This year it’s for Coby Fleener, the 6’6” tight end from Stanford. This will take their second-, third- and next year’s second-round pick to move up as many as 15 slots for Fleener, a sure-handed, versatile receiver.

Granted, the Niners have Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker, as well as Nate Bynum coming back, but the 6’6” Fleener is too big for corners and safeties and too fast for linebackers. He will play wide or in bunch formations. Also, the real deep threat at receiver will be addressed in free agency.

Report from CBSSports.com:

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In 2011, Fleener averaged 19.6 yards per reception with 10 touchdown receptions to earn Pac-12 first-team honors.

There is no doubt that [Andrew] Luck's ability to recognize weaknesses in the defense and deft passing touch have contributed to Fleener's statistics, but it would be a mistake to write off the 6-6, 248 pounder as simply a by-product. Fleener isn't a thumper as a blocker, but he does have surprising foot speed, agility and leaping ability for a player of his size, making him a legitimate threat down the seam.

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Fourth Round

This is where Baalke’s scouting and assessment skills come into full effect. By this time there will be players who many projected to be second- and third-round picks available, and Baalke will have to determine which player has the best chance of helping the Niners win in 2012.

Could it be a player like Trumaine Johnson, a corner out of Montana, or Nick Toon (Al’s son), the receiver from Wisconsin? Both have the size but both will have question marks. And, of course, neither may be on the board this late when it comes down to the Niners selection.

Dwight Jones could still be on the board. Niner fans may clamor for him. But consider this report from CBSSports.com:

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With Baylor's Kendall Wright, Notre Dame's Michael Floyd and Wisconsin's Nick Toon pulling out of the Senior Bowl due to injury, the distinction of top senior wideout at the Senior Bowl was expected to go to Dwight Jones out of North Carolina. However, he didn't seize the opportunity and looked extremely ordinary and inconsistent this week. For a player with an imposing frame (6-3, 226 pounds with almost 34-inch arms), Jones struggled to make contested catches in tight windows and was routinely out-muscled by defensive backs who appeared to "want it" more.

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The pick: Johnson, the 6'2" corner out of Montana. The report from CBSSports.com:

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Man Coverage: NFL frame makes it difficult for FCS receivers to make one-on-one plays. Quarterbacks often eat the ball instead of throwing in his direction. Quicker receivers can accelerate past him when near the line, needs to maintain contact to prevent separation. Needs work on using his hands in press coverage, plays mostly off and press-bail to prevent big plays. Relatively fluid and has fair recovery speed for his size but quicker NFL receivers will cause him trouble in transition with double-moves.

Zone Coverage: When playing off, displays ability to quickly close on underneath routes to make the interception or wrap up receivers with his length. Inexperienced in zone, must prove field awareness and quickness to adjust to switch men when needed. Looks a step slow to react to late releases to his side when uncovered.

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Fifth Round

Adding more speed than Frank Gore, having more heft than Kendall Jackson, the presence of LaMichael James from Oregon has offensive corner Greg Roman drooling. It may be to the Niners benefit that other teams shy away from James in that he played in Oregon's fast-break offense, where teams were spread to allow his plenty of easy lanes, lanes that won't be there in the NFL.

James' ability to get to the corner faster and then hit the first cut without getting dragged down by the first man expands the Niner front offensive platform. Defenses will have to think wider, and that means bigger lanes when Gore and Co. want to go straight ahead.

Sixth Round

Here’s where the Niners can take a risk on a player and turn him into a project. Last year’s selection at this place was Colin Jones, who is emerging as a solid special teams player who will work his way into the defense.

In light of the possible defection of OLB Ahmad Brooks, the Niners will add Josh Kaddu of Oregon (5). At 6’3" and 232 lbs., he played inside for the Ducks but the Niners will switch him OLB.

The key thing: He has the speed. In certain situations he could almost be a strong safety.

Here’s the report from CBSSports.com:

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Although he might not be the most technically-sound player, Kaddu has ideal size, frame and overall athleticism for the linebacker position. He is very lean throughout his body and needs to add some muscle mass, but showed off his fluidity and flexibility in practice with sideline-to-sideline range and very good closing burst. Kaddu has as much raw ability as anyone participating this week and could emerge as a top-100 player.

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Seventh Round

Lo and behold, one of the greatest winners in recent college football history is still on the board. And though the Niners appear to be set with Alex Smith, Kaepernick and even Scott Tolzien, it’s too much to pass up Kellen Moore of Boise State.

He doesn’t have the size nor, it appears, the arm strength of other QB prospects who are expected to go later in the draft, such as Nick Foles of Arizona and Kirk Cousins of Michigan State.

Harbaugh can’t resist a winner, though. They pick Moore.

Here’s the CBSSports.com report:

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With such an impressive collegiate resume, Moore will get his shot at the next level, but, as he showed Tuesday in practice, he has an uphill battle because of his size and arm limitations. Moore has very good touch and anticipation on this passes, but, too little surprise, his lack of arm strength was exposed on several pro-style passes and scouts have been discouraged with his unorthodox mechanics. There is a place in the NFL for a brilliant offensive mind like Moore, but he hasn't shown anything in practice to warrant a pick in the top five rounds.

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