San Francisco 49ers: 4 Players to Stay Away from in the 2012 NFL Draft

So, imagine yourself as the dual football acumen of San Francisco 49ers’ coaches Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman.

Imagine having at your disposal a collection of receivers that could run both precise, underneath routes, and stretch the field vertically down the sideline and over the middle.

Now, imagine yourself as the combined football psyche of Jim Harbaugh and Vic Fangio.

Imagine possessing in your defensive repertoire another capable, perhaps somewhat dominant cornerback to utilize in nickel and dime packages (when the defense employs five and six defensive backs, respectively).

Let us now fuse imagination with reality and place ourselves in the 2012 NFC Championship Game against the New York Giants.

Reality says that the starting two wideouts were Michael Crabtree and Kyle Williams: the dynamic duo yielded a whopping one catch for three yards.

Prior Injuries to Josh Morgan and Ted Ginn Jr. aside, that game underscored the need for improvements at this skill position.

Recollection also dictates that a temporary injury to cornerback Tarell Brown forced the 49ers to send in Tramaine Brock as an additional defensive back to cover the multitude of Giant elite pass-catchers. Eli Manning immediately targeted Brock’s side of the field and threw a touchdown strike to Mario Manningham that put the Giants ahead 17-14 in the fourth-quarter.

Again, the Niners were ill-prepared in this pivotal matchup without another capable corner in nickel and dime situations.

Instead of identifying who San Fran should acquire at these positions and others through the draft, I will highlight the prospects the Niners should avoid when addressing the team’s overall needs. These are the men that would exacerbate, rather than ameliorate the team’s deficiencies.

Here are four prospects with off-the-field issues, limitations in their skill set or that show questionable effort on the field that the 49ers should steer clear from in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Note: I will concentrate solely on the draft and omit free agents for the purposes of this article.

Dwight Jones, Wide Receiver, North Carolina

Jones possesses undeniable physical abilities.

Standing at 6’3’’ and weighing 226 pounds with a 40-yard of 4.53 seconds, the man has the height, reach and speed to develop into an elite receiver at the next level. He also posted tremendous numbers—85 catches for 1,196 yards and 12 TD—during his senior year.

The 2012 Senior Bowl, however, did not do him any favors.

According to Kevin Weidl of ESPN Scouts, Inc., Jones displayed poor route running and was man-handled with press coverage, despite his impressive physical stature.

Dane Brugler of NFLDraftScout.com added to the negative evaluation, saying that he “struggled to make contested catches in tight windows.”

The 49ers desperately need a big-bodied, quick receiver that can haul in passes over defenders in the red zone, and run precise routes in their West Coast system.

Jones latest performance in front of scouts against elite competition failed to satisfy those demands. His draft stock is falling.

Cliff Harris, Cornerback, Oregon

Okay, the decision on this player may seem like an abundantly obvious choice.

Oregon head coach Chip Kelly suspended Harris for the team’s home opener against LSU and later banned him from team activities and the final five games of the 2011 season, due to a multitude of transgressions.

He dismissed Harris from the team entirely on the fifth of December.

You might ask, “Why would the 49ers even consider this guy in the first place?”

Prior to his deplorable off-the-field actions this past season, Harris registered six interceptions and 23 passes deflected in 2010, leading the then Pac-10 and nation, respectively. He also ran back four punt returns for touchdowns, setting a school single-season record.

Many scouts projected him as an eventual bona-fide first-round pick.

Furthermore, if he followed a similar path as Janoris Jenkins, he could solidify his amazing talent with another year of production on the field and express contrition for his questionable behavior off of it.

But he did not. (It stands to reason that his character flaws are uncorrectable.)

The 49ers certainly would love to have a ball-hawking corner opposite Carlos Rogers (or to replace him if he leaves via free agency), not to mention bolstering the depth of the secondary through a financially feasible, late-round selection.

But the Niners must not be distracted by the potential of Harris’ first-to second-round talent if he is availible in the later rounds.

He is a project and simply incompatible with the mentality of this team. He would set it back a thousand years.

Not even the cerebral, no-nonsense Jim Harbaugh could remold Harris in his own hard-working, blue-collar image.

The team should look to select a more polished corner in the second- or third-round.

Rishaw Johnson, Offensive Guard, California (PA)

The Niners lack depth at the right guard position.

When the ever-versatile Adam Snyder shifted to center when Jonathan Goodwin went down, in came Chilo Rachal.

Niner fans, take a deep breath.

Rachal was abysmal in 2011—getting benched for Snyder early in the season against the Bengals and filled in horribly when called upon.

The team needs a capable backup at that position.

Unfortunately, it won’t find its man in Rishaw Johnson.

Johnson exhibited character flaws earlier in his college career, getting dismissed from Mississippi for “violation of team rules.” He was then forced to transfer to California (PA) for his senior season.

While at the 2012 East-West Shrine Game, Dane Brugler of NFLDraftScout.com observed some potential third-round talent in Johnson, but was not fully convinced.

He possesses raw skills, but is a developmental project that would not be ready for Sunday action in 2012. The 49ers need a legitimate mid-round player capable of supplanting Rachal in a backup role.

They cannot afford to miss on this pick.

Dan Herron, Running Back, Ohio State

It is of no surprise to anyone watching the San Francisco 49ers that the offense requires more dynamic playmakers.

What may come as somewhat more of a shocker is that Frank Gore is not indestructible. I wish the sporting world never sees the day—the man is simply one of the most resilient, hard-nosed runners in the league—but he will eventually succumb to an injury.

That is the reason why the Red and Gold need a bruising back to spell Gore in this often ground-and-pound offense, one that can carry the load and grind out the tough yards through the heart of the defense.

Projected late-third to early-fourth-round prospect Dan Herron will not fill the part.

Herron played in only one full season (2010) during his collegiate career. He did not amass 100 yards in a single game until late in his junior year against the lowly Minnesota Golden Gophers and had a total of just six in four years.

On top of his lack of durability (never totaled 20-plus carries more than five times in any season) is his propensity for suspension-worthy affairs. These show verifiable character issues.

Herron also put on a lackluster performance for scouts at the 2012 Senior Bowl.

He may have a strikingly similar physical stature to the incumbent Frank Gore—5’9’’ 212 pounds for Herron versus Gore’s 5’9’’ 217 pounds.

But he is no Frank Gore.

The 49ers should pass on Herron if he remains on the board at the end of the third- or fourth-rounds.