San Francisco 49ers: 2012 7-Round Mock Draft

Having surprised just about everyone in the NFL with its ascent to the NFC Championship Game, there’s no doubt that the San Francisco 49ers have found the right combination of front office and coaching staff.

To paraphrase Bill Parcells, the former gets the groceries and the latter knows how to put it all together.

And in light of the 20-17 overtime loss to the Giants, the most obvious need for the 49ers is receiver—a big play threat who can get deep, hang onto the ball as well as break tackles. There’s one player in the draft who seems to meet that criteria—Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State—but he’ll be long gone before the Niners have the chance to get him.

Nonetheless, the Niners, like a lot of teams who draft late, will face that age-old question: Draft for need or draft best athlete available? Whether either is a formula for success depends on how the player performs. Thus all drafts become a guessing game.

Round 1

Drafting 29th, the Niners could find themselves facing this dilemma: On the board is cornerback Janoris Jenkins, 5’10” cornerback out of North Alabama with a spotty record in terms of conduct and Cordy Glenn, the 6’6”, 346 offensive guard out of Georgia.

Jenkins might give them that shutdown ability outside, making the potent Niner defense that much tougher. In at right guard, they have Glenn who can grow as an anchor on an offensive line for seven years. He could help keep Alex Smith upright and get lanes for Frank Gore.

That’s the sort of call facing General Manager Trent Baalke and the rest of the coaching and personnel staff. The Niners will have figured out various elements, and right now if that choice were the one that they had to settle on, then Konz is the pick.

As previous stories have seen, the Niners have failed when reaching for players. Such washouts as Kentwan Balmer and Reggie McGrew proved that, when drafting late, it’s hard to find first-rate talent in a needed position.

That’s why a player like receiver Dwight Jones of North Carolina (6’3”, 210) seems to difficult to take in the first round. He was suspended on a dicey NCAA violation, and his numbers aren’t all that great. He plays the position the Niners need, but at the same time, he’s not worth the reach when other first-rate players are available.

It will be up to the Niners to find out if he’s coachable, willing to buy into Harbaugh’s mode of operation and whether he has superior physical talent.

Choice: Glenn

Round 2

The Niners always can use help on the defensive line. Justin Smith might be the most underappreciated superstar in the game, but there’s never enough good DTs and DEs.

That’s why someone like Jared Crick of Nebraska (6’4”, 285) in the second round is a solid-team building pick.

Round 3

This is where the Niners might gamble. If Dwight Jones were still around, he can be taken here. But if he’s gone, Chris Polk, the RB out of Washington, might be a nice way to add some juice to the offense.

He’s fast and possesses good hands, making him sort of a tweener between the inside power offerings of Frank Gore and the scat-back scoots of Kendall Hunter.

Round 4

Free agency is a dicey thing. A player like Ahmad Brooks probably will find plenty of offers for his services, and if he’s gone, then the Niners have to think adding depth to what is already the best linebacking corps in the NFL.

The Niners excel at one of the two lost arts of the NFL—tackling. Josh Kaddu (6’3” 235) has the speed and fluidity to get sideline to sideline. He’s also strong enough to hold an edge if he plays outside in the 3-4.

With the depth the Niners have at this position, Kaddu gets the benefit of learning Vic Fangio’s defense while focusing on improving his technical skills, such as shedding blockers and holding onto ball carriers. And he’s fast—4.67.

Round 5

If you look at the Niners on the third day of the 2011 draft, they came away with two key players—Kendall Hunter and Bruce Miller. Miller’s play at fullback was first-rate, but he also helps out on special teams as well. Hunter needs to get better as a receiver but he’s got good speed.

This slot is reserved for that type of player—someone who can fill in at a key position but also round out depth at other positions. And this is where luck comes in, which wasn’t the case last year. Baalke and Harbaugh both had specific roles for each player, and each succeeded because of it.

Here’s where they see a player like Rhett Ellison of USC and realize that they can teach him to block better and catch the ball better. He’s not an exceptionally fast player, but he fits into that heavy package so well as well as being able to play on special teams.

Ellison is one player like that, or perhaps it will be someone like Mohamed Sanu of Rutgers, a 6’2”, 215-pound receiver out of Rutgers. Here’s where you can gamble and hope.

Round 6

Defensive line depth is critical. I can remember Bill Walsh saying you can never have enough. So the Niners select Andre Branch of Clemson (6’4”, 256) or safety George Illoka of Boise State (6’2”, 222). Either fill in on special teams. Both can tackle.

Round 7

Again, receiver. But a special one. Someone who knows how to get open. And because it’s fantasy, Marvin Jones of California falls to the Niners. The 6’, 200-pound man becomes an instant hit as the slot man.

Wouldn’t that be nice?