2012 NFL Mock Draft: Cornerback in Round 1 Makes Financial Sense for 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers need a wide receiver and a cornerback going into the 2012 NFL draft, but it makes more financial sense to draft the cornerback in the first round. Free agency is full of established receivers that will be hitting the market in a month's time.

Last year, the 49ers failed to land one of the premier wide receivers during the shortened free agency signing period, which was likely due to the fact that nobody thought they would be a contender.

Plus, there has been a misconception that Alex Smith was incapable of driving the offense when he had to.

Things could be much different this year, as Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke now have the sales pitch ready to go for these talented men: We are one big-play receiver away from the Super Bowl. We want you to be that guy.

The most likely candidates will be Vincent Jackson (San Diego Chargers), DeSean Jackson (Philadelphia Eagles), Dwayne Bowe (Kansas City Chiefs), Marques Colston (New Orleans Saints), Robert Meachem (New Orleans Saints) and Mario Manningham (New York Giants).

You know what you're going to get with these men, whereas you never know what you will get with a rookie. I'm guessing the 49ers could sign one of these guys for anywhere between $3-8 million per year, depending on which one they end up with.  

The 49ers were already thin on the depth chart in the secondary before the season ended. What's more, I'm predicting Shawntae Spencer and Reggie Smith will both be gone in 2012.

Signing cornerbacks in free agency has become tricky business these days, and the 49ers already have one tough assignment on their hands trying to re-sign Carlos Rogers. 

It is much simpler and much cheaper to draft one in the first round. There will be a number of quality options still on the board when the 49ers pick at 30. 

Take a look at my latest 2012 NFL mock draft (complete with highlights and trades), and you will see that I have the 49ers taking Alfonzo Dennard, a cornerback out of Nebraska.

I know he's been falling down draft boards since the week of the Senior Bowl, but I'm predicting he comes back strong at the NFL combine and solidifies his stock.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, Quarterback, Stanford

2. Cleveland Browns (Trade with St. Louis Rams): Robert Griffin III

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, Left Tackle, USC

4. St. Louis Rams (Trade with Cleveland Browns): Justin Blackmon, Wide Receiver, Oklahoma State

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, Cornerback, LSU

6. Cincinnati Bengals (Trade with Washington Redskins): Trent Richardson, Running Back, Alabama

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jonathan Martin, Left Tackle, Stanford

8. Miami Dolphins: Courtney Upshaw, Outside Linebacker, Alabama

9. Carolina Panthers: Quinton Coples, Defensive End, North Carolina

10. Buffalo Bills: Riley Reiff, Left Tackle, Iowa

11. Kansas City Chiefs: Dont'a Hightower, Inside Linebacker, Alabama

12. Seattle Seahawks: David DeCastro, Offensive Guard, Stanford

13. Arizona Cardinals: Alshon Jeffery, Wide Receiver, South Carolina

14. Dallas Cowboys: Janoris Jenkins, Cornerback, North Alabama

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Michael Brockers, Defensive Tackle, LSU

16. New York Jets: Nick Perry, Defensive End/Outside Linebacker, USC

17. Washington Redskins (Trade with Cincinnati Bengals): Luke Kuechly, Middle Linebacker, Boston College

18. San Diego Chargers: Whitney Mercilus, Defensive End/Outside Linebacker, Illinois

19. Chicago Bears: Michael Floyd, Wide Receiver, Notre Dame

20. Tennessee Titans: Peter Konz, Center, Wisconsin

21. Washington Redskins (Trade with Cincinnati Bengals): Ryan Tannehill, Quarterback, Texas A&M

22. Cleveland Browns (From Atlanta): Kendall Wright, Wide Receiver, Baylor

23. Detroit Lions: Dre Kirkpatrick, Cornerback, Alabama

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Adams, Offensive Tackle, Ohio State

25. Denver Broncos: Devon Still, Defensive Tackle, Penn State

26. Houston Texans: Dontari Poe, Defensive Tackle, Memphis

27. New England Patriots (From New Orleans): Mark Barron, Strong Safety, Alabama

28. Green Bay Packers: Melvin Ingram, Defensive End/Outside Linebacker, South Carolina

29. Baltimore Ravens: Vontaze Burfict, Inside Linebacker, Arizona State

30. San Francisco 49ers: Alfonzo Dennard, Cornerback, Nebraska

31. New York Giants: Lamar Miller, Running Back, Miami

32. New England Patriots: Chase Minnifield, Cornerback, Virginia

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