San Francisco 49ers 2012 Mock Draft: Buying or Selling Matt Miller's Latest Pick

The NFL Combine has run its course, and now the teams head back to their respective headquarters to assess. For the 49ers, that means setting up the schedule to attend pro days and schedule appointments for potential draft picks to come in for interviews and private workouts.

B/R lead NFL writer Matt Miller has posted a mock draft for all the teams. Here’s a buy-sell assessment of those picks.

1st Round

Pick 30: Jamell Fleming, Cornerback, Oklahoma

This is an astute pick by Miller. It would be just like general manager Trent Baalke to select a strong cornerback to add more strength to an already strong defense.

This selection doesn’t address the Niners’ biggest need, wide receiver, but it does suggest that the Niners will pursue a free-agent receiver. The most appealing seems to be Mike Wallace of the Steelers, who will most likely be given a first-round tender offer.

That means a team like the 49ers, if they sign Wallace, would have to give Pittsburgh the first-round selection. With the Niners drafting 30^th this year, that trade seems like a steal. But with Wallace’s stock rising rapidly (he might be the most compelling free agent on the market; yes, more than Peyton Manning if he ends leaving  the Colts), a bidding war will ensue.

I don’t think Baalke will get into a bidding war. He’ll sign a free agent to fill the immediate WR needs and then rely on the draft to make the team deeper. That’s where Fleming comes in, or the best player available in the area of CB or OL.

I had Cordy Glenn, the OG from Georgia, being a possibility here, but Glenn’s stock is going up after his performance in Indy. So Fleming is a strong possibility.

Decision: Buy

2nd Round

Pick 62: Nick Toon, Wide Receiver, Wisconsin

There’s some irony here in Miller’s selection. It was Nick Toon’s dad, Al Toon, who was also available in the 1985 draft. Many considered him and a player out of Mississippi Valley State to be the best receivers in the draft. But some teams questioned the skills of the latter player, named Jerry Rice, because it was a small school.

The Jets picked Al Toon 10^th overall. The 49ers were coming off their second Super Bowl season. Bill Walsh, who was running the draft, didn’t want to wait too long and traded up to get Rice with the 16^th pick overall.

Toon had a very good career (three Pro Bowls), while Jerry Rice might be the best football player ever to play in the NFL.

Nick Toon played in the Big 10, and at 215 pounds he has the size the Niners are looking for. The question is speed and hands. Right now I’d say that those two issues will keep the Niners interest at the low end.

Decision: Sell.

3rd Round

Pick 94: Shea McClellin, Outside Linebacker, Boise State 

Ahh, the perils of mock drafts. They change all the time because people don’t know what’s going on in the front offices and with player agents. With the re-signing of Ahmad Brooks, this selection becomes superfluous.

The Niners might be looking at a strong interior defensive lineman here to give Isaac Sopoaga and Justin Smith a break. Alameda Ta’amu of Washington, if he’s hanging around in the third round, would catch Baalke’s eye. The best defensive teams like the Ravens have a large group of defensive linemen that they rotate regularly. That might be Baalke’s desire.

Another possibility is the player Miller has chosen after McLellin, Boise teammate George Illoka. This is a player that could play strong safety or could even go to the line of scrimmage and rush off the edge.

Decision: Sell

4th Round

Pick 126: Chris Owusu, Wide Receiver, Stanford

Another astute pick by Miller. If Owusu is available, there’s a good chance Baalke will grab him. The downside is he suffered three concussions during his senior year. The thinking is that the next concussion might be the one that won’t get him cleared ever again.

That said, he’s also fast, having run a sub 4.4 in the 40. Plus Coach Jim Harbaugh loves Stanford players.

Decision: Buy

5th Round

Pick 158: Akiem Hicks, Nose Tackle, Regina

He was the country's top junior college prospect in 2009, and backed down after an original commitment to LSU. He has the size (6’5” 324) to play in the NFL, but one thing that really stands out is his 84-inch wingspan.

Defensive coordinators and line coaches love the idea of those long arms. They keep the hands of guards and tackles off the DT’s jersey, and they also provide more reach to make the tackle as well as bat down passes.

That said, as talented but raw as Hicks appears to be, he won’t be there in the fifth round.

Decision: Sell

6th Round

Pick 190: Desmond Wynn, Guard, Rutgers

NFLDraftscout.com has Wynn rated the 14^th best guard in the draft. His size (6’6”, 303 lbs) is appealing and he started all 12 games for former coach Greg Schiano. He also has played right guard.

The Niners have another Rutgers alum in tackle Anthony Davis. That pick turned out OK and the 49ers are hoping for a similar result with Wynn.

Decision: Buy

Seventh Round

Pick 222: Delano Howell, Strong Safety, Stanford

Miller seems adept at finding the big S on the helmet of these potential draftees.

The problem with this pick is that the Niners are stocked pretty well at safety. Of course, if free-agent Dashon Goldson leaves, that could change. Right now, I’d say that in light of the Ahmad Brooks signing there’s a good chance Goldson returns as well. If so, that renders this pick moot.

NFLdraftscout.com has Howell ranked 15th as a strong safety. He’s only 5’11” but does weigh 210 pounds. Still, he would be going up against 6’6” Jimmy Graham and 6’5" Jermichael Finley in 2012. I don’t see it.

Decision: Sell