NFL Draft 2012: San Francisco 49ers Must Draft Kelechi Osemele

The San Francisco 49ers must select former Iowa State offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele. 

Osemele is a big, strong body that fills San Francisco's biggest need. The 49ers lost Adam Snyder to free agency and need a replacement. Osemele can take over for Snyder and help make the new-and-improved offense that much better. 

The NFL draft is always a mystery and the 49ers are a mystery team going into the draft. After an exceptional offseason, the 49ers have a very solid roster. The draft would seem to not be a top concern, but it is if San Francisco wants to turn this offseason from a home run to a grand slam. 

The biggest question going into the draft for San Francisco is if the team should go for best potential talent or biggest need. By drafting Osemele, San Francisco would be going with biggest need. 

Standing at 6'6" and weighing 333 pounds, Osemele is clearly a big body that can give Alex Smith plenty of time to throw to his multiple targets.

Not only is Osemele big, he is also very long. The former Cyclone, has 35 7/8" arms, making it quite hard to escape the big, long guard.

While at Iowa State, Osemele lined up as a tackle, but will be an interior guard in the NFL. Although, he will no longer be a tackle, his past just adds to his versatility.

What jumps out is Osemele's upper and lower body strength. He was seen mauling players all year long with ease and it was no surprise that he had a solid performance at the bench press by putting up 32 reps of 225 pounds at the combine.

What Harbaugh will love is Osemele's intangibles.

At Iowa State, Osemele showed right away he is a hard worker. In 2007, he was named Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year. Last season, he was co-captain and named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll three times.

Osemele's transition to the NFL, will be that much easier if he continues showing that he has great intangibles. 

A tiny concern for Osemele is injuries due to a little time missed in 2011. After injuring his left ankle in camp, he missed time in the season opener against Northern Texas and re-injured the ankle against Texas.

Injuries shouldn't be a big concern though, as Osemele was a three-year starter at Iowa State, and finished his career with 44 consecutive starts.

The problem that people will see with drafting Osemele is where does he fit in the draft? Some have seen him as a first-round pick and some as second-round pick. Why draft a prospect high unless he is definite, high-rated prospect? 

Thanks to the 49ers offseason of racking up skill players, the team can draft for need. The current sexy pick for San Francisco is former Georgia Tech wide receiver Stephen Hill. Hill simply does not make the most sense for San Francisco. 

The football world fell in love with Hill at the combine. After measuring in at 6'4" and weighing 215 pounds, Hill ran a 4.36 40-yard dash. Yes, those are great numbers. No, that does not make him an instant star.

Hill played in the triple-option offense at Georgia Tech, limiting his number of catches to just 28 in 2011. Hill may wind up being the next Calvin Johnson or Demaryius Thomas, but San Francisco already has plenty of passing options.

Also, Smith's biggest flaw as a quarterback is his arm strength, so throwing deep routes to Hill may not be in Smith's best interest.

By drafting Osemele, San Francisco will have a solid front line. From right to left, the 49ers could have an offensive line consisting of Anthony Davis, Osemele, Jonathan Goodwin, Mike Iupati and Joe Staley. That's a very formidable offensive line protecting Smith.

Harbaugh will pound the ball with Gore and Jacobs, setting up open receivers for Smith. The offensive line will be a huge factor in San Francisco's success. 

The San Francisco 49ers need to draft for their biggest need and the team must draft Osemele to fill that need.