2011 NFL Draft: Which Position Will the San Francisco 49ers Target at No. 7?
Nobody can deny that the San Francisco 49ers were one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL last season.
Coming into the year favored by many to win the exceedingly weak NFC West division, the 49ers failed to live up their new found promise.
6-10.
You know what that means.
Goodbye Mike Singletary; hello Jim Harbaugh.
The 49ers are a team in need of the kind of discipline and fundamental style of football that new head coach Harbaugh brings with him from Stanford.
Harbaugh takes over a team with some quality young pieces—LB Patrick Willis, TE Vernon Davis, WR Michael Crabtree—but also with holes at crucial areas.
Where do the 49ers need to look with the seventh pick in this year's draft?
Here are five positions the team needs to consider.
Cornerback
1 of 5
I feel like I’ve been waiting for the 49ers to pick a cornerback in the first round for too many years now.
Last year, I can recall hoping Joe Haden would fall all the way to the 11th pick, just because the 49ers were a team that could have really used him on the outside. That didn't happen.
Nate Clements is deteriorating with each passing season, and right now, San Francisco lacks a cornerback with true No. 1 ability.
Luckily, there are two elite cornerback prospects in this year’s draft, and the 49ers should have a good shot to land one of them with the seventh pick.
Patrick Peterson out of LSU and Prince Amukamara out of Nebraska are this year’s two big cornerback names. Peterson might just be the best prospect in the entire draft, and Amukamara is a developing shutdown corner with solid skills.
It would be hard for the team to pass on either if they happen to be available.
Quarterback
2 of 5
San Francisco would be the perfect landing spot for Auburn's Cam Newton, the most debated player in this year's draft. Unfortunately, Newton will likely be gone by the time San Francisco is on the clock.
West Coast offense, good influence at the coaching position, a young, developing line—it would be a great fit, but as I said, I can’t see Newton falling to No. 7 at this point.
If the 49ers don’t want to wait until the second round, when all four of the big name QB prospects will likely be off the board, to address their signal caller need, they’re going to have to reach a bit value-wise.
The only two quarterbacks that are considered top 10-worthy this year are Newton and Missouri's Blaine Gabbert. However, there’s a chance, since so many quarterback-hungry teams are sitting in front of San Francisco, that both players could be gone by the seventh pick.
If that’s the case, would the 49ers reach for a guy like Jake Locker?
Remember, Harbaugh had the luxury of keeping tabs on Locker in the Pac-10 the last four years.
Did the coach like enough of what he saw to justify reaching for Locker at No. 7?
Outside Linebacker
3 of 5
The 3-4 defense the 49ers have been using recently will stay intact under the Harbaugh regime. That means finding some rush linebacker help is still a priority.
Manny Lawson and Parys Haralson combined for 6.5 sacks last season, an unacceptable total.
Lawson, a disappointing first-rounder who never lived up to his billing, is a free agent, which means the 49ers could be left with just Haralson and Travis Laboy as the only two real contributors at the position.
Von Miller out of Texas A&M would be high on the want list, but he’ll probably be gone by seven.
Missouri’s Aldon Smith, a super athletic defensive end who has the ability to switch to outside linebacker, is a rising prospect who could crash the top 10 party.
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Defensive End
4 of 5
DE Justin Smith has consistently performed at a high level over the last three years, but you have to remember that he’ll be 32 next season.
Isaac Sopoaga is a reliable player on the other side, but depth is needed.
Cal's Cameron Jordan is a prototypical 3-4 defensive end with top 10 talent. Plus, he’s another player who Harbaugh had a good look at in the Pac-10.
There are actually a surprising number of starting-caliber 3-4 defensive ends in this class. A player such as Temple's Muhammad Wilkerson could be available to San Francisco in the second round. But Jordan is as good as it gets this year, and he's a player the 49ers need to consider at the No. 7 pick.
Alabama's Marcell Dareus would also be a valuable commodity if he were to somehow fall all the way to seven, although that doesn't seem like a realistic possibility.
Wide Receiver
5 of 5
I know there are still a few Michael Crabtree supporters out there, but I’m sorry—I need more than eight touchdowns in two years out of my go-to receiver.
Make excuses and blame it on the problems at quarterback, but the fact is, Crabtree should be a bigger producer.
Everyone knows he has the talent, but does he have enough help? Josh Morgan is a nice receiver, but I’m not sure if he’s a strong enough complement.
49ers fans, imagine for a second how sweet it would be to see Crabtree and Alabama’s Julio Jones lining up on opposite sides of the formation next season.
It looks pretty appetizing, doesn’t it?
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