2011 NFL Draft: San Francisco 49ers Meet with Prince Amukamara, Justin Houston

First of all, if you aren't following Matt Maiocco on Twitter or friends with him on Facebook, you are doing yourself a disservice. He recently released an article that said Georgia outside linebacker Justin Houston and Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara have stopped by the Bay Area to visit 49er headquarters.

Prince Amukamara will likely be around when the 49ers draft at seven. While the 49ers would probably love to have Patrick Peterson fall to them, it is unlikely the most polished player in the draft will slip to seven.

Amukamara is still a very talented player. If Marcell Dareus, Patrick Peterson and Von Miller are all off the board, the 49ers are going to have to either trade down, or go with a guy like Amukamara. They could do worse than drafting a 6'0", 200 pound corner with great tackling ability and blazing speed.

It fills a need and they would be getting a quality player there, so the visit makes sense. It's wise not to read too much into the visits, as many players are drafted by teams who have not scheduled visits, but Amukamara to San Francisco seems like a highly likely and plausible scenario.

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is going to need an every down outside linebacker to make his scheme work. The 49ers have been using a rotation of situational linebackers that has been slightly above average at best. They haven't had a double digit sack guy since Andre Carter, a streak that the 49ers are probably eager to end.

Von Miller would almost be a lock if he were to slip to seven, but with the Bills in desperate need of a pass rusher, it's unlikely he gets past three. Another player who has demonstrated the ability to get to the pass rusher is Justin Houston.

Houston isn't Miller, but he would be a great value if he somehow managed to slip to the 49ers in the second round. There is a strong possibility he goes in the first round, but it isn't a guarantee by any means.

There will likely be a run on quarterbacks in the second round before the 49ers draft. If they want to snag the quarterback of their choice (not named Blaine Gabbert or Cam Newton), they will probably want to trade up into an earlier position in the second round.

If they think there is a strong possibility Houston will be there when they select, this may become less of a necessity. Selecting a quarterback in the first few rounds is almost inevitable. If the 49ers were able to obtain Amukamara and Houston without trading up in the second round to do so, it would present a situation where they could trade up to the top of the second round to grab a second tier quarterback.

The visits shouldn't be seen as tipping their hand, but the 49ers would land two rookie starters if they could manage to keep Amukamara and Houston in the building somehow.