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Since the draft I have mostly been following the pics of the 49ers, here is my current opinion on their drafts.
rd. 1 pick 30: A.J. Jenkins WR- I knew the 49ers would take a WR high in the draft, but with the additions of Randy Moss and Mario Manningham prior to the draft, I felt like the 49ers had needs in other areas that they would have addressed first. When they took Jenkins most analysts said it was a reach for the team, and that many better prospects were still on the board. And from the reports that have come out of mini-camps, Jenkins is struggling and not performing where a 1st round draft pick should be at. Now this means nothing in the long run as many rookies struggle at first in the transition from college to NFL. Overall I'm okay with this pick, but thought the 49ers should have gone with an offensive lineman or a safety with their first pick.
rd. 2 pick 29(61): LaMichael James RB- I will admit, my initial reaction was not a positive one when the 49ers picked up James, They have Gore, Jacobs, and Hunter in the backfield, why go RB this high up? Well the more I look into this and think it over, the more I'm loving this pick and think he could be the best selection by the 49ers in this years draft. Gore and Jacobs are both 28 years old, pretty old for a RB in the NFL. Gore is injury prone and while he plays great football, he needs to share the work load to help make sure he can survive and last the whole season, Jacobs will most likely share time with Gore as the feature back and will relieve him if Gore needs rest or gets hurt. Kendal Hunter did a great job last season, but he's a change of pace back, if your looking to deliver a 1 - 2 punch in running, Hunter is the 2 punch. And with small frame and difficulty running between the tackles last season, he's shown he's a great secondary back, but not quite a feature back. LaMichael James has potential and all the tools needed to be Gore's eventual replacement. Since he was finishing up his degree he missed the mini-camps, so no reports have come out yet as to how he has performed in practice. But he is a dangerous offensive weapon, and has all the potential in the world in becoming the 49ers eventual premier running back once Gore is done.
The rest of the draft my opinions for are much shorter for. picks 1 and 2 I felt should have been spent on offensive linemen and safety's. The 49ers finally addressed these needs, but not til they nabbed Joe Looney G in the 4th round, Jason Slowley T in the 6th, and free safety Trenton Robinson, also 6th round. Joe Looney is a good grab in the 4th, but will most likely be a back up this year and work behind Boone, the current front runner to be Snyders replacement. Robinson was a steal in the 6th, I thought he would have been picked up earlier. Not a starter for this year, but should see some field time as a back up. Other 49er pics Darius Flemming OLB and Cam Johnson DE will have a tough time making this squad, especially since 11 of the 49ers starters are returning from last season, and there are only so many spots open for back ups.
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