When you look at the recent Super Bowl Champions in the NFL, they all have one thing in common: smart drafts.

Much has been made about the new regime under Mike Nolan, and while some have been skeptical of game management and the use of both the 4-3 and 3-4 defense, I'm a supporter of Nolan and the new 49ers.

With that being said, the 2007 draft is a pivotal weekend for the 49ers. We are hanging in the balance as a team that could contend for the NFC West Title, or fall back to a 5-11 team quite easily. The team has many needs that must be filled wisely this year.

As for myself, I am quite publicly hoping for Ole Miss LB Patrick Willis in the first-round and Sidney Rice in the second. In the third round it is my opinion that the team looks to add a free safety or defensive lineman if possible.

Day Two should be all about depth. Adding young talent to the offensive line, secondary and defensive line are key targets for this team.

With that said, here is my website's scouting report on Patrick Willis:

Name: Patrick Willis

School: Mississippi

Best Fit Position/Role: Inside Linebacker

Ideal Scheme/Role: 4-3, 3-4 ILB Run Stuffer

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 242 lbs

Jersey #: 49

40 Time: 4.37

Bench Press: 22 reps

Vertical Jump: 39"

Wonderlic: N/A

Teams Interested: Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City, Chiefs, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers

General Traits

Athletic Ability - A powerful athlete with sideline-to-sideline speed, solid lateral mobility and good redirection ability.

Character - Extremely mature young man who excelled despite a dysfunctional and abusive home life. A dedicated participant in community service.

Competitive Nature/Leadership Ability - An extremely hard worker and a true leader on and off the field. However, there are times where his motor seems to wane, usually due to the Ole Miss defensive line simply being blown off the line of scrimmage.

Football Intelligence - Instinctive in the running game with good ball awareness, but still learning the in's and out's of the game.

Size - Outstanding frame with close to prototypical height-weight. Has broad shoulders, a thick torso, and long muscular arms. Good bubble. Lacks great bulk in his lower body. Seems a little top heavy.

Toughness/Durability - Extremely tough costumer who plays through pain. Has suffered various nagging injuries that warrant some concern.

Work Ethic - A self-motivated worker who has improved throughout his career.

Position Specific Traits

Coverage - Has the speed to match up against most running backs in the passing game, but may have trouble with the fastest. Has the tools to match up with tight ends. A little tight in the hips, which will keep him from being an eraser. Lacks good ball skills. Gets good depth in the middle third of the field, but needs to improve his drop technique.

Instincts/Recognition - Diagnoses run/pass quickly. Sifts through traffic and has solid ball awareness. Can be occasionally fooled by misdirection plays, but does a solid job of maintaing gap control.

Pass Rush - Rarely used as a blitzer, but has the potential to be very effective. Can jolt blockers with his hands and has an excellent downfield burst.

Pursuit - Usually takes good angles to the ball carrier and has the range to make plays sideline to sideline.

Shedding Blocks - Plays with inconsistent technique. Needs to sink his hips lower and play with a flat back in order to consistently stack and shed in the phone booth. When he plays with good technique, he is extremely hard to block. Speed - Plus speed, especially for a man his size. His speed is somewhat deceiving, as he doesn't look particularly fast on his first step, but he closes exceptionally well.

Tackling - Capable of unloading upon ball carriers. Gets low and drives through his tackles. Really explodes into running backs. Very capable of making tackles in open space.

General Comments:

An extremely productive and talented SEC defender, Patrick Willis has the tools and mentality to be a dominant run defender in the NFL. It's unlikely he will make a lot of plays in coverage, but his combination of size, speed and strength make him a deadly tackler from sideline to sideline and in between the hashes. If he can be coached into better technique, he will definitely be an All-Pro performer at the next level.

Injury Concerns:

Suffered a variety of injuries throughout his career, particularly during the 2005 season. Played through a broken middle finger on his right hand, a sprained left knee, a right mid-foot sprain, and an AC joint separation of his right shoulder. Only played in nine complete games that season. Managed to stay healthy throughout the 2006 campaign.

Reminds You Of: Al Wilson, Denver Broncos

Projected Round: 1st