This is the last one folks... thank everyone that participated in these conversations and pieces.
The draft is tomorrow and fans of every team across the nation are getting very excited. Some of them do not like the predictions of picks that are being made for their teams and others are quite happy about what is being said. The fact remains in that nobody knows for certain in who and what they will end up with.
One thing is for sure... with the lockout being lifted, business will be conducted as usual... at least for now.
That said, a majority of 49ers fans concur that if a guys like Patrick Peterson is selected at number seven, that it will be a very happy first day. What happens after that may be a different story. Although, it may not as well.
The fact of the matter is this, the 49ers secondary was atrocious. In fact, atrocious doesn't even begin to explain it. They were flat out horrible. The 49ers secondary was ranked 24th in the NFL last year. Beyond that, they were ranked 32nd, dead last in allowing third down conversions.
Now for some, they think that upgrading a pass rush will automatically increase a poor secondaries abilities. But here is a fact to dispute that theory. In 2009, the 49ers were ranked third in the NFL in sacks. THIRD! Okay, now that that is out of the way, the secondary was still ranked 21st in '09. So what does that say about the secondary? It says they stink... end of story.
The bottom line here is that they need help really, really badly in the secondary; primarily at the cornerback positions.
With that, let's take a look at the 2010 Butkus Award winning defensive back out of LSU, Patrick Peterson.
If you have never seen Peterson in action, and you just watched the video here before you are reading this, then you can see where all the excitement and hopes to land Peterson are coming from. He is (with exception to Julio Jones) probably the most gifted athlete entering this years draft.
There have been some concerns in that he is just an athlete though and that his game will not translate. But how could it not? Not only is he athletic, but he has great instinct as to where the ball is going to go. Guys either have that or they don't. Some players can overcome the lack of instinct by knowing their reads well and adapting with technique. But when you find someone that has both and does all those things well too, then you have found yourself someone special.
Here are his stats at LSU:
Stats Overview
Tackles
Misc
Interceptions
YEAR
TOT
SOLO
AST
SACK
STF
STFY
FF
BK
INT
YDS
AVG
LNG
TD
PD
2008
41
30
11
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0.0
0
0
0
2009
52
43
9
0
0
0
0
0
2
37
18.5
37
1
0
2010
42
29
13
0
0
0
0
0
4
134
33.5
85
0
0
2010 Regular Season Game Log
Tackles
Misc
Interceptions
DATE
OPP
RESULT
TOT
SOLO
AST
SACK
STF
STFY
FF
BK
INT
YDS
AVG
LNG
TD
PD
9/4
@North Carolina
W 30-24
5
3
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.0
0
0
0
9/11
@Vanderbilt
W 27-3
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.0
0
0
0
9/18
Mississippi State
W 29-7
4
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
46
23.0
46
0
0
9/25
West Virginia
W 20-14
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0.0
0
0
0
10/2
Tennessee
W 16-14
4
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.0
0
0
0
10/9
@Florida
W 33-29
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.0
0
0
0
10/16
McNeese State
W 32-10
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.0
0
0
0
10/23
@Auburn
L 24-17
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.0
0
0
0
11/6
Alabama
W 24-21
8
6
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.0
0
0
3
11/13
Louisiana-Monroe
W 51-0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
85
85.0
85
0
0
11/20
Mississippi
W 43-36
4
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
3
3.0
3
0
2
11/27
@Arkansas
L 31-23
3
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.0
0
0
1
2010 Postseason Game Log
Tackles
Misc
Interceptions
BOWL
OPP
RESULT
TOT
SOLO
AST
SACK
STF
STFY
FF
BK
INT
YDS
AVG
LNG
TD
PD
AT&T COTTON BOWL
@Texas A&M
W 41-24
6
5
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.0
0
0
0
Summary: If somehow miraculously Peterson falls to the 49ers at seven, then I will take that as a good omen. A good omen in that things and luck are finally going to change for us fans. Now I am not in any way saying that Peterson will be the savior of this franchise because that would be silly. What I am saying is that the 49ers have a bunch of pieces of the puzzle in place.
Patrick Peterson is not supposed to slide past the fifth pick. However, if he does, would that not be some form of good fortune? Was landing Harbaugh not the same form of good fortune?
I know some will argue that he has not done anything in the NFL yet, but guess what "realists", he has done well everywhere else, at every stage of his association with Pro Football. Yep... you got me (well sort of)... so did the last goofball that we were all duped by. But Harbaugh has something that Singletary didn't... he has the ability to listen and not veer from his style of play game in and game out.
In any case, I apologize for the small little tangent there... the bottom line is that it will be a great day in Niner land should they land Patrick Peterson.
PREDICTION: 1st Round.