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.

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In a majority of pre-draft predictions, Marcell Dareus is slotted to go ahead of Nick Fairley, who earlier in the year was being considered as a possible number one overall selection. Some of the predictions of Fairley going number one were even after all of the offseason events in preparation for these guys to enter the NFL. But somewhere along the way, the pendulum swung in favor of Dareus.

I still believe that there is a possibility that the Broncos could favor Fairley over Dareus even though Dareus is the more versatile of the two. Nick Fairley does one thing but he does it extremely well. I believe that he is about as good as Gerald McCoy of last year's draft, or maybe even better. The bottom line is that that there is no Ndamukong Suh in this draft but Fairley and Dareus are undoubtedly the top two defensive linemen in the draft this year; speaking from an interior stand primarily.

The 49ers will probably not be looking at either as their primary targets even though they both will probably be on the board. I'd say that if I had to guess at what was going on behind closed doors, I would guess that Patrick Peterson and Blaine Gabbert are slotted number one and number two on their big board.

It will be very interesting to see where Fairley will go and who he will go to. After the jump, we'll take a deeper look at his highlights, stats, and summary.

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With just one more full day before the draft, we are knee deep in looking at the potential top ten players that will be selected in this year's draft.

The 49ers already possess a fairly good receiving squad. Some fans even think that they will be among the leagues best if they can land a good quarterback to get them the ball. Although a quarterback can certainly make a difference, it takes two to tango... so-to-speak.

Michael Crabtree has not yet lived up to being the top ten selection that was spent on him a couple years ago. However, he has shown flashes of having the capability. It will be up to coach, Jim Harbaugh to bring out the best in Crabtree. And ultimately, if he doesn't, then we could see Crabtree depart from the roster sooner rather than later.

This year's rookie class at the wide receiver position is probably about average. There are a couple of guys that are well-worth a first round selection. There are plenty of receivers that are serviceable. And then there are those who will come out of nowhere either drafted in the late rounds, or  as undrafted  free agents. 

After the jump, we will take a deeper look at arguably the best receiver coming out this year in A.J. Green. Some will argue that Julio Jones could wind up being better. But A.J. Green just does so many things with precision.

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There are some players in this draft that simply will not fit the 49ers scheme both on offense and defense. That is not the majority but it's certainly plays a factor in how the draft is conducted for some teams.

Each year, in the first round there are player that seem as though they will be sure-fire talents once they hit the NFL. But that is not always how it pans out. On each individual basis, it all depends on where a guy is drafted. The surroundings can be a major factor in some players' success.

As we close in on the draft, there is a lot of uncertainty as to how all of the lockout stuff will effect the draft itself. Will there, or won't there be a free agency soon. If so, when? Some of the major analyst believe that it will be no longer than a week and others think it could actually happen by tomorrow. If it does, then that will play a role in how teams approach the draft. 

With that, I'd like to introduce a player who could be in the mix as one of those who could be "trade-bait".

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The 49ers are not certain as to what the draft will offer them with their first selection. There may or may not be free agency and there may or may not be a draft even according to new information this afternoon. But even so, life goes on and we have to assume that everything will be operation as normal before the season kicks off.

There are several needs and areas of concern for the 49ers to fill. There is also a lack of depth in at a bunch of other different positions as well.

One of the top three area's of concern as far as fans are concerned, is at the outside linebacker position. Despite the 49ers having one of the top pass rushing defenses in 2009, some folks still feel that grabbing a stud pass rusher is an absolute necessity thus ignoring concerns and weaknesses in the secondary. The 49ers secondary ranked toward the bottom half of the league last year.

There is a relatively strong class at the linebacker position this year and a not-so-strong class as far as defensive backs are concerned. So this would lead one to think that a team in this situation would draft high where one position is thin at and draft a bit later for the position that is a bit deeper at.

But there is always the appeal of a potential star. If a team is sitting at their current slotted selection and there are a bunch potential mediocre players versus a potential star, then who do you select at that point? And would that player possibly be worth trading up for if he has that potential?

After the jump, we will take a look at this year's top prospect as a pass rusher in Von Miller out of Texas A&M.

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3 DAYS UNTIL THE DRAFT (HOPEFULLY)

Author's Note: I missed a couple days throughout the 50 players in 50 days so I will be posting two a day for the next three days.

As the draft gets closer, some players stocks continued to rise and fall throughout the offseason. Some of the players that were slotted to go high to mid first round are now being considered possible second and third rounders in some cases.

The offseason process is there for a reason. All the hoops that these players have to jump through will ultimately land them where they are just before the draft.

The list I put together as this process unfolded had some players that I may not have even included if I had a crystal ball.

The offensive line for the San Francisco 49ers last year was a bit better than the year before. However, "a bit better" was not exactly where it needed to be in order to have success both in the run game, as well as the pass. By the end of the year though, the 49ers offensive line seemed to be gelling together and playing more as a unit than individuals as they had in years previous.

The offensive tackle positions have been very instable. Joe Staley has had his share of injuries and has been fairly streaky in regards to performance game to game. In some games he seems like the first rounder that the Niners drafted in 2007, and at other times it seems as thought the 49ers over shot on that pick. Rookie right tackle, Anthony Davis struggled often with the offsides penalties among others in 2010. Besides that, he did start showing some promise in run blocking; he was still a liability in pass protection though. The good news for Davis, is that he was only 20-years old in his rookie year. He has many more years ahead of him to show that he was worthy of the selection and trade-up to get him.

This does raise the question... Do the 49ers need to draft a tackle in this draft? And if so, where?

Below the jump, we will take a look at one of the better prospects at the tackle position this year in Nate Solder.

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DRAFT COUNTDOWN: 5 MORE DAYS UNTIL THE DRAFT

If the 49ers don't have exactly who they set out for on their boards when they go to select, and there are no trade-back options that would be of value, then what do they do?

There will still be some options out there though. And some of them may wind up being good fits on offense or defense.

This draft appears to be a very lopsided draft in offense from defense. This class is very top heavy in defensive talent. However, the Niners could afford to go either way. Both the offense and defense have some enormous vacancies.

In looking for the right guy, the Niners will have to after players that would fit a Vic Fangio scheme. And with the lockout not seeming to make any headway, it will be very difficult for the 49ers front office and coaching staff to make some of these picks; specifically in the earlier rounds considering the possibility of no free agency.

While the outside linebacker production from the 2009 season to the 2010 season decreased, it would be impossible to tell what the 49ers organization is saying about certain players behind closed doors.

After the jump, we will take a look at a guy who was suspended for the 2010 season but is still considered one of the top prospects at his respective position in Robert Quinn out of North Carolina.

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It's almost here... we've got six more days until we start finding out who the new faces of the 49ers are going to be.

Are you as excited as I am? It doesn't seem like it can get here fast enough. In spite of being in the middle of a lockout that seemingly will not end, the draft will bring a bit of normalcy to the NFL again... even if for just three days. Maybe the excitement of the draft will make both parties realize how ludicrous this all is.

In any case, the 49ers need help. They need help in a few areas. Specifically, at the cornerback position. There's been a lot of debate about who the Niners will ultimately wind up with. Will it be Peterson? Can he fall? Or will the 49ers decide that Prince Amukamara is a bit more versatile as a defender? Or will there be something completely different than a defensive back early on that will shock everyone? We will find out real shortly.

After the jump, we'll preview the first-round prospect Prince Amukamara out of Nebraska.

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