I noticed a couple of articles today that have piqued my curiosity. Maiocco and Barrows had different articles, but they raised an issue that could be somewhat inter-related.
Barrows mentioned that Brian Baldinger sees a top playmaker on offense or defense as the 49ers top need over QB and right tackle. Plenty of folks here have been arguing for a pass rushing OLB, but it's the offensive playmaker that I'm curious about. Barrows has talked about Percy Harvin for some time now, but it's questionable whether he'd be around in the second for the 49ers pick. Which leads me to Maiocco's article...
MM did a Q&A with 49ers Webzone and someone asked about a guy like Jeremy Maclin:
Q: Would you consider Maclin a good value at 10? Chances of the Niners taking him?
Answer: A couple weeks ago, I would've answered no. But the more I consider it, and talk to others, I think the 49ers could do a lot worse than selecting Maclin. I think Crabtree is a clear-cut No. 1. I think Maclin is a clear-cut No. 2. And then there's a considerable dropoff to the rest of the WR class. There are some good WRs that can be had later in the draft, but Crabtree and Maclin are pretty darn good.
Maclin has seen his value climb in recent weeks and I've seen him going as hgh as #8 to the Jaguars. The folks at Mocking the Draft put together a scouting report on Maclin:
Strengths: If a team is looking for an explosive deep threat, Maclin is about as good of a bet as there is in this draft. He uses his speed and quickness to beat jams at the line and create separation. Can take it to the end zone on any possession. Incredible vision when he as the ball in his hands. Elusive and slippery. Maclin can stop and start to shake defenders and juke around them in the open field. Routinely catches the ball with his hands. Improved his hands from his freshman to sophomore season. Maclin also has some toughness to him, which a lot of people don't recognize. He'll go over the middle and doesn't mind blocking down on run plays.
Probably the best return man in this class. Will immediately contribute returning punts and kicks. Also a serious threat on gadget plays running the ball. In two years, Maclin had 91 rushes for 694 yards and six touchdowns.
Weaknesses: Quite raw as a route runner. Rounds off his cuts and isn't as quick out of them as he should be. Too often looks to run after the catch. Because of Missouri's offense, he didn't have to run a lot of NFL routes. Used mostly on quick slants and vertical routes. Can he run the comeback? Probably not the best red zone option. Played in a wide-open spread which increased his touches, especially considering he's probably the only NFL wide receiver on the offense...
Is this a guy worth considering at #10? I've seen some discussion about him, but not a whole lot. I've attached a poll that does NOT include a trade option. I want people to have to choose between Michael Oher, Jeremy Maclin and Mark Sanchez. Personally I would in fact prefer to trade down, but I'd rather get a sense of who you value the most among those three.