My apologies for not providing these links sooner. Over the past few weeks, SB Nation's draft site, Mocking the Draft, has been putting together it's annual site manager mock draft. We went two rounds this year and just recently completed the 49ers second round pick. I thought I'd roll out our picks and let people bash me till the end of time! The draft took some strange twists and turns, which changed my plans for each pick. Feel free to head over to view the comments on the various picks.
Also, after the jump I've posted all the picks up through our 49th pick so you can see who was off the board at each of the picks.
Round 1, Pick 13: Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma
The first round leading up to this pick was rather wild, with guys like Joe Haden, Earl Thomas, Taylor Mays, Maurkice Pouncey, and even Jimmy Clausen flying off the board by the time we came on the clock. I probably should have gone Spiller here, but a big OT like Williams certainly has a chance to fill a need for the 49ers. I know folks have divergent opinions on him, but he'd certainly get a chance to start from day 1. Whether it works out is a whole other story, but it's interesting to consider. 59% of voters gave this pick an A, and Mocking Dan really liked the pick.
Round 1, Pick 17: Brandon Graham, OLB, Michigan
C.J. Spiller went to Seattle with pick 14, so he was not an option here. A lot of folks questioned why I did not take Dez Bryant here. I wouldn't be surprised if the 49ers potentially dealt down on the first round with this pick. I'd imagine someone out there would love to have Dez Bryant on their team. The grading was fairly divergent on this pick (A - 23%; B - 26%; C - 23%). I wasn't exactly excited with this pick, but given the players off the board at this point, I suppose I could see it happening.
Round 2, Pick 49: Vladimir Ducasse, OG, Massachusetts
This pick was dictated in part because of some of the moves ahead of it. Guys like Demaryius Thomas and Mardy Gilyard came off the board, so there wasn't a great return option available. At the same time, I have to say that as each day passes, my intrigue with Vladimir Ducasse grows. I realize he's a very raw prospect and really amounts to a project, the 49ers guard situation could be perfect for his development. They've got David Baas in the position right now and Chester Pitts as a potential stop-gap if he signs with the team. Baas will likely sign the 1-year tender and part ways next offseason. If the team added Pitts, it would allow them time to work Ducasse into the rotation. This pick graded out as an A for 39% of people and B for 34%.
So given all that, if these were the first three 49ers picks, how would you grade their draft? If you think there should be a plus or minus on your grade, pick the appropriate letter and let us know the +/- in the comments.
1. St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
2. Detroit Lions: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
4. Washington Redskins: Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State
5. Kansas City Chiefs: Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama
6. Seattle Seahawks: Taylor Mays, S, USC
7. Cleveland Browns: Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
8. Oakland Raiders: Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa
9. Buffalo Bills: Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
10. Jacksonville Jaguars: Joe Haden, CB, Florida
11. Denver Broncos: Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida
12. Miami Dolphins: Earl Thomas, S, Texas
13. San Francisco 49ers: Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma
14. Seattle Seahawks: C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson
15. New York Giants: Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech
16. Tennessee Titans: Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State
17. San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Graham, OLB, Michigan
18. Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho
19. Atlanta Falcons: Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri
20. Houston Texans: Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee
21. Cincinnati Bengals: Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State
22. New England Patriots: Jared Odrick, DE, Penn State
23. Green Bay Packers: Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas
24. Philadelphia Eagles: Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
25. Baltimore Ravens: Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma
26. Arizona Cardinals: Terrence Cody, NT, Alabama
27. Dallas Cowboys: Jason Pierre-Paul, OLB, South Florida
28. San Diego Chargers: Ryan Mathews, RB, Fresno State
29. New York Jets: Jerry Hughes, OLB, TCU
30. Minnesota Vikings: Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers
31. Indianapolis Colts: Charles Brown, OT, USC
32. New Orleans Saints: Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida
33. St. Louis: Everson Griffen, DE, USC
34. Detroit: Jahvid Best, RB, California
35. Tampa Bay: Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame
36. Kansas City: Nate Allen, S, South Florida
37. Philadelphia: Daryl Washington, LB, TCU
38. Cleveland: Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
39. Oakland: Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland
40. San Diego: Cam Thomas, NT, North Carolina
41. Buffalo: Eric Norwood, OLB, South Carolina
42. Tampa Bay - Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State
43. Miami - Demaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech
44. New England - Ricky Sapp, OLB, Clemson
45. Denver - Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech
46. New York Giants - Brian Price, DT, UCLA
47. New England - Damian Williams, WR, USC
48. Carolina - Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati
49. San Francisco - Vladimir Ducasse, OG, Massachusetts