The folks at SB Nation released their latest 2011 NFL Mock Draft and they've reverted back to the pick of several weeks ago for the 49ers. For a stretch of three or four mock drafts, Brian Galliford was predicting Prince Amukamara to the 49ers. Part of the reason for these predictions was the 49ers cornerback need, but also the fact that the rest of the draft order was rather fluid. As we approached the 2011 NFL Combine it appeared that things were starting to shake out a bit. Now that the Combine is complete, we can start to better assess that top ten. For now, Prince Amukamara is back in the hands of the 49ers.
I've posted the top six from SB Nation's draft after the jump. Originally I was thinking we wouldn't see the Broncos grab Patrick Peterson given the Bailey contract extension, but Bailey won't be there forever and Peterson might be so good it's a BPA pick anyway. In the meantime, SB Nation's thoughts on Amukamara and the 49ers:
7. San Francisco 49ers: Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska. A strong Combine workout alleviated concerns about his recovery speed, and Amukamara is strongly back in Top 10 consideration. The 49ers need to replace Nate Clements, and Amukamara has the talent-character combo that Jim Harbaugh will covet as he re-builds.
It appears the 49ers have either not been able to work out a new deal with Nate Clements, or simply are not interested in trying at this point. Adam Schefter included Clements as a potential cut this week, which is not surprising given his salary. If he does get cut it'll happen before 8:59pm pacific Thursday night barring a new CBA.
This doesn't necessarily mean the end of the Nate Clements era in San Francisco. If Clements is released he'd become a free agent and the 49ers would simply have the opportunity to negotiate with him alongside 31 other teams. At the same time, if Clements gets the axe this week and a new CBA isn't done as we approach the draft, a first round corner pick seems a little more likely. If Patrick Peterson is there I think it's close to a no-brainer at this point. If Prince is there, it's a little more iffy, but still a decent pick.
For those curious about the top six picks in SB Nation's mock draft, they are as follows:
1. Carolina - Blaine Gabbert, QB
2. Denver - Patrick Peterson, CB
3. Buffalo - Von Miller, OLB
4. Cincinnati - A.J. Green, WR
5. Arizona - Robert Quinn, DE/OLB
6. Cleveland - Da'Quan Bowers, DE