2011 NFL Draft, 50 in 50: Julio Jones - WR - Alabama (40 of 50)

The draft is almost here and speculation of who or what the 49ers will do with it are escalating by the day.

Several questions and predictions are being made as far as mock drafts go. Will the 49ers use their seventh overall pick? If so, who will it be made on? Who will fall to them and who will be there as options? If certain players are not be there, then will the Niners entertain trade-back offers?

The 49ers have some obvious and glaring team needs. We all know that the quarterback position is the number one concern... even if Jim Harbaugh is trying to sell the fanbase on Alex Smith returning and being able to be a winning quarterback in the NFL. If Alex Smith were to be in this years draft, where would he rank amongst the current rookie options coming in? Would he still be considered the number one overall pick?

The cornerback position as Niners fans all know is another very questionable area of concern. Nate Clements is past his prime, Shawntae Spencer would more than likely be a nickel corner in a decent secondary, and Tarell Brown has not yet showed that he is a viable, consistent option for the actual corner position.

But where do the Niners go if all the good options are gone? What happens if Patrick Peterson, Von Miller, Marcell Dareus, A.J. Green, and Blaine Gabbert are all off the board with no trade-back options? I suppose they would have to go with what was on their board, right?

But in thinking outside the box, what about Julio Jones? After the jump, we'll take a look at the stud wide receiver out of Alabama who scorched the NFL Combine with a stellar performance on a fractured foot.

This is a very short draft preview video of Jones, but for those that haven't seen him in action, it's enough to get your feet wet as far as being able to see what he is capable of. Jones is not only fast, but very precise in his route running. He has decent hands but has been known to drop catchable passes in crucial situations. That would be the main, and just about only, knock on Jones. Other than that, he is a damn good football player. He could ultimately wind up being the best receiver of this years class. Yes, even better than the guy that's coming out of Georgia.

For more on Jones, check on youtube for his games against Tennessee and LSU.

Here are his career stats at Alabama:

Summary: There is little question in my mind that Julio Jones is going to have a great rookie campaign barring major injury. He has every measurable that a good head coach would be looking for. He blocks well on runs, he is quick, fast, big, strong, and as mentioned above, an excellent football player. He plays the game with passion and appears to have true love for his craft. He is similar to players like Andre Johnson and Brandon Johnson. I believe that he can be as good, or even better than those two mentioned.

PREDICTION: 1st Round.