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I am sure that many of you are not going to be happy with this pick, but what alternative did the 49ers have? Patrick Peterson was off the board at #5 to Arizona and Atlanta traded up for Julio Jones (we could have used him as bait). The 49ers got a pure pass rusher in Aldon Smith with this pick; something that was lacking. It was not the sexiest pick, but sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture.
On that note, I will take a look at possibilities for the 49ers 2nd round selection tomorrow.
Fooch's Note: An Eagles writer tweeted that he thinks the 49ers and Eagles would work out a trade of Aldon Smith for Kevin Kolb. While there has been plenty of Kolb discussion, I don't see how you tweet something like that within five or ten minutes of the pick when the rules for player transactions aren't even in place. Consider that me calling BS on this report. Also, one more note before getting back to Vincent's post: I would have absolutely no problem with the 49ers getting back into the first round and snagging Cameron Jordan. What can I say? I'm a Cameron Jordan fan.
Now that one of the 49ers primary needs was taken care of with the 6th pick, San Francisco moves forward looking to fill holes elsewhere.
Top Needs
1. Corner Back
2. Pass rusher: LB- Aldon Smith (7th Pick)
3. Quarterback
All we can ask for is that the 49ers cover these needs throughout the early rounds of the draft and Aldon Smith was a start. Moving forward to the 2nd round these are the options for San Francisco at positions of need.
Cornerback: Jimmy Smith (Colorado), Brandon Harris (Miami), Aaron Williams (Texas), Ras-I Dawling (Virginia)
Quarterback: Christian Ponder (Florida State), Andy Dalton (Texas Christian), Ryan Mallett (Arkansas), Colin Kaepernick (Nevada)
Keep in mind that the CBA could have had an impact with this pick. The 49ers could have a feeling that they are going to be able to get a corner and quarterback via free agency/trade. Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh have a plan, and we should trust them through the process. At least, until the process plays out.
Another thing to look for tonight as the 1st round wraps up is the 49ers moving back into the 1st round and selecting a corner or quarterback. There is some incredible talent still on the board so a trade would not be shocking at this point.