Late yesterday, Don Banks of SI.com joined the growing ranks of media posting their first mock drafts of the 2012 draft season. Banks went through the first round and has the San Francisco 49ers selecting Baylor WR Kendall Wright. I haven't put together our mock draft database yet (that'll happen this weekend), but wide receiver is striking me as the most popular position of choice for the 49ers.
While poking around some mock drafts, it seems like it would be a bit of a surprise at this point if Wright fell to the 49ers at No. 30. Much can and will change between now and April, but for now Wright is mocking out a bit more in the 17-26 range. That would seem to be within any margin of error for a mock draft. Of course, when you're talking about the back end of the first round, the margin of error grows dramatically as compared to the top of the draft.
Wright had to withdraw from the Senior Bowl with an ankle injury, so you won't get a chance to see him tomorrow afternoon in Mobile. Wright has been dealing with nagging injuries all season, but he still managed to put together an impressive season of 108 receptions, 1,663 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Wright is not a big guy, listed by some at 5'10, 190 pounds, but he bring some serious speed and acceleration, which is something the 49ers could use in their wide receiver corps. Dan Kadar put together a midseason scouting report, while our old friend Matt Miller put together a scouting report a couple weeks ago that looks at Wright's complete game.
The 49ers will be looking for some wide receiver options this offseason, but it will be interesting to see if they go for a high profile guy in free agency or the draft, or if they go for some more under-the-radar options like we saw them do in free agency this past year. 2011 was not a normal year given the lockout, so it is hard to tell if we have determined a specific pattern to the 49ers personnel decisions. Add in the fact that other teams might look to copy the 49ers 2011 free agency strategy, and it creates all sorts of questions.