Next week brings the 2012 NFL Draft, which means there will be plenty to discuss about the newest members of the 49ers. However, the hours following the draft will be just as buzz-worthy as teams hustle to sign undrafted rookies. More often than not undrafted rookies will not pan out in the NFL. For every LeGarrette Blount that makes an impact in the NFL, there are a host of Kory Sheets' that bounce around the league without ever making an impact.
Nonetheless, we as fans scour the Internet for details on these signings in hopes our team will find that one diamond in the rough. Last season, the 49ers turned defensive linemen Demarcus Dobbs and Ian Williams into members of the 53-man roster. They have plenty of work to turn into long term impact players, but making the roster out of their first training camp is a strong step in the right direction.
NFL.com had an interesting article today about how Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has been contacting potential undrafted free agents via text. This followed the Eagles sending letters to such candidates last year before the draft. This is not like the NCAA rules regarding contacting high school players. Once a player forgoes his college eligibility, NFL teams are free and clear to contact players as frequently as they want.
One has to wonder how much contact Jim Harbaugh has with such candidates. He did some great recruiting work for Stanford and would likely be quite an asset in recruiting players. He didn't nail down some rumored 49ers free agent targets, but it would be interesting how well he can sell players coming out of college.