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The 2013 NFL Draft gets going in a few hours, so I thought I would take one last look at the Niners Nation mock draft database. If you haven't seen it yet, the database looks at 40 mock drafts from around the Internet. It is far from all-inclusive as there are simply too many mock drafts to consider. It simply provides a small sampling to get the creative juices flowing. I'm sure some of these mocks will change throughout the day, but this at least provides a general idea of things.
Moreover, mock drafts are a bit limited in value for predictive purposes. Rather, I think they provide us with discussion points for positions the 49ers might consider. My favorite mock draft this offseason has to be Matt Barrows' seven round 49ers mock. Barrows went round-by-round discussing what areas the 49ers might consider, and then provide a range of players to consider.
In looking through the mock draft database, all but four of the mocks have the 49ers drafting a defensive player. The mocks include twelve defensive ends picks, eleven at safety, eight at defensive tackles, eleven defensive ends and five cornerbacks. That's a whole lot of defense.
The most frequent player was Florida International safety Jonathan Cyprien (8), followed by Margus Hunt (5) and Jesse Williams with four. Again, the specific players are not the true value in a mock draft. The positions are where the discussion starts.
MORE DRAFT COVERAGE
- NFL Draft Hub Page
- 49ers Pre-Draft Roster
- Prospect Scouting Reports
- Niners Nation Community Mock Draft
- Consensus Top-400 big board