2013 NFL mock draft: 49ers first second round pick in the SB Nation blogger mock draft

The SB Nation blogger mock draft is rolling along and my next pick is in. Yesterday, I announced that I picked Alabama defensive tackle Jesse Williams. Today, we move on to pick No. 34. With the 34th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft (via the SB Nation blogger mock draft), the San Francisco 49ers select Zach Ertz, tight end, Stanford.

As I look back on this pick, I'm not quite sure if I'm completely sold on it. As Dan Kadar pointed out in his analysis of the pick, Ertz has a ways to go to become an effective blocker at the next level. If the 49ers think they can develop his blocking, the pick can work. If the 49ers are not so sure, there's no way it happens.

Some have suggested the team should be looking safety, but at the point where we were, I was a bit more comfortable waiting on tight end. It could come back and bite me in the butt, but as is, I think there are enough good safety options that I was willing to wait a bit longer.

Here is Dan's discussion of the pick:

At this point, Ertz could be classified more as a wide receiver than a tight end. He's not much of a blocker and was used predominantly outside at Stanford. Although that was partly due to scheme and the Cardinal having three good tight ends, Ertz shouldn't be relied on to block for the first couple years of his career. Still, Jim Harbaugh recruited him in college and knows him better than anyone in the draft, save for Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. There's nothing bad about the pick, though. Ertz would pretty easily be able to match or top Walker's 21 catches last season. While he's not going to be a special teams player like Walker, Ertz can further open up the offense.