30. WR AJ Jenkins D
This isn’t a D because “the 49ers could have gotten him later.” That’s not true. The Rams were very interested in him and probably would have taken him at 33. This is a D because I don’t think Jenkins was worth the spot. It would have been a bad pick if the Rams had taken him at 33 too. Jenkins is fast and a solid route runner, but he’s just a slot guy. He’s very similar to Chris Givens, who would have been available in the 3rd round. In fact, I had Givens as rated as slightly better than Jenkins.
Stephen Hill would have been a perfect fit here. He wouldn’t have had to play much right away, but he has the upside to be the #1 receiver that is not currently on their roster. Michael Crabtree, Mario Manningham and now AJ Jenkins are all past as complimentary receivers. This pick also could have been used on a guard. Guard was the only need they had in the starting lineup and there were plenty available at this spot.
61. RB LaMichael James D
How many running backs do you need? Frank Gore is a solid lead back who should remain one for at least 2 more years barring a major injury. Kendall Hunter was a solid backup last year and Brandon Jacobs is a solid short yardage back. They don’t really have a back like LaMichael James, but that’s not the problem. James is going to take away carries from one of several talented backs they already have and he probably won’t get enough carries to be worth this 2nd round pick. He also won’t contribute much as a return man because Ted Ginn is already one of the best in the business at that.
I also think James is an overrated player. A lot of people are hailing him as a Darren Sproles and “there’s always room for Darren Sproles in your backfield.” He’s not Darren Sproles. Only Darren Sproles is Darren Sproles. James can be a solid change of pace back, but nothing more. I had a 4th round grade on him. He already has a lot of tread on his tires (744 career carries). He’s already suffered injuries in the past. He’s undersized at 193. Finally, his game depends almost entirely on the defense breaking outside contain, not something that doesn’t happen much in the NFL. He’s not a good between the tackles runner and doesn’t power through tackles. He struggled against almost every good, disciplined defense he faced in college.
117. G Joe Looney C+
As I mentioned, guard was the only need they really had in the starting lineup. I’m not sure why they didn’t address it earlier, but you can find solid guards in the middle rounds. Unfortunately, I don’t think Looney is one of those guys. They’ll probably be looking at the offensive line next year, most likely right tackle so they can move the disappointing Anthony Davis (21 career sacks allowed in 2 years) to guard.
165. RLB Darius Fleming C
I guess you can never have enough pass rushers and the 49ers don’t have any pressing needs left, but I didn’t have Fleming rated nearly this high.
180. S Trenton Robinson B
Safety depth was needed because Dashon Goldson, an overrated Pro Bowler, is still not signed long term. This is a little early for the undersized Robinson, who doesn’t have a true position at 5-10 195.
199. C Jason Slowey B
They needed a young center, but I didn’t have Slowey in my top 250. This is late, so it’s not a huge deal.
237. RLB Cam Johnson A
Finally a pick I like. Johnson’s motor runs hot and cold, but he flashes excellence. You can never have enough pass rushers. Actually, I had Johnson rated higher than Fleming.
The 49ers didn’t have a ton of needs coming into the draft so they could have just taken best available. They might have done that according to their board, I didn’t see it that way. AJ Jenkins was a 3rd round prospect who is very similar to Chris Givens, who the Rams got at the top of the 4th round. The LaMichael James pick was just as bad. I’m not going to repeat myself as I already went into detail on that. Even their late round picks weren’t great aside from Cam Johnson, the only A I gave.
The only need they did have in the starting lineup was guard. They waited until the early 4th to address this, after moving down, and reached for someone in Joe Looney who I thought was a late rounder. Looney could pan out because plenty of starting guards in the NFL today are mid rounds and I hate question Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke like this, but I think they’ll need offensive line help in 2013. Other positions of needs were wide receiver, center, safety, and cornerback. They addressed all of those positions except cornerback, but they did so with reaches each time. I’m disappointed in this draft.
Grade: C-