The 49ers have made their yearly draft picks to add to a roster that is expected to compete for an NFC championship in 2012. But not everybody is happy with their top two selections: wide receiver A.J. Jenkins of the University of Illinois and running back LaMichael James of the University of Oregon.
Many thought taking Jenkins with the 30th overall pick was a stretch, that the 49ers should’ve taken Georgia Tech’s Stephen Hill or University of South Carolina’s Alshon Jeffrey if they were going to select a receiver. Most draft pundits rated both players higher than Jenkins.
Most fans and media, who were critical of the 49ers taking Jenkins in the first round, haven’t seen Jenkins play and know nothing about his ability or potential. If you watched a handful of Jenkins college football games and still want to criticize the pick, then that is acceptable. Don’t criticize the pick if you didn’t know Jenkins existed until the 49ers drafted him.
James was drafted by the 49ers in the second round as a running back. Many were convinced the 49ers were set at running back with Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter, Anthony Dixon and Brandon Jacobs. It was viewed as one of the teams’ strengths. The selection confused many people, but they shouldn’t be confused.
A team can never have too many playmakers and James is a playmaker. He has the most rushing yards in Oregon football history, is also second in Pacific 12 conference history and 14th in college football history with 5,082 career rushing yards. The 49ers are fortunate to have him.
Trent Baalke, 49ers General Manager, was named the 2011 NFL Executive of the Year for being a part of turning the 49ers from an NFL bottom-feeder into a team that was one victory away from the Super Bowl. In the 2011 draft, Baalke selected Aldon Smith with the seventh overall pick, when Smith was expected to be picked lower. I think most of us know how Smith’s rookie year went. He was runner-up for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year largely because he recorded 14 sacks, a 49ers rookie record. Smith gave the 49ers the pass-rusher they have needed for ages, yet many media and fans still criticize Baalke for this year’s picks.
Baalke has done enough to earn our trust and we should be confident that he made a good pick until the drafted player proves incompetent on the field.
With the vast amount of pre-draft coverage, NFL fans and media feel like they have a good handle on who should be picked and where they should be picked. The problem with this is you are getting your draft information from a “draft expert” like Mel Kiper, Jr. of ESPN or Mike Mayock of the NFL Network, who know more than the average fan, but in the end are just giving an opinion. Fans and media take what these “experts” say as the truth and criticize general managers who know way more about evaluating football players and their team than jokers like Kiper or Mayock. There’s a reason Kiper and Mayock are television analysts and Baalke is the general manager of an NFL team.
My recommendation to all 49er fans and the media who watch the NFL Draft next year is to keep an open mind and not jump to a negative conclusion about the 49ers draft choices—unless it’s a place-kicker or punter. The newly drafted player you don’t approve of could be the next Aldon Smith.