Posted March 19, 2013 by Niner Pundit in Offseason

49erholics Mock Draft 1.0

Resident draft guru Scott Wagner is back with his 2013 5-round 49ers Mock Draft.

1(31) Datone Jones – DE – UCLA

Strengths: Well-built athlete with long arms and good strength, throughout. Flashes an explosive initial burst off the snap to penetrate gaps. Uses his hands well at the snap to rip free from blocks, showing a variety of pass rush techniques (swim, rip, club), as well as enough power to simply bull over offensive linemen into the backfield.

Keeps his head up and locates the football quickly, showing good awareness and effort in pursuit. Has the upper-body strength to lock-out opponents and seal the edge. Stout enough to slide inside to defensive tackle, especially on obvious pass rush downs. Enjoyed a breakout senior campaign and may be just scratching the surface of his potential.

Weaknesses: A classic ‘tweener who until his senior season hadn’t ever lived up to expectations. Lacks the sustained speed and flexibility to turn the corner as a traditional 4-3 defensive end. Lacks the bulk to handle full-time duties as a traditional defensive tackle. Has a tendency to stand up as he comes off the ball, losing out on the leverage battle. Uses his hands well initially but tires quickly and struggles to disengage once his opponent has locked on.

2(34) Jamie Collins – OLB – Southern Miss

Strengths: Muscular, athletic-looking frame with powerful hands and long arms. Accelerates well in a straight line, and exhibits good flexibility, both coming off the edge as a rusher, as well as when changing direction in space. Displays a knack for getting to the quarterback off the edge, with impressive natural power on contact, and ability to disengage when he uses his hands effectively. Flashes a strong, sudden closing burst in space. Appears natural and comfortable in his lower half when asked to drop into zone coverage. When he gets his arms extended at the point of attack, can really manhandle his blocker. Doesn’t possess a ton of short-area burst when breaking down to make tackles in space, but uses length nicely to compensate.

Weaknesses: Motor appears to waffle at times. Explosiveness and fluidity appear to be there for brief moments, but other times he looks heavy-footed and sloppy in space. First step isn’t elite. Is much more athletic than instinctive at this point. Isn’t a high-intensity, fly-to-the-football defender, despite possessing some dynamic physical tools that indicate he’s capable of covering more ground. Tends to tackle with his shoulder too frequently rather than wrapping up, and will take on blockers with his chest or shoulders far too often. Will reduce speed and exhibits loose legs when flipping his hips from a backpedal in man-coverage. Awareness in zone coverage waivers, as he tends to freeze in space and lose track of what’s going on behind him.

2(61) Sio Moore – ILB – Connecticut

Strengths: Reads the action quickly and has the speed to close, making him a classic 4-3 weak-side linebacker candidate. He was a versatile performer in college with good production as a hybrid linebacker for the Huskies, not looking out of place when asked to play in space against either the run or pass. Even in non-contact drills at the Shrine Game, Moore’s competitive drive and explosive hitting ability were evident.

Weaknesses: At his size, Moore will need to continue to improve his strength in taking on and shedding blocks.

3(74) Bacarri Rambo – FS – Georgia

Strengths: Looks the part. Has a well-developed, evenly proportioned frame well suited to the position.

Intuitive defender who reads the quarterback’s eyes well and gets a jump on the ball in coverage. Shows good burst to the ball due to above average acceleration and straight-line speed. Times his leaps/contact with receivers nicely, showing good body control and hand-eye coordination to play physically without drawing the flag.

Locates the ball and has very good ball skills. Possesses soft hands to pluck the ball away from this frame as well as the ability to track it over his shoulder.

Highly aggressive tackler. Looks to lower the boom on unsuspecting receivers crossing the middle. Lowers his shoulder into ball-carriers, though he sees what he’s hitting, not lowering his head and spearing the opponent and drawing the flag.

Generally takes good angles to the ball and plays a key role in Georgia’s defense as the last line of defense. Made Georgia’s secondary calls for at least the last two seasons. Played free safety at Georgia but possesses the size and physicality to play either of the traditional safety roles in the NFL.

Weaknesses: Has a tendency to lead with his shoulder rather than wrapping up fully as a tackler, leading to some slip-ups. Generally gauges pursuit angles well but can get caught up in the trash when he gets too aggressive, leading to some cut-back opportunities for backs with vision, burst to exploit.

Does not possess the elite recovery speed that his 16 career interceptions might indicate and is, in fact, a bit of a gambler.

Has twice failed drug tests while at Georgia and was suspended for the first four games of the 2012 season due to his most recent violation.

3(93) Da’Rick Rogers – WR – Tenn Tech

Strengths: Despite playing in the ultra-physical SEC, Rogers proved too strong for most teams to consider pressing. He’s also versatile, showing the ability to line up outside, as well as in the slot. While it is easy to get excited about Rogers’ size-speed potential, one of his greatest attributes is simply his toughness, as he absorbed several big collisions on games viewed and never dropped a pass due to a hit while at Tennessee. Rogers is a powerful runner who fights for additional yardage and has the agility and speed to run away from the pack for explosive plays.

Weaknesses: Generally a reliable pass catcher, but will occasionally look to juke the defender before securing the pass, resulting in an occasional bad drop. Until he cleans up the conception that he’s a troublemaker, it may not matter how talented Rogers is, NFL teams will be too concerned to give him the first-round grade his talent deserves.

4(128) Terry Hawthorne – CB – Illinois

Strengths: Good height and frame for the position. Excellent athlete with more than enough speed for the position. Fluid footwork and smooth hip action to quickly change directions. Nice job reading and reacting in a flash to jump routes and make a play on the ball. Rangy with the make-up speed to recover and close. Physical in run support and doesn’t shy from contact. Aggressive competitor and doesn’t back down from a challenge. Versatile and a quick learner. Some experience as a return man on special teams.

Weaknesses: Lanky frame with average bulk for the position and needs to get stronger. Transitional technique needs refinement and needs to do more at the line of scrimmage to reroute receivers. Susceptible to fakes and too easily bites in coverage, needing to show better discipline. Too much contact downfield and needs to show better finesse and timing. Too easily blocked on the outside and lost contain. Only average ballskills and won’t always finish the interception. Strong durability concerns with a history of bumps and bruises, including a serious concussion in 2012.

4(131) Jordan Mills – OT – Louisiana Tech

Strengths: Mills has tremendous size and power in his upper and lower body. Mills is always hustling, and doesn’t stop working until the whistle blows. He shows good awareness on stunts and sells play action passes very well. Mills has a very good first step. Takes a powerful inside step to cut off defenders. Showcases this step and balance on seal and reach blocks. Coordinated, with a good pass set.

Weaknesses: Inconsistent in his aiming point. Will grab outside of the chest plate, which will result in holding calls. Mills isn’t very quick off the snap, and can be beaten almost instantaneously because of this. Mills can also be found lunging at his blocks too often. Never played left tackle.

5(157) Chris Harper – WR/HB/TE – Kansas State

Strengths: Size/speed combination is impressive. Cornerbacks trying to press him at the line see his quickness and pure acceleration down the sideline. On crosses, sells the outside routes before planting his foot to get inside position. Harper uses his size to his advantage, often shielding defenders. He also possesses a very strong set of hands that he uses to out-muscle smaller defensive backs. Very adept at catching the ball off of his frame. He is also very tough to bring down with the ball in his hands.

Weaknesses: Could finish plays more consistently, as he will stand around a bit while his quarterback is trying to scramble and doesn’t always sustain his blocks despite his aggressiveness. A bit stiff in the hips. Fought an ankle injury in 2011. Hasn’t been immensely productive.

5(164) Duke Williams – SS – Nevada

Strengths: Sprinter background becomes obvious when watching him close to the sideline on running backs or track down the ball while it’s in the air. Physicality not typical of sprinter, relishes the chance to pound the shoulder or mid-section of ballcarriers after coming across the field. Fills a gap in the run games even if starting the play in a cover-two alignment due to his recognition and reaction abilities. His athleticism helps him break down in the open field and his length aids him drag them to the ground, making him a reliable open-field tackler. Another important component of Williams’ game is that he shows great balance in coverage, showcasing a smooth back-pedal, and fluid hips. Shows the hands to make difficult interception, as well.

Weaknesses: Like many aggressive college safeties, gets sucked up by play action. Needs to prove his average size is enough to handle the strength and speed of larger pro receivers in coverage; often lines up against slot receivers, showing good agility but also manhandling them (which will draw a flag at the next level) down the field, especially if he gets tripped up on their first move. Has had multiple off-field issues while playing in his hometown, as well, including arrests for underage possession of alcohol (November 2009) and driving with a suspended license and without insurance after being in a car accident (December 2011).

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