Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri.
Playing the part of general manager for San Francisco, 'Json' writes:
Again, in the 49ers case, they can afford to go BPA. It also helps that with the 13th pick they got the BPA at their biggest need position. I almost went with an interior lineman with this pick (Mike Iupati) but I felt it was a bit of a reach and they can retool the line later in the draft and with free agency (I think they just signed guard Chester Pitts off of FA). With that said this pick comes down to who can be the biggest playmaker for the 49ers in the future. I really only considered three draftees (one offensive, two defensive) and Earl Thomas was not one of them. The 49ers need a safety, yes but I think they are looking for more of a bigger hard-hitting SS and in my opinion E.T. is more of a hybrid FS (much like Antrel Rolle) in that he will be more of a coverage guy especially at his size.
I'm passing on C.J. Spiller here because I feel San Francisco can get a pass-catching back/returner later in the draft. I absolutely love C.J., especially being from Clemson, SC but I don't think he makes a bigger impact in SF than my pick. I still feel "Lightning" will be electric in the NFL.So the pick comes down to two defensive studs (Brandon Graham and Weatherspoon). The 49ers run a 3-4 defense and have an absolute monster leader in Patrick Willis in the middle but they could upgrade their other middle spot. Takeo Spikes is almost done as an NFL player and will be a FA after the 2010 season. Sean Weatherspoon is:
a) smart
b) leader
c) fast and explosive
d) durable
Those are really just four simple terms to describe the kind of player 'Spoon is. He isn't a 3-4 outside linebacker, though. So if he is drafted in a 3-4 scheme I feel he's playing on the inside. Willis and Weatherspoon manning the middle of a defensive is really scary looking for other teams. Both players are extremely smart field generals with passionate leadership which Mike Singletary (the definition of a linebacker) can really appreciate and get behind. In my opinion Weatherspoon is the top LB in the whole draft, so the 49ers should feel really good about this pick.
My take: I still think Weatherspoon is a bit of a reach for the 49ers here. This is not a bad pick, just not the one I would have made. To me, this pick is either C.J. Spiller or Earl Thomas, higher-rated players at positions where the 49ers can use immediate help. Spiller provides a game-breaking threat as a back and a return man -- a need for San Fran. Thomas is the best safety on the board. That said, 'Spoon should be a good player for the 49ers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, with 'ross_stephen' making the selection are on the clock.
Remember, to see explanations of previous picks click the highlighted player name in the table below.
| POS | TEAM | PLAYER | POS | SCHOOL | DRAFTER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis | Sam Bradford | QB | Oklahoma | Soldier_ |
| 2 | Detroit | Ndamukong Suh | DT | Nebraska | soulpower |
| 3 | Tampa Bay | Gerald McCoy | DT | Oklahoma | i_formation27 |
| 4 | Washington | Russell Okung | OT | Oklahoma State | G Fan in England |
| 5 | Kansas City | Eric Berry | S | Tennessee | ronjohnson |
| 6 | Seattle | Jimmy Clausen | QB | Notre Dame | CCE718 |
| 7 | Cleveland | Dez Bryant | WR | Oklahoma State | GreatGatsby |
| 8 | Oakland | Bruce Campbell | OT | Maryland | Hoyadestroya85 |
| 9 | Buffalo | Dan Williams | DT | Tennessee | The Greek |
| 10 | Jacksonville | Joe Haden | CB | Florida | jp2y |
| 11 | Denver | Rolando McClain | ILB | Alabama | NYG_Slater |
| 12 | Miami | Jerry Hughes | DE/OLB | Texas Christian | sunlion333 |
| 13 | San Francisco | Bryan Bulaga | OT | Iowa | RIPShea |
| 14 | Seattle | Trent Williams | OT | Oklahoma | Ed V. |
| 15 | N.Y. Giants | Derrick Morgan | DE | Georgia | Ed Valentine |
| 16 | Tennessee | Sergio Kindle | OLB | Texas | Json |
| 17 | San Francisco | Sean Weatherspoon | LB | Missouri | RIPShea |
| 18 | Pittsburgh | ross_stephen | |||
| 19 | Atlanta | daddyzander | |||
| 20 | Houston | BitterEli | |||
| 21 | Cincinnati | Woogie526 | |||
| 22 | New England | Ryan Valentine | |||
| 23 | Green Bay | Dan Luibil | |||
| 24 | Philadelphia | Bye Dawk | |||
| 25 | Baltimore | Larry Soprano | |||
| 26 | Arizona | Snipah | |||
| 27 | Dallas | pataroons | |||
| 28 | San Diego | hakeemthedream | |||
| 29 | N.Y. Jets | Brooklyn58 | |||
| 30 | Minnesota | hurikaine | |||
| 31 | Indianapolis | Charles L. | |||
| 32 | New Orleans | GiantsReignSupreme |