The top Four Future 49ers: Lets Draft Already!

Brace yourself for a
Jake Locker Love fest

ESPN sure knows how to beat something to death. The network appears to be on a relentless mission to inform every man in America about value picks, 40 times and positional value. We get it, just draft the damn kids already! 


On a side note: Go back and look at any draft in the recent decade. You will quickly notice how silly this whole thing is. Its basically a crap shoot. About 50-60% of first round picks pan out, the rest bust and there are always just as many good players selected in the second and third rounds as the first. 


Anywho, back to the main subject of this whole blog post. 49ers. First Round. Pick number 7. Who we gonna get?
Click the jump for the 4 guys I would be more than happy with at pick #7.

Four guys who I would be thrilled to see in a 49ers uni next year:


1- Pattrick Petterson


This ones a no-brainer. As an LSU grad, I watched every game Petterson played in college. He's a game changer, a playmaker, a leader and freak athlete. The only criticism I can think of for Petterson is that he is not a shutdown corner a la' Darrelle Revis. You wont be able to put him on an island every play like the Jets do with Revis. But unlike Revis, Petterson has incredible ball skills and is a threat for a pick six every time the ball is thrown in his direction. This, along with his size, is why he might be better off as a ball-hawking safety, but wherever he plays, he will be a dynamic playmaker in the secondary. 


2- Von Miller


Watched him play twice in Jerry's World. In the first, he tormented Arkansas's Ryan Mallet and nearly led the Aggies to the upset. In the second, he was the only player on the field who could hang with LSU in the Cotton Bowl. Lets just put it this way: When the niners drafted Crabtree, I literally jumped over my couch, if the 49ers draft Miller, I might jump over my house. 


3- Blaine Gabbert


I was not a fan of Gabbert for a long time. But after watching Gruden QB Camp, I felt that he was one of the more impressive prospects to appear on the show. He is a confident guy, with a strong understanding of the game and an unbelievable arm. He dosen't strike me as a super- star, yet I would not be upset at all to land Gabbert at 7. 


4- Jake Locker


I might look back on this paragraph and cringe, but as of this moment, I am in love with Jake Locker. Alex Smith 2.0, as he was regretabbly dubbed on this very blog, couldn't be more false of a statement. 


Locker's biggest problem is that he head hunts linebackers instead of stepping out of bounds. Alex Smith's biggest problem is that he is a whinny bitch. 


Sign me up for a decade of Jake Locker!


More reasons I like Locker: (opinions derived from watching both Gruden QB camp and Three for the Show on ESPN)


1- He is a Running Back turned Quarterback:
Did you know that Locker was a glorified running back his first three years of college, running a junk offense on an 0-12 team? He's only been properly coached as a quarterback for two years. TWO YEARS!!! And I'm not talking just two years in college. Two years in his life! This guy would have been the consensus 1st overall pick last year after just one full year as a true quarterback. Imagine what kind of production Jim Harbaugh (the alleged QB guru) could get out of this guy.


2- He Will Win the Respect of a "Locker" Room
Locker is a ruthless competitor and an effortless leader. He is a humble guy who lets his fiery play do all the talking. His toughness will win over a locker room, just as it did at UW. Similar to super bowl winners, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady, Locker's personality reflects perfectly that of a championship football team. Meaning, if everyone on the roster had Jake Lockers demeanor, it would resemble a championship roster.


3- He knows his X and O's
He played in a true pro style sytem under Steve Sarkisian, (meaning he dropped from under center, was responsible for blitz protections and had to make multiple reads on passing plays) and he was the most impressive player to stand up and draw X and O's on Grudens white board. This guy gets it. He understands the game. And he understands how to compete. 
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Before I force myself into writing an entire seperate post on Jake Locker, I will end with this: I would love any of the 3 guys ahead of Locker, but if we traded down and picked up Locker, or even took him with the 7th pick, I for one, would not be complaining.