With the 7th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft the San Francisco 49ers select Prince Amukamara CB Nebraska Cornhuskers
The 49ers are a team that should be more competitive in the NFC West than they have been as of late. They have a lot of young talent that can be built around. The main areas of concern are QB, where neither Alex Smith nor Troy Smith have shown any consistency, as well as CB, where the 49ers are old and have experienced inconsistent play from Nate Clements. While an argument can be made that there is also some need at OLB and even S, no player at either position even remotely fits at pick #7.
With a new coach, and new GM, it is hard to say with certainty whether the 49ers will employ a needs-based or best-available-player draft philosophy. However, if last year is any indication, where the 49ers traded up for a RT, and then went OG later in the round, needs-based will be the philosophy of choice.
So taking that into consideration, the pick is between Blaine Gabbert and Prince Amukamara. Looking back, the 49ers were the 18th ranked passing offense last season, whereas their pass defense was ranked 24th. It is apparent neither unit was very impressive, and that either a QB or CB would address a need. However, the 49ers will realize that Andrew Luck staying in school has inflated the draft stock of Newton and Gabbert, similar to how Bradford inflated the draft stocks of Matt Stafford and Mark Sanchez. Prince Amukamara, on the other hand is legitimately the second best CB on the draft, and has the 3 S's (size, speed, skill) to become an extremely effective CB at the next level. Additionally, Amukamara fits the pick under the best-available-player philosophy as well.
Pick made by: jagsrok9008
The Tennessee Titans are now on the clock.
7. Prince Amukamara
6. Da'Quan Bowers
5. Von Miller
4. Nick Fairley
3. Patrick Peterson
2. Marcell Dareus
1. Cam Newton