49ers' First Round

In the first round of the 2010 NFL draft, the 49ers selected two offensive lineman. Anthony Davis, and Mike Iupati were the choices by San Francisco.

The 49ers followed the basic outline I had said. I wrote a post in December basically saying that in the first round, the 49ers need to draft two offensive lineman, unless an elite talent would have fallen to them. Eric Berry, C.J. Spiller, and Joe Haden were the elite talents that had the opportunity to fall, but did not. Instead of getting a second tier talent in other positions, San Francisco decided to improve the biggest hole on the team - the offensive line.

Anthony Davis is a beast. As an offensive lineman he has one of the biggest upsides in the draft. I'm not sure why the 49ers felt they needed to trade up (to #11) to get Davis. It only cost them a 4th round pick, and to ensure you draft the guy that you want, it's a reasonable price. Anthony Davis isn't perfect as a run blocker yet, but given a few years and he could turn out to be one of the best tackles in the league. With Mike Singletary as the head coach, he will make sure to get the maximum effort from Anthony on every play. Singletary should also be able to end the character concerns that come with Davis. In my mind the tiny character concerns of Anthony Davis are not going to be a factor down the road. Davis is far from a "project" and just having raw talent. He should be able to start right away, and contribute to the much improved offensive line.

With their second choice in the draft, the 49ers picked Mike Iupati from Idaho. Iupati is an excellent lineman that can play either Guard, or Tackle. Unless an injury occurs, he will be a Guard in the 49ers offense. He has a unique combination of size (6' 5, 331 lbs) and power. Because he played in the WAC he did not always play against the top defenses, but that doesn't take away from his ability. He shined at the Senior Bowl, and has little flaws in his game. He is a power lineman, that will allow plenty of gaps for Frank Gore, and Glen Coffee to run through.

Both these first round draft picks will help the 49ers succeed. They already have big play makers at all the skill positions, and their defense was perhaps the best in the league among teams that didn't make the playoffs. These players will contribute to Mike Singletary's smash mouth football philosophy. The team that wins in the tranches usually wins the game. Not to mention the extra protection it will give Alex Smith, and the bigger, more consistent holes Frank Gore will be allowed to run through. It always adds quality depth to the offensive line, that suffered with injuries last season. The 49ers have turned their weak link from last season, into a strong link over the course of one day.