That is what 49ers fans heard Roger Goodell say on the second day of the draft this year, and if you don’t know about LaMichael James (or LMJ as I call him), then you are probably going to need to study up. Allow me to enlighten you about the greatness that has been and will be, LMJ.

I remember where I was, sitting on my couch with a salad (who am I kidding, it was Doritos) and watching day number two of the draft when the 49ers got on the clock after the Ravens picked sure fire bust, Iowa State Offensive Lineman Kelechi Osemele with the 60th overall pick. As I had done with the the 60 previous picks I sat there talking to myself and trying to figure out who the 49ers would take at 61, and I said to my wife (who wasn’t listening), “I bet they take a running back here.” I had actually been saying it for months at that time, that the 49ers were obviously going to start looking towards the future in this draft and probably take a running back. Little did I know that LaMichael James, quite possibly the steal of this draft, would still be available and that Jim Harbaugh, Trent Baalke, and the Yorks would have the smarts to grab him up.

Most people remember LaMichael James from The Rose Bowl this year where he  rushed for 159 yards on 25 carries, he was somewhat overshadowed by De’Anthony Thomas’ performance but nothing can overshadow the legacy that LaMichael James left on Oregon Duck fans. In his career at Oregon he rushed for 5,082 yards which makes him the leading rusher in Ducks history. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry over his three years there which is also a staggering number. In 2010, James had undoubtedly his best year by far when he rushed for 1,682 yards and scored 24 touchdowns. He also finished 3rd in the Heisman voting that year behind Cam Newton and Andrew Luck. In case you didn’t know, those two players went number one overall in the subsequent drafts. LMJ also received the Doak Walker Award in 2010 which is presented every year to the nation’s top running back. Some former players to win that award: Garrison Hearst, Bam Morris, Eddie George, Ricky Williams (twice), Ron Dayne, LaDanian Tomlinson, Reggie Bush, and most recently Trent Richardson who went number three overall in this years draft, 58 picks higher than LaMichael James, so some pretty good company there.

Is it insane to think that LaMichael James could be the best running back to come out of the 2012 draft when it’s all said and done?

All hyperbole aside, if I had told you these things before the 2012 draft, you would think that most certainly LaMichael would be getting drafted in the top 10 first players selected, but unfortunately, at 5’9′ 195 lbs. his size made him drop on most teams draft boards. Think about that, a player that rushed over 230 times in each of his three seasons, finished 3rd in Heisman voting, is 2nd all time in Pac-12 History in rush yards, and 14th in NCAA History and is a Doak Walker Award winner, didn’t even go in the first round because he is too small? Well, other teams blunders are the 49er Nation’s gain.

LaMichael James is a freak, plain and simple, yes he is a little small for a “Prototypical NFL Running Back” to use a Merril Hodge cliche, but I don’t think that will stop him. He is an incredibly versatile player and one who will without question be making big plays this season for the 49ers. Whether it is in the running game, the screen game, wheel routes out of the backfield (a Jim Harbaugh staple), or even in the return game, LMJ will be on some folks highlight reels this year, and you heard it here first. LaMichael’s sheer athletic ability, mixed with his desire to win, and the fact that he is on the greatest team on the planet, make for an extremely volatile mixture, one that every 49er fan should be watching and anticipating with baited breath as this season draws ever so near. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show that LaMichael James is bound to put on for us this year.

With the already strong team basically returning in tact, the 49ers faced a draft this year in which they didn’t necessarily have holes to fill at a lot of positions like most teams in the draft, but more than that they had a game plan to bolster an already strong team with depth and strength by drafting the best player available. After the draft was over, and the 49ers had selected offensive players with their first three picks, it was blatantly obvious that the 49ers were making all the right moves in order to take the last step they couldn’t take in 2011 and get to and win a 6th Super Bowl.

So what rookies (if any) can make an impact for the 49ers this season? Will any of them even start? Of the seven draft picks the Niners had in this years draft will any of them be able to break through on a team that is very strong at a lot of positions? Or are these players of the future?

I think it is safe to say that A.J. Jenkins (WR) from Illinois, LaMichael James (RB) from Oregon and Joe Looney (RG) from Wake Forest could all three potentially see substantial playing time. While A.J. has had less than stellar reviews during mini-camps and OTA’s so far, this is typical for 1st year wide receivers. The terminology, routes, audibles, and in general the amount of learning is usually a lot for a young receiver to grasp right away. This is not to say that young receivers can’t get it, but it usually takes a little longer.

Running Back LaMichael James is a different story all together, he is a player that could very easily come in and make an impact for this 49er team this year. There are not a lot of players like LaMichael James, he is a rare breed. Comparisons to Darren Sproles, Danny Woodhead, and Reggie Bush hardly do this young man justice. LMJ (my new nickname for him) is a player that can very quickly become one of the top triple threats (running, catching, return game) in the NFL. His speed, cutting ability, field vision and general athletic ability will help him greatly but if he can grasp Jim Harbaugh’s offense quickly, look for LMJ to sneak in to a lot of Rookie of the Year conversations this season.

Joe Looney was the 3rd pick of the 49ers in the 2012 Draft and at Wake Forest played Guard and Center in a pro style offense. Most people in the know will tell you that while under the radar, Joe Looney was one of the best Guards available in this draft and could very easily compete with Daniel Kilgore for the starting Right Guard spot this season. He had good test scores and a great interview at the combine, he shows great potential and could be a staple of this burgeoning 49ers offensive line for some time.

My pick for the player that can make a huge impact this season is Trenton Robinson the Strong Safety from Michigan State. With the whole Dashon Goldson “thing” hanging in the balance still, and Donte Whitner ever climbing his way to an AARP card, the 49ers could be looking to upgrade or at the very least look in another direction when it comes to the one position on defense that some would say the 49ers are lacking in, Safety. Trenton Robinson is a player that some have said is too small to play Safety in the NFL, at 5’9″ and 195 lbs. but Jim Leonhard and Bob Sanders come to mind when talking about “small safeties” and those two guys were pretty good. I am not saying that Trenton will be either of them, and maybe he doesn’t even play safety, maybe they convert him to CB (which I doubt) but who knows? I am just saying, with a 4.52 second 40-yard dash time and a 35″ vertical jump, Trenton certainly doesn’t play like a guy who is 5’9″.

When it comes to rookies in the NFL, one can never be sure where they will end up when all is said and done. Truth be told, the majority of players that get drafted in to the NFL don’t even last 4 years in the league. That being said, let’s hope that at the very least, these four players can come in whether it’s this year or next and make an impact. The 49ers as a team and as an organization are this close to a Super Bowl run and more importantly, multiple Super Bowl runs. Let’s hope that the magic that Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers created on the field last year, can translate in to that same magic in the draft room, because if it can then 49ers fans are in for a heck of a season.

The season started with the 49ers adding quite a few big name free agents in the offseason, most notable Deion Sanders, Ken Norton Jr. and Gary Plummer among others. The 49ers also drafted a few players that would end up playing large roles in their rookies seasons. The 49ers drafted Bryant Young and William Floyd in the 1994 draft and both players ended up seeing significant time in the regular season and playoffs. This Niner team seemed to be destined for big things from the start of the 1994 season and they did not disappoint.

1994 was the 75th anniversary of the NFL and most teams donned throwback jerseys for much of the season and the Niner were no different. The white pants and 3D style numbers of the 49ers “throwback” jerseys were a matter of some debate, some thought they were ugly and others thought they were horrendous. I personally love them, the jerseys at least. In the first 5 weeks of the season the 49ers played the Raiders, Chiefs, Rams, Saints and Eagles. They came in to Week 6 at 3-2 with wins against the Raiders, Rams, and Saints and losses against the Chiefs (with former QB Joe Montana) and a embarassing 40-8 loss against the Eagles at Candlestick Park. Following the week 5 debacle the 49ers definitely took notice and put together a string of 10 consecutive victories including 8 where they scored more than 30 points. The 49ers ended the 1994 regular season with a loss to the Minnesota Vikings on the road, a game where most of their starters sat because they had already wrapped up home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Other accomplishments of note for the 1994 regular season where Steve Young won his second league MVP for the second time, recording the highest passer rating for a full season (at the time) at 112.8. He also threw for 35 touchdown passes in the regular season to just 10 interceptions along with 7 rushing touchdowns and 3,969 yards passing and a 70.3% completion percentage. Jerry Rice again eclipsed 100 receptions (112) and caught for almost 1,500 yards and 13 receiving touchdowns.  Deion Sanders was also awarded the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award for his 6 interceptions, 3 of which were returned for touchdowns, and his all around dominant play on the field. Not so much as a tackler, just a fearsome defensive back in coverage. Rookie Defensive End Bryant Young also won Rookie of the Year honors for his outstanding play and 6 sacks as a rookie. The 49ers also can boast about the 3 future head coaches that were on the roster in 1994, Mike Shanahan, Gary Kubiak, and Ray Rhodes.

More than the stats of the regular season, more than the record setting offensive performances and the (at the time) record for most points scored in a season at 505, the 49ers were a team, they were undoubtedly a throw back  to the Bill Walsh teams of the 80′s with a little new school thrown in. What Bill Walsh invented in the West Coast Offense, the 49ers of the 1994 season most certainly perfected. At it’s core, the West Coast style is short to intermediate passes mostly replacing the running game, with occasional shots down the field when the defense starts to try and jump those short routes. It’s genius and still works to this day, but that 1994 squad were masters of it. They showed other teams what it really meant to be “West Coast” throughout the regular season and their dominance only continued into the playoffs where Steve Young and the rest of the 49ers put on one of the greatest team playoffs (stats and points wise) in the history of the NFL.

The 49ers were the #1 seed in the playoffs in 1994 affording them home field advantage throughout the playoffs and a first round bye. In the divisional round, they faced the Chicago Bears led by Erik Kramer and Lewis Tillman. The game was a blowout with the 49ers only allowing the Bears to score 3 points until the 4th quarter and eventually beating them 44-15 behind the 3 rushing touchdowns by William Floyd and a smothering performance by the Niners defense. Up next was the hated rivals the Dallas Cowboys, whom the 49ers had faced in the two previous NFC Championship Games and lost to. This game would prove to be different however. The week previous, the Cowboys had absolutely smothered the Packers in a 35-9 rout on the backs of Alvin Harper, Michael Irvin, and Jay Novacek’s 100+ yard receiving performances and Troy Aikman’s precision passing. But on January 15th, 1995 the 49ers were ready, Steve Young was ready to silence his critics, and the Niners as a whole were ready to make their 6th trip to the grandest stage of them all.

In the 1994-95 NFC Championship Game, the 49ers capitalized on 3 first quarter turnover by Dallas and turned them in to three touchdowns, the Cowboys would not go quietly though and made it a game, while Troy Aikman set a playoff record with 380 yards passing and Michael Irvin set a record with 192 receiving yards, the 49ers proved to be too much for the Cowboys that day and punched their ticket to Miami for Super Bowl XXIX with a 10 point victory 38-28.

So the stage was set, the “Cinderella” team in the San Diego Chargers, with their stout defense against one of the most prolific scoring offenses in NFL history in the 49ers. On January 29th, 1995, at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida the 49ers absolutely demolished the Chargers 49-26. You have heard the stats before so I won’t bore you with them here. Of course the biggest story line was Steve Young, since his promotion to starting quarterback of the 49ers, he was told he could not replace Joe Montana and until the 1994-95 season, the critics were right, he couldn’t win the big one, losing two straight NFC Championships to the Cowboys. Imagine that for a second, imagine you are Steve Young and you are replacing quite possibly the greatest clutch quarterback to ever put on a uniform. Imagine how daunting of a task that must have been, how emotionally and physically draining it must have to constantly be compared to Joe Cool. Steve Young put the 49ers on his back in 1994, he took the memory of Joe Montana off his back, and put the team on his back and led them to a 6th Lombardi Trophy for the greatest organization in history with 6 touchdown passes (still a record in a SB) and a unequivocal, unanimous selection for Super Bowl MVP. That 49ers team is my favorite, they are so probably because it is the last great team we had and therefore the freshest one in memory, that being said, I look forward to writing about another great 49ers team (hopefully from this decade) and another 2 or 3 Lombardi trophies in the case.