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.

Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

All of the NFL pundits have spoken out about the San Francisco 49ers draft picks, moves and trades, including us here at Niner Noise.  But now we want to hear from the 49ers Faithful on what you think of all the moves made by GM Trent Baalke to bolster the team’s roster now and in the future.  Grade the 49ers draft in the poll below and tell us in comments what you think.

Here is a recap of the 49ers 2012draft :

Trades:

• Acquired a fourth-round selection from the Indianapolis Colts along with a 2013 fifth-round selection in exchange for a 2012 third-round selection, (#92 overall).

• Acquired a fourth-round selection from the Miami Dolphins along with a sixth-round selection (#196 overall) and a 2013 sixth-round selection in exchange for a 2012 fourth-round selection (#97 overall).

• Acquired a sixth-round selection from the Carolina Panthers along with a 2013 third-round selection in exchange for a 2012 fourth-round selection (#103 overall).

• Acquired a fourth-round selection from the Detroit Lions in exchange for a 2012 fourth-round selection (#125 overall)and a 2012 sixth-round selection (#196 overall)

Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

The San Francisco 49ers traded four times in the third and fourth-rounds of the NFL draft this past weekend.  The 49ers kept trading back because the opportunity to stock up on draft picks for 2013 presented itself to GM Trent Baalke and still allowed him to draft the players he targeted in the fourth-round.

One reason for the trades in the third-round had to do with the 49ers draft working out as planned.  That allowed Baalke to trade back from the third-round knowing the players they wanted would still be on the board when it came time for their pick.  What you may have not noticed is most of the draft picks traded in the third and fourth-round are for the 2013 draft.

The trades show Baalke is not afraid to take risks.  With all the trades there were no guarantees the guard they wanted and drafted, Joe Looney, would be available at their 125^th pick in the fourth-round.  Baalke had pushed the limits already by trading the 92nd pick to the Colts for their 97^th pick, then traded pick No. 97 to the Dolphins for the 103^rd overall pick, and then traded that pick to the Panthers for their 180^th pick.  Before all of the trades the 49ers had the 125^th overall pick in the fourth-round, so Baalke knew they would get their chance to take a guard in the round.  However, Baalke was not convinced Looney would still be on the board and traded the 125^th and 180^th picks to the Lions for their 117^th overall pick.  Whew!  In the end Baalke and the 49ers got the man they wanted at guard and stock piled draft picks for 2013.

Here is a breakdown of the trades and what the 49ers netted for 2013:

• Trade with the Colts: Received their fifth-round pick in 2013.  With the Colts expected to be slightly better than last season, we can assume the pick to be in the upper-half of the fifth-round.

• Trade with the Dolphins: Received their sixth-round pick in 2013.  Same as with the Colts, the pick should turn out to be a good value.

• Trade with the Panthers: Received their third-round pick in 2013 and also received the Panthers’ 180^th pick in the 2012 draft which they used to select free safety Trenton Robinson.  The Panthers are expected to win more than six games in 2012, their total wins last season.  So the pick might be in the lower-half of the third-round, but there is value to be found anywhere in the round.

The 49ers will most likely have 13 draft picks in 2013.  Right now they officially have 11 picks but they will most likely receive two compensatory picks for losing out on free agents Adam Snyder and Joshua Morgan.  Baalke was able to fill the few needs the 49ers had for the upcoming season while also being able to put the 49ers in great position to reload the team in 2013.

I’d be lying to suggest building up that many picks was our intention at the start of it. But we were able to turn the pick over three times and get our guy, plus five picks. So it worked out. We’re not trying to win in the court of public opinion, or win in the media. We’re trying to win games over the long haul and build a team for sustained success.  Trent Baalke