I could start out by posting his scouting report and then get into his strengths and weaknesses. I could write down a bunch of things that you have already read about. No, the reason I write this now, is because I see a guy that resembles a player already on the team. Yes, I'm talking about Aldon Smith.

Do I believe that Cam Johnson will be as good as Aldon Smith? No, I do not, but I do believe that he could be around 80%-90% the player that Smith is. We all know that Johnson was rated as high as a 2nd round pick by Mike Mayock, and was projected to be a 3rd round pick by many mock drafts. We all know that Cam Johnson fell to the 7th round because of his all around effort (sickle-cell anemia). Johnson was just not that great as an every down player because his sickle-cell anemia trait makes it difficult for him to have the energy to perform at a high level the whole game. Maybe that can be corrected in the future, only time will tell. The reality is that Cam Johnson fell to the 7th round and is now a SF 49er. Now let me show you some comparisons between Aldon Smith and Cam Johnson.

Aldon Smith..........6'4".....263lbs.....35 3/8 arms.....4.78 40yd.....34" jump.....7.19 3 cone.....4.50 20yd shuttle

Cam Johnson...6'3 1/2"....268lbs......33 1/2 arms.....4.81 40yd.....35" jump.....7.20 3 cone.....4.38 20yd shuttle

Johnson played his first 2 years of college as an OLB, then switched to DE his last year. He is accustomed to standing up and in a DE stance. I see Johnson coming in for Brooks and occasionally for Smith to rush the QB on third down situations as Aldon Smith did last year.

Brooks was second on the 49ers last year with 7 sacks to his credit. His 7 sacks were half of what Aldon Smith provided but came in twice the snaps. If Cam Johnson can produce half of what Smith did last year in the same amount of snaps, then he would still end up with 7 sacks as a situational pass rusher. In turn, this would relieve Brooks of some of his duties and allow him to remain fresh the whole game, being a more effective player on downs one and two. Cam Johnson would also play special teams and contribute to the team in the more dirty aspects of the game. Johnson is a no risk possible high return player if he works out. Again, this demonstrates that Baalke knows how to run a draft better than we do.

In wrapping this up, I believe that Cam Johnson (a Cam I can root for) was a 7th round pick with 2nd round talent, making this a great value pick at the end of the draft. Remembering that James Harrison of the Steelers went undrafted and struggled to get into the NFL, reminds me that sometimes you can find a Diamond in the Rough.

Rd 1 (30) A.J. Jenkins, WR Illinois.....

Jenkins measures in at 6'0" and 190lbs. Speed guy that ran a 4.39 at the combine and has very natural hands catching the ball. Jenkins snatches the ball out of the air and rarely brings it to his body. With top end speed, he also has great quickness that can help him separate for defenders. I believe that Harbaugh got his "Rice." While I know that there will never be another Jerry Rice, Harbaugh got a guy that fits his system just the way Rice was the perfect fit for Walsh. I see the 49ers bringing Jenkins along slowly like they did with Aldon Smith last year. Jenkins will have his packages and have a chance to get some playing time, but I suspect that the FO will not want to over whelm him at the start. Some teams had Jenkins rated higher than the media and it was confirmed when the Rams said they wanted him with the 33rd pick, just 3 picks after the 49ers got him.

Grade: A- I give it this grade based on the fact that it was who Baalke wanted (see Aldon Smith)

Rd 2 (61) LaMichael James, RB Oregon.....

James ran an official time of 4.45 at the combine but just like Taylor Mays, runs faster.......pro day times around 4.37, which was his unofficial time at the combine. James is considered undersized at 5'9" and 194lbs. Even if James gains 10-15lbs, he will still be faster than Frank Gore, so adding weight shouldn't be a problem. James gained 10 lbs last year at Oregon, so adding more will be him first priority. Monstrous speed with wicked cuts makes James a Real home run threat ever time he touches the ball. With Gore and Hunter, I see the FO again take their time with James and allow him a few packages that will spread his talent all over the field. James has great vision and a one cut up the field runner. After separating his elbow last year, James sat out only 2 and a half games before coming back. His toughness will never be questioned....he is a warrior.

Grade: A+ Rated the second best RB by Mayock, James is Top 10 Talent in a 5th round body.

Rd 4 (117) Joe Looney, OG Wake Forest.....

Looney ran a blistering....never mind, he didn't run the 40 nor who cares, he's an OG. This was the first real need pick by the 49ers. They needed an OG and they got one that was rated higher than where he was drafted. Looney dropped due to his recovery from lisfranc injury.....torn ligament in his ankle. I do not believe that Looney was the guy the 49ers were targeting. Baalke looked very upset and frustrated after the Ravens selected Gino Gradkowski. Looney has the ability to take over a circus with that clown look he had in some of the pics, but he could be the starting RG this year or soon down the road.

Grade: B Baalke traded back once too many times and lost the guy he wanted and had to settle.

Rd 5 (165) Darius Fleming, OLB Notre Dame.....

Fleming ran a 4.77 at the combine but was able improve that time at his pro day to 4.57. I don't know much about Fleming other than he is a guy that can come in a give Aldon or Brooks a rest. I see him as a reserve player kept for dept at the OLB position. He would play on 1st and 2nd downs. Baalke again was upset before they drafted Fleming. He slammed his hand on the desk when Green Bay selected Terrell Manning OLB, and again slammed down him pen when Atlanta selected Johnathan Massaquoi. So two picks in front of the 49ers went the two highest OLB that were on the 49ers board.

Grade: C+ This is what you get when your 1st 2 options are picked in front of you.

Rd 6 (180) Trent Robinson, FS Michigan St......

Robinson is pretty fast for a FS and the 49ers needed some depth here. At 5'10" and 190 lbs, Robinson isn't very big, but then again, how many FS are....well a few. A good value in the 6th round as a back-up player.

Grade: C He is a back-up if he makes the team. The 49ers have a stockpile of talent making this roster will be difficult.

Rd 6 (199) Jason Slowey, OC Western Oregon

Slowey is from a small school.......writing sloppy, getting tired...must move on.......OH, Slowey is the Tom Brady pick of the draft. No that doesn't mean that he will be the next Tom Brady, but it is where Brady was picked...199th overall. Slowey will add depth to the preseason roster and give a camp body to work at C and with an outside shot to take the team.....I see him making the practice squad for a year to see how he develops.

Grade: C- He is a gut that falls in the Gold Helmet category. A 49er, but not a starter.....

Rd 7 (237) Cam Newton Johnson, DE Virginia

Good speed, good size and a good grade from Mayock (2nd round), Chad Cam Johnson, was considered to be a bit of an underachiever and didn't play hard all the time. His talent would indicate that he is better than the 7th round. Johnson could make this team if he works hard as a pass rush specialist, like what Aldon Smith did last year. Brooks is a good OLB, but I think that Johnson could be better at rushing the QB. The 49ers should give him a chance to see if he can get to the QB.

Grade: A Yes an A.....Johnson has 2nd round talent with 7th round effort. If Harbaugh can get him motivated to get great, he just could end up that way. If not, then they just spent a 7th rounder on a camp body.

This is just how I see it. I think it was a very good draft, not great ........what the hell, having LaMichael James makes this the best draft possible.....ever. Besides my man crush favorite player from college, I think it went well. We all have our favorite players at different positions, but in the end, Harbaalke knows best.

Recently Drew K brought you the top 10 Quarterback prospects in this years draft.  Over two days he brought you a top 5 and 6-10, going into great detail about each prospect.  One QB prospect that I have been advocating for the 49ers to draft in the 6th or 7th round is Greg McElroy, Alabama.

McElroy is a two year starter at the University of Alabama. As an undergraduate, he finished with a 3.85 GPA and applied, but did not win, a Rhodes Scholarship and was voted as one of the smartest athletes in America by the Sporting News.  McElroy started 14 games in 2009 andfinished the season with a perfect record and won the 2010 National Championship Game against the Texas Longhorns.

In 2010, the Alabama Crimson Tide came back down to Earth andfinished the season with a 10 - 3 record (including Bowl Game).  In the three losses, McElroy had 6 TDs to only 1 INT, making me believe that he wasn't the reason they lost those games.  While McElroy doesn't posses the greatest of arms, I believe that he has a better arm than what he is given credit for.  McElroy probably is the most accurate passer coming out of college this year.  His ability to place the ball in a perfect area for his receiver to not only catch the ball, but in stride, allowing them to get that all so important YAC.

Stats      Yards       Comp%     TD     INT       YPP         

2009       2508          60.9          17       4         7.72

2010       2987          70.9          20       5         9.54

Greg McElroy didn't compile this great resume playing against second tier teams and players, he played in one of the toughest conferences in college football.....The SEC.  McElroy is a winner, and had one of the greatest seasons in Texas high school history.  His 56 TDs rank 1st all time in the 5A class, and 2ndall time in state history, just behind Graham Harrell's state record of 67....OMG!!!!  67?  I thought that 56 was quite an accomplishment.  Because of McElroy's arm strength, scouts have him pegged as a 6th  to 7th round prospect.

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The Oregon Ducks have moved one spot forward in the AP poll, and the Coaches poll.  The Ducks defense was able to stop ASU's comeback attempt with a total of 4 INT's and a few fumble recoveries.  The D put up 14 points (should have been 21, but the play was called dead after a clear fumble by one of the ASU players) and preserved the win in a hostile environment.  The Ducks are very close behind Boise State in points that determine the standings in the polls.  With a win over #9 Stanford next Saturday in Eugene, the Ducks might move into 3rd place.  The strong showing of the Pac 10 in OOC games against tough competitors has strengthened the chances of Oregon surpassing a Big 10 or Big 12 school that finishes undefeated (Ohio State) presuming that the Ducks also finish undefeated as well.


In other news, I'm suprised UCLA didn't get more love from the pollsters.

Hey, lets face it.  Alex Smith looked like Joe out there on that last drive.  I remember reading that in a 2 min drill, Smith is the one that calls the plays because of the hurry up offense.  In fact, it seems like Smith looks like a Hall of Fame type of player every time he is in a 2 min drill.  People keep talking about how smart he is and that he possesses Manning type of brains, so why not just let him operate in a no huddle like Manning and tear apart the defense?  The hurry up offense is designed to move you down the field quickly but also tires out the defense and makes the defense prone to mistakes.  When Smith is calling the shots, he is deadly, when Raye calls the shots the offense is average.  Let Smith loose and see what he can offer.  I wanna win games!

Well, the good news is the Media is now amazed at how well Smith played, they are even making excuses for the 2 picks.  The 2 picks this game were not bad decisions, just bad luck.  Vernon Davis said that the receivers need to do a better job of protecting Alex.

Here is a nice article about Smith.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100921/NEWS/100929880?p=1&tc=pg

LaMichael James is 15th in rushing yards even after missing the opening game due to suspension.  James is only 198 yards behind Danard Robinson of Michigan.  James is averaging 12.0 yards per attempt and has 3 touchdowns so far this year.  That is not bad as he only played a little more than 3 quarters against Tenn and only one half of the PSU game.  James had a career 227 yards and that was at the half.  James may have gone for 500 if Kelly was an evil SEC coach trying to run up the score.  I believe that James has a great chance at reaching the 2000 yard mark this season.  Thomas doesn't run the ball as much as Masoli and James should have more opportunities.  With 10 more games to go (including the bowl game) James would need to average 163.9 yards a game to reach that mark.  The second leading rusher is Daniel Thomas from KSU and is a RB not a QB as Robinson is.  Thomas has 552 yards and is 191 yards ahead of James but has 53 more carries.  James would only need 16 more carries at his current average to reach 552 yards.  James will not be able to keep a 12 yards average when the Ducks play quality opponents, but he did average around 7 for the year last year.

I can't remember when a Ducks team has started the season as hot as they have now.  They lead the Nation in scoring offense at 63.0 points per game and 611.7 yards per game.  They are also 2nd in the Nation in rushing yards per game.  Darron Thomas has made us all forget that guy in Mississippi as he has complete control over this offense.

With the 53 man roster coming out and a few surprises like Michael Robinson, Matt Wilhelm, and Karl Paymah being cut, who do you think will be the next 49er cut.  The two that stand out the most are:   OL Tony Wragge, and DB Will James.  Wragge was guaranteed a spot with Eric Heitmann being injured, and James is out with an injury.  To my knowledge, If the 49ers cut James now they will owe him more money due to the fact that he is injured.  Once he is medically cleared to play, they can cut him for less money.  I personally don't see them keeping either of these two players for any more than a few more weeks until certain injury issues are cleared up.  My question is, who do you think will get cut first?