The 49ers have picked OLB Navorro Bowman out of Penn State with the 91st pick (3rd round) of the NFL Draft.  It’s always a good idea to draft linebackers from Penn State because they are well coached and ready to rock in the pros.  Bowman could play either inside or outside but he’s better suited on the edges of the D.  He played in 11 games (all starts) for the Nittany Lions last season and he finished up with 93 tackles, 17 tackles for a loss, he had 3 sacks, broke up 3 passes and he had 2 interceptions.  In three years with Penn State, Bowman played in 33 games (21 starts) in which he had 215 tackles, 36 tackles for a loss, he had 8 sacks, broke up 9 passes and he had 3 interceptions.  Look for Bowman to develop into a starter soon for the Niners but until then he will give them solid depth while helping out on special teams.  This was another solid pick by the Niners.

The 49ers have picked safety Taylor Mays out of USC with the 49th pick overall (2nd round) of the NFL Draft.  Mays certainly has all of the measureables you look for in a safety as he is 6’3″, 236 pounds and he runs a 4.45 40.  He could probably be a much better player if he played the ball more and not so much the man.  He often looks for the knockout shot instead of taking a easy interception.  But, he is a good hitter who brings an intimidation factor to the secondary and that will help the 49ers right away.  Mays played in 12 games (all starts) for the Niners last season and he made 96 tackles, broke up 3 passes, he had 1 interception and he recovered 1 fumble.  In his four years at USC, Mays played in 51 games (50 starts) in which he made 276 tackles, broke up 21 passes, he had 5 interceptions, forced 1 fumble and he recovered 1 fumble.  Look for Mays to be super motivated in the Niners’ two games against the Seahawks as he felt slighted when his college coach (Pete Carroll) to a safety over him (Earl Thomas) in the first round of the NFL Draft.  Many “experts” had Mays going in the first round so the Niners got outstanding value with this pick.

The 49ers have selected OG Mike Iupati out of Idaho with the 17th pick of the first round of the NBA Draft.  I love this pick for the 49ers as Iupati and Anthony Davis will give them a lot of new talented blood along the O-Line.  Iupati is a mauler in the running game and he is excellent at pulling on sweeps or setting up for screen passes.  The Niners will likely have to coach him up a bit in pass blocking technique but I think he will be a good and quick learner.  Iupati played in 13 games (all starts) for Idaho last season and he played in 46 games (34 starts) in his four years there.  This was a outstanding pick for the 49ers as Iupati was the top rated guard in this draft.

The 49ers have traded the #13 overall pick in the first round and a 4th round pick (#113 overall) for the right to move up to #11 and select OT Anthony Davis out of Rutgers.  Davis is a mountain of a man at 6’5″, 325 pounds and he is nasty.  He packs a wallop in the running game and he is also a good pass blocker too.  He played in 13 games (12 starts) for Rutgers last season and he played in 38 games (32 starts) in his three years there.  The only thing that can hold Davis back is if his weight gets out of control but I doubt that will be a problem in San Fran.  I love this pick for the Niners.

The 49ers have two first round picks this weekend and they will likely be able to fill two big holes on the roster for 2010 with them.  The Niners have 4 of the first 79 picks in this weekend’s NFL Draft including 8 overall picks.  The Niners have holes at CB, OT, OLB and G and they will likely be able to fill all of those positions with decent prospects.  The 49ers will likely target CB Joe Haden, OLB Sergio Kindle, OG Mike Iupati, OT Anthony Davis and QB Jimmy Clausen.

PROJECTED FIRST ROUND PICKS:  CB, Joe Haden, Florida and OT, Anthony Davis, Rutgers

The San Francisco 49ers have not made any big impact moves yet this off-season but they have acquired some solid players.  WR/KR Ted Ginn is the most flashy player that the 49ers have brought in and it cost them a 5th round pick this weekend.  Ginn will likely be the #3 of #4 WR for the Niners but he is a explosive return man which really excites them.  QB David Carr was brought in as a free agent to likely backup Alex Smith.  The Niners traded away QB Shaun Hill to the Lions for a 7th round pick in this weekend’s NFL Draft.  OLB Travis LaBoy was just signed yesterday and he will provide pass rushing ability if he can just stay healthy in 2010.

The 49ers have signed 28-year old OLB Travis LaBoy to a 1-year, $1.6 million dollar deal.  He missed all of last season due to serious ankle surgery.  LaBoy last played in 2008 with the Arizona Cardinals.  He has played in 67 games in his NFL career in which he has 136 tackles, has defensed 6 passes, he has 23.5 sacks, forced 6 fumbles and he has 1 interception.  The 49ers obviously are looking at LaBoy as a pass rusher which is an area they need help in so I like this signing for them.

The 49ers have acquired 25-year old WR/KR Ted Ginn from the Dolphins for a 5th round pick in the NFL Draft next weekend.  Ginn played in all 16 games for the Dolphins last season in which he caught 38 passes for 454 yards (11.9 avg) with 1 TD grab and he also carried the ball 7 times for 48 yards (6.9 ypc).  Ginn also returned 52 kickoffs for 1,296 yards (24.9 avg) with 2 TD last season and he also returned 5 punts for 28 yards (5.6 avg).  Ginn has now played in 48 games in his NFL career in which he has caught 128 passes for 1,664 yards (13.0 avg) with 5 TD grabs and he also carried the ball 16 times for 124 yards (7.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Ginn has now returned 147 kickoffs for 3,386 yards (23.0 avg) with 2 TD returns and he also returned 36 punts for 312 yards (8.7 avg) with 1 TD return.  Ginn will upgrade both the offense and special teams for the 49ers so I like this move for them.