The San Francisco 49ers made a surprising pick with the 7th choice in the first round when they nabbed 21-year old DE Aldon Smith out of Missouri.  The Niners might have picked Smith a little too high but they really like him as a pass rusher.  He played in 10 games (all starts) for Missouri last year and he had 48 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, he batted down 2 passes and he forced 1 fumble. He played in 23 games (21 starts) in his two years with the Tigers and he had 112 tackles, 29 tackles for a loss, 17 sacks, he batted down 7 passes, forced 2 fumbles and he had 1 fumble recovery.  The 49ers certainly needed a jolt in the pass rush and they expect Smith to give it to them.  He will likely have to need some bulk to stay at DE in the NFL as he is 6’5″, 255 pounds…but he’s fast as he can run a 4.6 40.

The San Francisco 49ers have a lot of needs to fill in next weekend’s NFL Draft.  I’m not so sure how successful they will be as far as filling holes goes.  Here’s who I had the 49ers taking in my mock draft:

1st round (#7 overall) – Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU

2nd round (#45 overall) – Jon Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh

3rd round (#76 overall) – Dontay Moch, OLB, Nevada

4th round (#108 overall) – Terrell McClain, DT, South Florida

4th round (#115 overall) – Chris Culliver, FS, South Carolina

5th round (#141 overall) – Greg McElroy, QB, Alabama

6th round (#174 overall) – Nathan Enderle, QB, Idaho

6th round (#190 overall) – Pat Devlin, QB, Delaware

7th round (#211 overall) – D.J. Williams, TE, Arkansas

7th round (#231 overall) – Owen Marecic, FB, Stanford

7th round (#239 overall) – Shaun Chapas, FB, Georgia

7th round (#250 overall) – Zack Pianalto, TE, North Carolina

The 49ers would get impact players in the first two rounds in Peterson and Baldwin.  They will likely miss out on the top QBs unless they trade up, and with that in mind they net three QBs to sift through.

The San Francisco 49ers did a pretty solid job in last April’s NFL Draft.  All eight of their draft picks got on the field for them in 2010, and here’s a look at how they did:

Anthony Davis:  The 49ers used the #11 overall pick (first round) on OT Anthony Davis out of Rutgers.  Davis played in 16 games (all starts) for the Niners last year.  Davis had a rough time in some games last year but he also flashed the huge upside the Niners knew he had in others.  Davis is going to be a starting tackle for a long time on the Niners.

Mike Iupati:  The Niners took OG Mike Iupati with the 17th overall pick (1st round) out of Idaho.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the 49ers last year.  Iupati played more consistent than Davis did and he also has a nice upside.  Iupati, like Davis, will be starting for the Niners’ O-Line for a long, long time.

Taylor Mays:  The 49ers picked USC strong safety Taylor Mays in the second round (#49 overall).  He played in 16 games (6 starts) for the Niners last year and he had 38 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, defensed 2 passes and he forced 1 fumble.  Mays lost his starting job due to inconsistent play but he still has a nice upside.

NaVorro Bowman:  The Niners took inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman in the 3rd round (#91 overall) out of Penn State.  Bowman played in 16 games (1 start) for the 49ers last year and he had 46 tackles and 3 tackles for a loss.  Bowman is a contibutor off the bench right now, but if he can improve, he might get a chance to start in the near future.

Anthony Dixon:  The 49ers took RB Anthony Dixon in the 6th round (#173 overall) out of Mississippi State last April.  Dixon played in 16 games (0 starts) for the 49ers last year and he carried the ball 70 times for 237 yards (3.4 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 5 passes for 11 yards (2.2 avg) last year.  Dixon looked solid at times and awful at other times.  He will need to improve his game if he wants his role to expand in 2011 or beyond.

Nate Byham:  The 49ers took TE Nate Byham out of Pittsburgh with the 182nd overall pick (6th round).  Byham played in 14 games (3 starts) for the 49ers last year and he caught 5 passes for 27 yards (5.4 avg).  Byham has the bad luck of playing on the same team that Vernon Davis does, but he could develop into a solid caddy for him.

Kyle Williams:  The Niners took WR Kyle Williams in the 6th round (#206 overall) out of Arizona State.  Williams played in 5 games (0 starts) for the 49ers last year and he caught 1 pass for 8 yards.  He also returned 4 kickoffs for 82 yards (20.5 avg) and 3 punts for 16 yards (5.3 avg) last year.  He’s got skills but he’s injury prone.

Phillip Adams:  The 49ers took CB Phillip Adams in the 7th round (#224 overall) out of South Carolina State.  He played in 15 games (0 starts) for the 49ers last year and he had 13 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  He looked pretty good before his season ended due to injury.

GRADE FOR 2010:  B

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A

23-year old rookie RB Anthony Dixon is starting to step up for the Niners.  With Frank Gore out for the season and Brian Westbrook a little long in tooth, the Niners need Dixon to finish the season strong.  He was a sixth round pick (#173 overall) out of Mississippi State last April.  He had a great pre-season but when the regular season started he found himself #3 on the depth chart.  Dixon has played in 13 games for the 49ers so far this year and he has carried the ball 47 times for 165 yards (3.5 ypc) with 2 TD carries.  Dixon has also caught 3 passes for 7 yards (2.3 ypc) so far this year.

The 49ers have picked FB/TE Jameson Konz with the 245th overall pick (7th round) of the NFL Draft.  He is a tad small for a TE at 6’3″, 222 pounds but he’s lightning fast running a 4.42 40.  Konz played D his first two years at Kent State so he is a little raw offensively.  He played in only 13 games on offense the last two years in which he caught 23 passes for 310 yards (13.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Konz could also be used as a third down back and on special teams so he probably will have a decent shot to make the team.

The 49ers have picked OLB Dexter Davis with the 236th overall pick (7th round) of the NFL Draft.  Davis is 6’1″, 244 pounds and he runs a 4.63 40.  He was a college defensive end who the Niners are going to try to move to DE.  He played in 12 games for Arizona State last season and he had 23 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, 2 batted down passes, 2 forced fumbles and 1 interception.  Davis played in 50 games in his four years with the Sun Devils in which he had 136 tackles, 45 tackles for a loss, 31 sacks, 5 batted down 5 passes, forced 10 fumbles and he had 1 interception.  If nothing else Davis can help out the special teams in 2010 for the Niners.

The 49ers have picked CB Phillip Adams out of South Carolina State with the 224th overall pick (7th round) of the NFL Draft.  Adams had 48 tackles, 3 interceptions (2 returned for a TD), 5 tackles for a loss and he broke up 11 passes.  Adams returned 17 punts for 256 yards (15.1 avg) with 2 TDs and he also returned 4 kickoffs for 61 yards (15.3 avg) in his time at South Carolina St.  Not many experts thought he would get drafted so maybe the 49ers know something that they don’t.

The 49ers have selected WR/PR Kyle Williams with the 206th overall pick (6th round) of the NFL Draft.  Williams is a tad small at 5’9″, 185 pounds but he is lightning quick running a 4.42 40.  Williams played in 11 games for the Arizona State Sun Devils last season in which he caught 57 passes for 815 yards (14.3 avg) with 8 TD grabs and he also carried the ball 5 times for 73 yards (14.6 ypc).  Williams also returned 23 punts for 229 yards (10.0 avg) last season.  Williams played in 41 games for the Sun Devils and he caught 109 passes for 1,626 yards (14.9 avg) with 18 TD grabs and he also carried the ball 11 times for 115 yards (10.5 ypc).  He also returned 74 punts for 768 yards (10.4 avg) at Arizona State and he returned 33 kickoffs for 709 yards (21.5 avg).  Williams will have a good shot of winning the punt return job for the Niners as a rookie.

The 49ers have picked TE Nate Byham with the 182nd overall pick (6th round) of the NFL Draft.  Byham is a huge TE at 6’3″, 262 pounds and he runs a 4.8 40.  Byham is more of a blocker than a receiver even in the passing game.  He played in 13 games (12 starts) at Pitt last season and he caught 10 passes for 108 yards (10.8 avg) without a TD grab.  In his four years at Pitt, Byham played in 46 games (36 starts) in which he caught 47 passes for 612 yards (13.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  With Mike Singletary wanting to run the ball more in 2010, Byham will likely get a lot of P.T. as a rookie.

The 49ers have picked RB Anthony Dixon with the 173rd overall pick (6th round) of the NFL Draft.  Dixon is a big back at 6’0″, 240 pounds and he’s fast enough running a 4.6 40.  Dixon plays to his size as he is a power back who always seems to fall forward for a extra yard.  He is also a good pass blocker when he stays in the backfield to give the QB more time.  Dixon played in 11 games (all starts) for Mississippi State last season and he carried the ball 257 times for 1,391 yards (5.4 ypc) with 12 TD runs.  He also caught 18 passes for 123 yards (6.8 avg) last season.  In his four years at Mississippi State, Dixon played in 48 games (40 starts) in which he carried the ball 910 times for 4,014 yards (4.4 ypc) with 42 TD runs.  Dixon also caught 56 passes for 449 yards (8.0 avg) with 4 TD grabs in college.  Dixon will push Glen Coffee for the right to be Frank Gore’s backup in training camp and I think he will win the job.  This was a outstanding pick for the Niners.