Head Coach Jim Harbaugh and General Manager Trent Baalke had a very active second day of the 2011 draft, making trades to get both their second and third round picks. And while the San Francisco 49ers obviously feel quarterback Colin Kaepernick and cornerback Chris Culliver are the right men for their respective jobs, others are a bit more skeptical.
CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco gave the Niners second round trade up for Kaepernick a B+ and didn't really sway either way:
<blockquote>They need a quarterback, but this kid might take some time to get on the field. He is a bit raw. But if they hit, they might get a real steal.</blockquote>
Sean Swaby of Bleacher Report Gave the Niners a C, claiming they are filling a 'hypothetical need.'
I probably would give them somewhere in the B+/A-, range but that's just me. I'm definitely leaning more towards the 'real steal' side of Prisco's Analysis, and the 49ers need for a QB is anything but hypothetical.
As for their choice of cornerback Chris Culliver, Prisco gives the Niners a D, claiming that there were better options and a bit of a reach, while Swaby gave them a B, claiming it was a smart move to add the extra pick by trading down.
I agree that there were probably better options, but I also think that Harbaugh and Baalke are trying to stockpile the backend of the draft, hoping to strike gold. I like the strategy, and Culliver could always be better than people think.
Day three will be very intriguing to see how the 49ers decide to use their plethora of picks they have left. If they handle it anything like day two, I think everyone is in for a surprising day.