Journalists and fans alike were shocked when the San Francisco 49ers drafted A.J. Jenkins with the No. 30 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft on Thursday, but they really shouldn't be. The reason it's so shocking is because everyone was thinking in terms of Stephen Hill, Kendall Wright and Michael Floyd. When two of the three were gone, it was all about Hill out of Georgia and guys like Coby Fleener out of Stanford.
Nobody considered Jenkins of the Illinois Fighting Illini, despite the fact that he'd been previously regarded as a player who could sneak into the first round - which he did. The media and the fans get obsessed with a small group of players, ignoring everyone else with a chorus of "It's gotta be ____ because ____ is already off the board!"
And then, when the 49ers made their pick, everybody flipped out. A few journalists gave the 49ers an 'F' in grades because they believe Jenkins could have been had in the second round. Let's hold on and do a little bit of thinking here, shall we? The 49ers picked at NUMBER 30, which is two picks away from the second round, folks.
Why suggest that it suddenly would be a good pick if it was made two picks later? If he's your guy, and you're not reaching a round, then what's the problem? There isn't one, not even a little bit. San Francisco is just fine. Take a step back from your mock drafts and remember that they're effectively meaningless when it comes to the NFL. Do you realize how absurd it is to latch onto two or three different players with 29 variables in front of you?
That being said, while this writer likes the pick, it's still a bit hasty. In fact, we'll close off with CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco, who says it best:
I'd love to be able to tell you it was a good pick or it was a bad pick. But, come on, that would be silly.
It's nearly impossible to evaluate a wide receiver without having access to the all-22 coaches film that NFL teams use to evaluate prospects. And it would be ridiculous to criticize the team's first-round pick for a second year in a row.
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