And with the 29th pick....

The 49ers select Kentwan Balmer
NFL draft day is here! Many interesting things happened today, and it was kinda weird seeing that the niners weren't really moving up or at all for that matter, when 9 trades took place in the 1st round. The Niners really don't have much to trade anyways, but the only team that made less noise than the Niners, was my personal favorite, the Colts. In a record time, 3h24m to be exact, the entire 1st round of the draft was completed, and the Niners selected Kentwan Balmer a Defensive Tackle out of University of North Carolina. Here's the skinny on him: "We think this a great pick based on the 49ers' inability to stop the run. Balmer should strengthen the interior of the defense as a nose tackle and will be an upgrade over Aubrayo Franklin. Balmer has the quickest and most explosive hands in the draft. The key for him will be his ability to learn the proper technique while maintaining his pad level and learning to play in a 3-4 system. He can contribute immediately as a first- and second-down player, but doesn't have the ability to help as a pass-rusher."

2nd Round

"It's obvious the 49ers feel they need to upgrade at guard with the loss of Larry Allen in the offseason. Rachal is a mauler who needs to be in a confined area due to his athletic limitations. However, he has the size and initial quickness to wall off and position while creating inside lanes. He should be able to come in and compete with David Baas at right guard."

My take

2nd round pick, Chilo Rachal

I felt the Niners' were definitely going to go defensive here, seeing how they're relying on Mike Martz alone to resurrect their offense. After listening to many of the reporters and analysts on ESPN, I guess the take is that the WR in this year's class just isn't all that great. After all, not 1 WR was selected at all during the 1st round. I'd expect the Niners to perhaps draft a WR or two in the later rounds, but one thing is for sure. Isaac Bruce and Bryant Johnson aren't gonna cut it. I have no idea how these guys played, but I like the first pick, seeing how the departure of Bryant Young has left a void on the interior. As for the 2nd pick, I'm not sure if this was a good move. There were 7 highly touted OL that were drafted in the 1st round, yet here the Niners decide to see what falls into their lap. I thought perhaps they should have went and moved up in the draft to get one of the more coveted OL, cause I don't believe anyone was gonna draft a DT inbetween the Niners' 1st and 2nd pick.

My 49ers draft grade: B-
Then again, who knows if they didn't try to trade up and just couldn't work out a deal.