San Francisco 49ers NFL Draft WarRoom

by Jon Dove on Jun 28, 2011 10:40 AM EDT

Mocking the Draft wants to introduce you to an new article series taking a closer look at each team's draft workings. The WarRoom articles will give you a glimpse at the recent draft history and the decision-making structure of each NFL team. We will also include our thoughts about the structure and draft history.

Offensive Scheme: New coach Jim Harbaugh is bringing his west coast offense to San Francisco. He likes to feature a heavy running attack with play action. Harbaugh has earned a lot of respect for his work with young quarterbacks and he figures to be busy in San Francisco. Look for both Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick to receive a lot of attention from their head coach.

Frank Gore, Anthony Dixon, and Kendall Hunter also figure to be heavily featured in the 49er's offense. Harbaugh is going to lean on his strong running back corps and massive offensive line. This offensive unit has a lot of talent but it is up to Harbaugh to figure out a way to make it all work. Ultimately it will come down to Harbaugh's ability develop a starting quarterback capable of winning football games. It appears likely that the job will be Alex Smith's to loose but his past doesn't have many hopeful for success.

Defensive Scheme: The 49ers will be running a 3-4 defensive scheme that new coach Vic Fangio will employ. He comes to San Francisco with Harbaugh from Stanford. This unit has a ton of talented young athletes that give the defense a lot of potential. However, they need to find a way to generate a consistent pass rush which will fall solely on the shoulders of Fangio.

Draft Thoughts: Harbaugh is taking over a team that has added a lot of talent though the draft. Last season they went with two smart but unsexy offensive linemen selections. Those selections will no doubt play a major roll in Harbaugh's run heavy offensive attack.

Their 2012 draft had a few risky picks with Aldon Smith and Colin Kaepernick both needing time to develop. These two selections will be heavily counted on to be a factor in the teams development. Smith is going to be asked to create pressure off the edge, something the defense really needs. For now, Kaepernick is being groomed as the quarterback of the future and if he falters the franchise could struggle to take that next step forward.