No. 39

Pick by Niners Nation Quentin Groves Defensive End Auburn

With the 39th overall selection in the 2008 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft, the San Francisco 49ers have selected Auburn defensive end Quentin Groves.  Fooch, leader of Niners Nation, made the selection and is here to explain the pick:

  49ers fans are delighted to see Quentin Groves sitting here in the second round.  Groves is a guy the 49ers are seriously considering in the first round in real life and if they could get him AND an offensive tackle, the first two rounds can be considered a complete success.  Cherilus helped address the offensive line issue, while Groves should benefit the 49ers pass rush struggles.  Groves played defensive end at Auburn, but due to lack of size, he fits in perfectly as a 3-4 outside linebacker.  While  For the 49ers, he is considered a significantly better than my boy Jay Moore.  The addition of Groves will allow the 49ers to have Tully Banta-Cain come off the bench, an area where he excelled while with the Patriots, creating greater depth in the pass rush.  The 49ers might need help at the Ted position, but they'd be much more secure at the outside linebacker spot with this pick.

We've considered a variety of options at this spot.  Matt Miller would love to see us take Jerod Mayo, who is certainly an intriguing option.  Red Bryant is a nose tackle option and there are plenty of wide receiver options.  They could even consider another offensive lineman, but I'd expect only one of the two picks to go towards the O-Line.  My preference is to grab a pass rusher with one of these picks and this fits perfectly.
 
Matt Miller, host of this site as well as owner of New Era Scouting, provides his analysis below:

Another very good value pick for San Francisco, but my feelings are hurt. Like Fooch said, drafting Jerod Mayo, a wide receiver or a nose tackle would have been another option. Groves has the ability to become a true rush-linebacker for the 49ers. Manny Lawson looked good in his rookie season, but he's coming off an injury and may not be ready to roll day one. Jay Moore is expected to move inside and start next to Patrick Willis, creating a hole on the outside.

Grade: B  ::  Quentin Groves Scouting Report - New Era Scouting :: Matt Miller's Top Five Prospects Remaining: 1.  LB Jerod Mayo, 2.  LB Shawn Crable, 3.  RB Jamaal Charles, 4.  WR Earl Bennett, 5.  TE Fred Davis

The New Orleans Saints are on the clock, and unlike the first round, we actually have a Saints blogger to make the selection!  Saintsational has taken over operations of Canal Street Chronicles, and we're excited to see who he'll pick as the Saints' #40 overall selection.