SF 49ers

San Francisco 49ers

A Look at Vernon Davis the Playmaker

While most media pundits have spent their bulk of their time outlining the various physical characteristics that make Vernon Davis a blue chip prospect, very little attention has been paid to the on-field production, at the college level, that makes him worthy of being a top 10 pick. Obviously, that's easy to do, because as a member of the 5-6 Maryland Terrapins Davis did not have a lot of chances to shine in the national spotlight.

Well for the record, the San Francisco 49ers ' top draft pick posted four 100-yard performances last year, topping out at 158 yards and a touchdown on just five receptions during a 31-19 loss against West Virginia. Of course, it helps when one of your five grabs goes 73 yards to the house. He also torched ACC rivals Clemson, West Virginia, and NC State to the tune of 140, 139, and 108 yards respectively, grabbing a touchdown pass in each contest.

Davis' ypc average of 17.1was almost three yards better than the next best guy on the team, WR Danny Melendez. In addition, his touchdown total of six nearly equaled the total posted by the team's top three wide receivers. And don't think that this was a case of the receivers or quarterback not being good, because QB Sam Hollenbach and company were potent enough as a unit to rank 31st in the nation in passing yardage. It was more like Davis was just that much better than everyone else around him, and therefore became the focal point of the offense.

Pretty rare for a college tight end, but then again, how many tight ends do you know that get rushing attempts during a season (Davis recorded one carry for seven yards).

So while most will point to his outlandish 40 time or his legendary weightlifting sessions, it is his on-field performance at the college level that is perhaps the best indicator of what he will do at the pro level. Luckily for the San Francisco 49ers , Davis left little doubt as to his caliber of play during his time on the college gridiron.

by: 49blog at 20:40 | link | comments (1)

49ers Pick Mules' Walker in 6th Round

Central Missouri State wide receiver and return specialist Delanie Walker is getting a shot at the NFL. Walker was selected by San Francisco in the sixth round (175th pick overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft Sunday.

The Pomona, Calif. native was named First Team All-MIAA after setting a Central Missouri State record with 61 receptions for 724 yards and six touchdowns in 2005. He ranked among the league leaders in receptions, receiving yards, all-purpose yards, and kickoff returns.

Walker also had 16 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown and returned three punts 47 yards for a team leading 1,257 all-purpose yards.

Walker became the first CMSU player to record 10 or more receptions in a game when he hauled in 12 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown at Southwest Baptist. Two weeks later, he had 10 receptions for 120 yards and a TD at Northwest Missouri State.

Walker ranks sixth in school history in receptions (109) and ninth in all-purpose yards (2,578).

The 49ers used their first of two sixth round picks to draft the 6-2, 241-pound Walker. While Walker is the only player from the Mules to be selected in this year's draft, he will join Mules' alumni Todd Devoe (WR, Denver Broncos) and Roderick Green (DE, Baltimore Ravens) in the NFL.

Walker is the second highest draft pick in CMSU history (Green, 5th round in 2003).

 

by: 49blog at 16:55 | link | comments