2011 NFL Mock Draft: San Francisco 49ers Claim Patrick Peterson at No. 7

Patrick Peterson Should Probably Go Higher Than No. 7, but the 49ers Won't Hesitate if He's There for the Taking

It was obvious after the Combine who the best overall athlete in this year's draft class is: LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson. At an even 6'0" and upwards of 210 pounds, he's got the size of a safety, but his 4.34 40-yard dash showed that he has elite speed too. Thus, any GM looking to draft a cornerback in late April goes to sleep thinking about Peterson.

Well, that's kind of awkward. But it's probably true, so I'm going to leave it.

In any case, one of the teams looking for a boost at corner is the San Francisco 49ers, who are keepers of the No. 7 overall pick. Because Peterson is good enough to go No. 1 overall, they're probably thinking they don't have much of a prayer in landing him. But because the six teams picking ahead of them have bigger needs to fill than cornerback, it is entirely conceivable that Peterson, through no fault of his own, could fall to the 49ers.

If he does, it will be a no-brainer.

1. Carolina Panthers: Marcell Dareus, DT
2. Denver Broncos: Da'Quan Bowers
3. Buffalo Bills: Nick Fairley, DT
4. Cincinnati Bengals: Robert Quinn, DE
17. New England Patriots: Cameron Jordan, DE
18. San Diego Chargers: Muhammad Wilkerson, DE
19. New York Giants: Nate Solder, OT
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ryan Kerrigan, DE
5. Arizona Cardinals: Von Miller, OLB
6. Cleveland Browns: A.J. Green, WR
7. San Francisco 49ers: Patrick Peterson, CB
8. Tennessee Titans: Blaine Gabbert, QB
21. Kansas City Chiefs: Aldon Smith, DE/OLB
22. Indianapolis Colts: Corey Liuget, DT
23. Philadelphia Eagles: Anthony Castonzo, OT
24. New Orleans Saints: Akeem Ayers, OLB
9. Dallas Cowboys: Prince Amukamara, CB
10. Washington Redskins: Cam Newton, QB
11. Houston Texans: Jimmy Smith, CB
12. Minnesota Vikings: Mike Pouncey, OG
25. Seattle Seahawks: Jake Locker, QB
26. Baltimore Ravens: Gabe Carimi, OT
27. Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Rudolph, TE
28. New England Patriots: Shane Vereen, RB
13. Detroit Lions: Tyron Smith, USC
14. St. Louis Rams: Julio Jones, WR
15. Miami Dolphins: Mark Ingram, RB
16. Jacksonville Jaguars: J.J. Watt, DE
29. Chicago Bears: Derek Sherrod, OT
30. New York Jets: Jonathan Baldwin, WR
31. Pittsburgh Steelers: Danny Watkins, OG
32. Green Bay Packers: Justin Houston, OLB


2011 NFL Mock Draft: San Francisco 49ers Claim Patrick Peterson at No. 7

Most recent updates:

2011 NFL Mock Draft: Carolina Panthers Select Marcell Dareus No. 1 Overall
2011 NFL Mock Draft: Denver Broncos Take Da'Quan Bowers Second Overall
2011 NFL Mock Draft: Buffalo Bills Go for Nick Fairley at No. 3
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