BTB Community Mock: Pick #7, The San Francisco 49ers Select...

We're back at the BTB Community Mock Draft and the action is feverish to say the least. In fact, teams are so excited to be a part of this draft that San Francisco sent in a choice A and a choice B, BEFORE knowing whom Cleveland was going to select. The GM even threatened to leak the locker room video of former head coach Mike Singletary de-panting himself, if we didn't announce their picks. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and we traded a lifetime membership to the BTB Champagne Room for his patience. We can't hold him back any longer, so without further delay, here is the card from the 49ers.

Draft Pick # 7

Team Name: San Francisco 49ers

GM: Regaberto

Selection: (OLB) Von Miller,Texas A&M

Why The Pick: Purely going best player available. Von Miller is the DeMarcus Ware of this draft. No questions about it. It also fills a huge hole with the 49ers defense. Miller is a exceptional pass rusher and can do it all. His leadership and athletic ability made it an easy choice.

Follow the jump for analysis.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

HIGH PRIORITY TEAM NEEDS (lower number indicates higher priority) according to Drafttek.com:

Threat Level Red (priority 1-2): 3-4 Outside LB, 3-4 Defensive Tackle, Cornerback

Threat Level Orange (priority 3-4): Quarterback, Center, Committee Running Back, Slot Wide Receiver, Free Safety, 3-4 Defensive End

Threat Level Yellow (priority 5-6): Feature Running Back, Feature Wide Receiver, Guard, Left Tackle

Threat Level Green (priority 9): Possession Wide Receiver, Right Tackle, Strong Safety, 3-4 Middle Linebacker

Drafttek.com ranked #4 overall, #1 at the position

Wes Bunting, National Football Post: #6 Overall, #1 at the position

Impression: An explosive pass rusher who has the awareness and first step to consistently win off the snap. Definitely has the ability to be a productive pass rushing 3-4 OLB at the next level. He just needs to continue to polish his game and learn to use his hands a bit better when engaged.

CBSSports.com ranked #2 overall, #1 at the position

Scout.com ranked #9 overall, #1 at the position

Mike Mayock ranked #2 overall, #1 at the position

He's a special guy off the edge and reminds me an awful lot of DeMarcus Ware that way. However, he's not as big, so therefore won't generate quite as much power.

NFLDraftScout.com profile:

Read & React: Overall instincts for the position, particularly containment and run responsibility and reaction, are questionable since he is primarily used in a "sic 'em" role. Still getting a feel for coverage but reacts quickly when the ball is thrown to the flat. Good feel for pass rush. He sniffs out indecision in the passer and senses weakness in an offensive tackle. Knows when to go for the ball or big hit on to create turnovers.

Run defense: Improving against the run, but must be more consistent to become an elite all-around player. Plays with more strength than expected; is adequate grounding his hold on the move when engaged but does lose his balance. Willing to lower his shoulder against pulling guards to fill inside gaps. Teams take advantage of his continual edge rushing to get a running lane outside. Overruns plays with aggressive angles and a lack of focus on the ball. Crashes down on plays if he senses an inside run, but lacks the explosive punch to knock back fullback or tackle blocks. Inconsistent chaser on the back side, could increase his tackle production with more effort.

Pass defense: Could excel in this part of the game because of his fluidity and quickness, but is still raw in coverage. Mirrors running backs and tight ends off the line into the flat and downfield. Athletic enough to drop deep, keeps one eye on the running back and the other on the quarterback. Is not aware of receivers behind him. Needs to get his hands up to clog passing lanes more consistently when unable to reach the passer. Must improve his hands for the interception.

Pass Rush/Blitz: Greatest area of strength of this stand-up defensive end. Extremely quick around the corner. Gets skinny to penetrate when shooting the inside gap. Elite closing speed to the quarterback, explodes to drive them into the ground or uses his length to wrap up even the most mobile passers. Dips shoulder to get under the pads of taller tackles, shortening the pocket. Feels cut blocks and uses his hands and quickness to beat them. Good arm-over, spin and outside-in change-up moves to get his man off-balance after turning the corner on previous plays. Average strength and hand usage to free himself after initial contact. Might push man off-balance once getting him moving up the field, but too often stopped after his first move when facing opponents with good lateral movement. Capable of leveraging tackles back into the pocket, but lacks great length or bulk to take on massive NFL tackles.

accidentalinnuendo, pls email me at KDP10FOR10@gmail.com with the #8 pick.

[UPDATE] A lot of folks have been asking about trading up, that is not allowed in this exercise. In retrospect, I probably should have considered it, but didn't at the outset and it would be bad form to allow later picks to move around and not the picks already placed. Trades are already in the rules for KDP's 10 for 10 Mock Draft Contest which kicks off next Monday, April 3rd.

Reminder, no need to rush your picks to me unless you feel you'll be unavaiable 24 hours before your pick is due. The original schedule no longer holds, and instead of revising, I am just keeping to 'you'll have at least 24 hours after the previous pick to submit yours. First run on the exercise, working out the kinks. Thanks for your patience, BTB![/UPDATE]