San Francisco 49ers Sleeper Prospects

As mentioned last week in my San Francisco 49ers draft prospectus, many football Web sites talk about well-known prospects, but very few profile the small-school, late-round prospects who are unknown to casual fans. In order to buck that trend, I have undertaken the task of 6 Sanchez Purple AFL50th jersey
bringing these players to the forefront, all of whom could be good fits for the 49ers. I have received several profile requests over the past few days. So many, in fact, that I cannot fit them all into one column or even two. So what I'm going to do is discuss two or three players per column from various positions up until the draft. Let's get started.1. Kevin Kolb, QB, Houston:Kolb started four seasons at Houston, passing for almost 13,000 yards and 85 touchdowns in his career. He has very good size (6-foot-3, 220 pounds), good enough arm strength, and though he is not a speed demon, he is mobile enough to make plays with his feet.Some people think he is an excellent quarterback worthy of a first-day (likely a second-round) pick. These people point out Kolb's lightning-quick release, plethora of starting experience, and excellent pocket awareness (such as sliding around the pocket to buy time -- think Tom Brady and Peyton Manning) as reasons for this.Others feel Kolb is a second-day pick, and that he is a raw product with poor mechanics and spotty accuracy. They also think the shotgun system he played in at Houston will hurt him in the pros. If you ever saw Houston play while Kolb was there, you know it was anything but a conventional pro-style offense. There were plays where Kolb took a snap from the shotgun while he was moving laterally. Yes, you read that correctly -- the center would snap the ball while moving sideways.To be honest, he reminds me a little bit of Alex Smith when the current 49er starting QB came out of Utah. They both played in offenses that have no comparison in the pros -- offenses that rely on intelligence and sound execution of the game plan more than athletic ability. Both have above-average speed for the position, but neither is going to outrun very many people. Now, obviously the Niners don't need a starting quarterback, but if Kolb is available on the second day, they could justify selecting him. After all, teams need a solid backup quarterback who can step in throughout the season if something happens to the starter; it's just smart business. 2. Courtney Taylor, WR, Auburn:There is no question that Taylor has just about all the measurables you could look for 4 Brett Favre Purple jersey
in an NFL receiver. He is nearly 6-2 and weighs 204 pounds, he's fairly quick (4.5 40-yard dash), very athletic, and he has above-average hands, but other than apparently being the inspiration for Trapjaw on the original Masters of the Universe cartoon, Taylor has never really done anything noteworthy. He played in 50 games during his career at Auburn, catching 153 passes for 2,098 yards and nine touchdowns. That's an average of just three catches for 41 yards per game and a touchdown every five and a half contests. Granted, Taylor did play behind some talented players in his time in Auburn, but it's not like any of them (Ben Obomanu, Anthony Mix and Devin Aromashodu) have succeeded in the NFL. Because of this, I have reservations about how much he could help out an NFL team. He just wasn't effective for the Tigers, and there doesn't seem to be any real reason for it. Then again, the same things were said about Willie Parker, the running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He barely played at all when he was at the University of North Carolina, but now he's one of the top backs in the league. Talent can be overlooked for a variety of reasons, and unless you're privy to the goings-on of a college football team, you may never know the true reasons. The good folks at NFLDraftCountdown have this to say, "(Taylor) was not always utilized in college and still has some upside...Clutch on third downs...Has a lot of experience."Taylor will likely be taken in the third or 43 Polamalu white jersey
fourth round by a team that needs a receiver with decent size, but I doubt he'll ever be anything more than a situational player in the league. There are several other receivers the 49ers could take who would be better players in the pros, two of whom I will talk about next time.Question? Comment?