11. San Francisco- Patrick Willis, LB, Ole Miss
With the #11 pick the 49ers decided to go with a player that was arguably the best player available while also filling a need. That player would be Patrick Willis, Linebacker from Ole Miss. Willis will be inserted into the new 3-4 scheme being implemented by Mike Nolan in 2007. Coach Nolan got a close up preview of Willis at the Senior Bowl as the coach of the South, and Willis did not disappoint.
Patrick was selected as the South's Defensive Player of the Game leading both teams with 11 tackles.
Willis was a tackling machine in college with 265 tackles over his last 22 games, with 21 recorded for a loss. He was selected as the Butkus Award winner in 2006 as the top collegiate linebacker and is a two-time All-American. Even though some have questioned his raw speed, they cannot question his tackling ability and solid character.
Others that were considered (A. Carriker, L. Brown, T. Ginn).
Drafter- RME JICO
On the clock- Buffalo Bills (BG)
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Pick | Team | Player | Pos. | College | ||
1 | Oakland Raiders | JaMarcus Russell | QB | LSU | ||
2 | Detroit Lions | Joe Thomas | OT | Wisconsin | ||
3 | Cleveland Browns | Calvin Johnson | WR | Georgia Tech | ||
4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Gaines Adams | DE | Clemson | ||
5 | Arizona Cardinals | Alan Branch | dT | Michigan | ||
6 | Washington Redskins | Jamaal Anderson | DE | Arkansas | ||
7 | Minnesota Vikings | Brady Quinn | QB | Notre Dame | ||
8 | Atlanta Falcons | LaRon Landry | S | LSU | ||
9 | Miami Dolphins | Amobi Okoye | DT | Louisville | ||
10 | Houston Texans | Adrian Peterson | RB | Oklahoma | ||
11 | San Francisco | Patrick Willis | LB | Ole Miss |