after the second day of the draft...

There is a word I mentioned in yesterday's blog entry: reach. I don't like it.

If you like to gamble, then you don't feel the need to ever 'reach' for a player. On the other hand, if there is a player that you like, go ahead and draft him even if there is the chance that you might be overdrafting him (overdrafting being synonymous with reaching... I think).

I was thrilled yesterday when the 49ers moved up in the 2nd round to draft who could be their quarterback of the future: Colin Kaepernick. He is one of the quarterbacks I mentioned wanting to get a couple of entries ago. And the Niners gave up some picks to get him. Some were surprised that they did so, but if he was the guy that Baalke and Harbaugh wanted, then they made sure to get him. Because it only takes one team to take a player that you want.

There has been discussion on my favorite 49ers board on whether or not it's fair to criticize a team for drafting a player before they were forecast to go. Taking Kaepernick wasn't even as big a deal as when the Niners drafted DB Chris Culliver in the third round. When draft guru Mike Mayock announced that he had Culliver slated to go in the fifth (or sixth) round, then it made the Niners look like they made a major reach. A MAJOR reach. Yet, it appears other draft boards had Culliver going anywhere in the 3rd and 4th rounds. And the 49ers took him in the 3rd round. Hey, that means they really wanted him. And they did trade for another sixth round pick while losing 4 spots before they took him.

As I mentioned not long ago, GM Trent Baalke doesn't like to gamble; if he wants someone, he makes sure to get him.

There's another phrase that is used when evaluating players: high risk-high reward. The fact is, there are only so many players that can make the final team roster. Not every player that is drafted is going to make the team, thereby bumping a veteran off the roster. Obviously, every fan wants their team to improve from year to year, but cuts will be made. And if the 49ers take a flyer on a potential star with all the tools that just need to be coached up correctly, I say, Go for it! And it appears that Culliver has all the tools.

Even though he is a rookie coach with no NFL head coaching experience, I thoroughly trust Jim Harbaugh's ability to put together a winning team with the players he is working with and the coaching staff he has put together. Naturally, it remains to be seen, but I'm excited!