2013 BRB Mock Draft: With The Thirty-First Overall Pick, The San Francisco 49ers Select...

I'm sure if Tim wrote this entry, he would use the introductory paragraph to talk about the untrusting nature of the duality of fan or perhaps bring up the notion that October 6th, 2013 will be a difficult day for me. Maybe he'd pepper in a Jim Drunkenmiller joke, because a name like Drunkenmiller (a) deserves to be remembered and (b) is pretty funny.

Now that I've gone ahead and shown respect for the man who allows me to babble on aimlessly, let's talk about the defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers.

General manager Trent Baalke deserves a lot of credit for continuing to build a talented roster and keeping the key talent together while not destroying the long-term salary cap situation. Not only that, but he has amassed a significant number of draft picks, 13 to be exact, to completely reload and build depth to keep the franchise rolling. Still, 13 picks for a loaded roster is more than can make the squad. I imagine that Baalke will move up and/or move into the 2014 NFL Draft. No war room will be as fun to watch as this one given the number of moves they can make.

In this draft, if I were allowed, I would've moved up into the teens to have my pick of defensive line or secondary talent. The 49ers would be wise to draft a back-up, and eventual successor to groom, for Justin Smith. With Ricky Jean-Francois' departure, the 49ers could use another body or two in the defensive line rotation. If Star Lotulelei is sliding down past 10, I can see the 49ers taking a swing at him. At 31, though, I'm not too fond of any defensive line talent to tab as a first round guy, especially when I would be right on the board again at 34.

A cornerback, like Boise State's Jamar Taylor, makes sense, especially when you watch a Super Bowl replay and see Chris Culliver flopping and flailing about, embarrassing himself. Heck, Culliver embarrassed himself that entire week, but that's neither here nor there except to let me rant about how much fast Culliver's star fell in a lot of 49er faithful eyes. That said...

With the 31st pick in the 2013 BRB Mock Draft, the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers select Matt Elam (S--Florida).

The 49ers let free safety Dashon Goldson walk to the greener pastures of Tampa simply because they didn't want to give him a crazy amount of money. Goldson was good, but he was a bit reckless and seemed to take too many chances, occasionally blowing over-the-top coverage. Elam ought to fill Goldson's playmaking shoes comfortably.

Elam had 76 tackles, four interceptions, two sacks, nine tackles for a loss, a forced fumble, and five passes broken up at Florida this past year. That's the stat sheet of someone who can be used in a lot of ways for a strong 49er defense, especially with his 4.5 speed. Elam's versatility could lead to him blitzing while Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman man the middle, vice versa, or allow Willis and Bowman to play more downhill since Elam's a much more competent run defender than Goldson. Elam shores up a vacant starting spot and can keep the 49er machine moving smoothly towards another shot at a championship. Even though the 49ers could wait to take him in a few picks, they opt to take him now and not take any unnecessary risks.

Cougfan and the, ugh, defending Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens are on the clock for the final pick in the 2013 BRB Mock Draft. His pick is due to Tim no later than 7 p.m. CDT.

Recapping...

1. Kansas City Chiefs--Luke Joeckel (OT--Texas A&M)
2. Jacksonville Jaguars--Eric Fisher (OT--Central Michigan)
3. Oakland Raiders--Sharrif Floyd (DT--Florida)
4. Philadelphia Eagles--Dee Milliner (CB--Alabama)
5. Detroit Lions--Jarvis Jones (LB--Georgia)
6. Cleveland Browns--Keenan Allen (WR--Cal)
7. Arizona Cardinals--Chance Warmack (OG--Alabama)
8. Buffalo Bills--Geno Smith (QB--West Virginia)
9. New York Jets--Dion Jordan (DE/OLB--Oregon)
10. Tennessee Titans--Ezekial Ansah (DE--BYU)
11. San Diego Chargers--Lane Johnson (OT--Oklahoma)
12. Miami Dolphins--Barkevious Mingo (DE/OLB--LSU)
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers--Tavon Austin (WR--West Virginia)
14. Carolina Panthers--Star Lotulelei (DT--Utah)
15. New Orleans Saints--Sheldon Richardson (DT--Missouri)
16. St. Louis Rams--DeAndre Hopkins (WR--Clemson)
17. Pittsburgh Steelers--Cordarrelle Patterson (WR--Tennessee)
18. Dallas Cowboys--Jonathan Cooper (G--North Carolina)
19. New York Giants--Bjoern Wagner (DE--Florida State)
20. Chicago Bears--Tyler Eifert (TE--Notre Dame)
21. Cincinnati Bengals--Kenny Vaccaro (S--Texas)
22. St. Louis Rams--Jonathan Cyprien (S--Florida International)
23. Minnesota Vikings--Arthur Brown (ILB--Kansas State)
24. Indianapolis Colts--Xavier Rhodes (CB--Florida State)
25. Minnesota Vikings--Jesse Williams (DT--Alabama)
26. Green Bay Packers--Tank Carradine (DE--Florida State)
27. Houston Texans--Datone Jones (DE--UCLA)
28. Denver Broncos--Desmond Trufant (CB--Washington State)
29. New England Patriots--D.J. Hayden (CB--Houston)
30. Atlanta Falcons--Jordan Reed (TE--Florida)
31. San Francisco 49ers--Matt Elam (S--Florida)

32. Baltimore Ravens--Cougfan