Oh my God...

Is this for real? If so, let the Mike Nolan/Scot McCloughan worshipping begin. The 49ers are primed to write a bright new chapter in their history books.

Simply put, we are set at WR. Andre Johnson sure is gonna look dope in 49er red and gold.

Inside sources from within the Houston Texans organization say the team is finalizing a deal to send fifth year wide receiver Andre Johnson to the San Francisco 49ers. In exchange for Johnson, the Texans will receive a number of draft picks including San Francisco's second, one of their thirds and an undisclosed 2008 early round selection. The Texans will also receive fifth year wide receiver Arnaz Battle in the deal. Battle, a converted quarterback from Notre Dame, had 59 catches for 686 yards and 3 touchdowns last season.

Rest of the article is here. If this deal falls through...I'm not even going to think about that.

NFL Mock Drafts

I love mock drafts...always good reads that help you gauge what the consensus is on player evals, team needs, etc. I know, I know...like all mock drafts (regardless of the sport), they end up being pretty inaccurate come draft day but they're still fun to pore over.

Here are a few of the ones I'm looking at for the upcoming NFL Draft -

1. Yahoo Sports (updated 3/7) - John Murphy comes through with a well-researched and informative mock here. He has us taking DE Adam Carriker out of Nebraska which seems about right. NFL.com's* comprehensive prospect profile on him compares him favorably to Richard Seymour. Plus, at 6-6, 292, he's built like a monster. And on closer inspection of his picture, he kinda looks like one too. Or a prospective WWE wrestler at the very least...
2. Scott Wright's Draft Countdown (updated 2/15) - This one's pretty insightful as well (covering up to the 2nd Round), except that it hasn't been touched in almost a month! Come on Scott! Quench our Mock Draft thirst!!! Incidentally, he was the first draft "guru" to list us as taking Carriker.
   
3. War Room Report (updated 3/1) - I have to hand it to Rob Tribbett. He's the only guy around that has us reaching and picking LB Patrick Willis from Ole Miss (check out NFL.com's profile on him here), comparing him to another quick LB who thrived under Nolan's tutelage - Ray Lewis.

I know I've missed some great ones out there. Give me a holler and fill me in on those, please!

And before I go, I want to give Hailredskins.com a shoutout. They supposedly have "The Web's Largest 2007 Mock Draft Database"...and just taking a glance at their looooong list of drafts (conveniently organized based on date updated), I might have to agree.

*Speaking of NFL.com's prospect coverage...shit is insane. So much info...maybe too much? Some profiles are so long, they look like thesis papers. Anyways, I'm not complaining. 99% of other sites out there charge some B.S. membership fee to see the same info. So, more power to the NFL.

***Update 3/10***

Don Banks from SI.com just updated his Mock yesterday. He has an interesting take w/ QB Brady Quinn* going to the Lions at #2 but seems absolutely clueless w/ the 49ers defensive scheme and has us taking DT Amobi Okoye again (his previous mock also had us taking him). Check out his analysis:

The 49ers signed ex-Raven nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin in free agency, but Okoye would upgrade the 49ers other tackle slot, and his potential is too great to pass on. Only 19, his stock continued to rise at the combine. Mississippi middle linebacker Patrick Willis is another intriguing option for San Francisco.

The "other tackle slot"? What the? Banks should do his research...3-4 defenses only have one tackle. And on the following pick, he lists Willis as a CB. Get it together, man!

*An aside on Quinn: Dude is straight-up strong. He benched 225 lbs. 21 times. Yup, you read that right. 21 times. Guards and tackles average around that number in the Combine. In fact, the #1 rated Tackle Joe Thomas (who goes 6-8, 315) benched 225 28 times (only 7 more than Quinn!). Either Thomas is weak for his position or Quinn is a freak.

His other athletic stats will have you believing he's the latter: 4.72 in the 40-yard dash, 345-pound bench press, 475-pound squat and a 37½-inch vertical jump (I'm guessing he can dunk w/ ease)...

Strange Names of the 2007 NFL Draft

I hope to start this as a tradition before every year's NFL draft. Please feel free to let me know if I've missed any gems!

Thanks goes out to NFL.com's comprehensive draft profiles.

I've included little notes after each prospect that I found interesting.

1. DE Ikaika Alama-Francis 6-5, 290 (Hawaii) - "He did not play football in high school despite the fact that his father, Joe Francis, was a backup quarterback for the Green Bay Packers."

2. DT Quinn Pitcock 6-3, 301 (Ohio State) - His first listed 'positive' is a "thick, powerful frame.' Umm...ok...who writes these things? Has a brother named Jafe(?). Doesn't Jafe sound like a botched Legend of Zelda character or something?

3. SS Sabby Piscitelli 6-3, 224 (Oregon State) -

Piscitelli and prep teammate tailback Yvenson Bernard ended up in Corvallis when OSU Associate Athletic Director Bob Clifford learned of Piscitelli not accepting a scholarship offer from any college through his son. Clifford's son played with Piscitelli and Bernard at Boca Raton High School. Clifford, a native of Florida, was cooking hot dogs for the school's booster club at home games while working at Florida Atlantic University.

Huh?!?!? This paragraph sounds like an LSAT question. Especially with that irrelevant last sentence thrown in. Hot dogs? What???

I wish Yvenson Bernard were a draft prospect so I could include him in this.

Possesses a V-shaped torso with a well-defined upper body, good bubble, developed calves and good chest thickness … Has the loose hips and sudden burst to close on the ball in a hurry and shows good body control in transition

Ummmm...borderline too much info there, buddy. And what's a bubble? Do I really want to know?

Jesus, Sabby's draft profile is long! I mean, check out his listed 'Positives.' It's like a short story. If I were a GM and read this dude's writeup, I'd take this guy with my first pick.

Hey...it's all about the "V-shaped torsos!"

4. C/G Samson Satele 6-2, 311 (Hawaii) - Has a cousin named Hercules. Seriously.

5. WR Chansi Stuckey 5-10, 185 (Clemson) - Chansi? As in Chauncey Billups?

49ers ramblings

Don Banks from SI.com has us taking DT Amobi Okoye w/ our first round pick (11th overall) in his latest mock (2/16). I have to agree - he does seem like a very intriguing prospect. He's got youth (he's only 19), ability, character (from what I heard on a KNBR interview, he's mature beyond his years and very personable) and smarts (again, he's graduating college at age 19).

My only concern is his fit in Nolan's defensive scheme. It's well-known that he wants to run the 3-4 since he saw success w/ it from his Ravens days. I mean, he even hired Greg Manusky from the Chargers to be D-Coordinator because of his experience running it. Anyways, Okoye's measurements (6-1, 315) aren't those of a typical nose tackle in the 3-4. From what I know, you need a strong, stout-ass dude to take on a double team from the O-line (the ideal guy would be Haloti Ngata of the Ravens who goes 6-4, 340). In a 3-4, the DT and two DE's main purpose would be to 'occupy' the blockers rather than straight pass rush, leaving the linebackers to do their thing.

But who knows...the 9ers may be forced to run the 4-3 until the 'ideal' nose tackle is found. Nolan won't force the change and will set up the D to our strengths. So maybe Okoye will be the best fit. This much is certain: Nolan and McCloughan will take the best football player available regardless of need to shore up our young talent.