Seahawks will have to gameplan for James
With the 29th pick in the 2nd round (61st pick overall) the 49ers took a chance and drafted the ultra-talented RB LaMichael James from Oregon.
James was projected to go in the late 2nd or the 3rd round so while it was no surprise he was taken where he was it was a little surprising that the 49ers took him, which I will touch on.
Five reasons the 49ers will love LaMichael James.
1. You can never have too much of a good thing
It was a little surprising the 49ers used their 2nd round pick on a RB, which was James, since the team already has All Pro RB Frank Gore, talented 2nd year player Kendall Hunter, and they signed the bruising back of Brandon Jacobs.
Still, like the saying goes you can never have too much of a good thing and this is especially the case in the RB position in the NFL since there are so many injuries at the position.
2. He will be a Darren Sproles type player
While James will not be the featured back he will get his chances and he will be used like another undersized RB in the stellar Sproles.
James seems to be a good fit for San Fran
At Oregon James showed he can catch passes out of the backfield and he is great on screen plays. James is an electrifying player that can take it to the house every time he touches the ball.
3. He will flourish behind the solid 49ers’ offensive line
James seems to be a good fit for San Fran, as one of his strengths as a runner is using his blockers and the o-line and the 49ers have one of the best young offensive lines in the league that know how to run block.
This is great for James, who is very patient behind the line waiting for his time to explode.
4. He will be solid in 3rd and short and goal line situations
James packs a punch and even though he is a tad undersized he has the speed and moves that will be fantastic on short yardage situations, especially on 3rd and short and near the goal line.
Also, he will be utilized in these areas both running the ball and catching passes out of the backfield.
5. Has the tools for the kick return game
James has all the tools to be a great punt returner and kickoff returner and 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh stated James would be great at doing that, but needs some good “NFL Special teams coaching”.
With James and other return star Ted Ginn teams will have to game plan for two explosive players in the return game.
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