With the 30th pick the 49ers select...

Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford. Fleener is 6'6" tall and 245 lbs. If ever there was a Jimmy Graham clone Fleener is it. The reason Baalke, Harbaugh, and Roman will go with Fleener over the other WR's available at pick#30 is plain and simple. The 49ers utilize TE's like no other team in the NFL. Harbaugh always had a catalog of TE's on his Stanford squads. With a TE like Fleener the 49ers can be more expansive in their play-calls, and unlike most rookies, he won't need to learn a new play-book, making him the most NFL ready TE coming into the draft if he goes to the 49ers...there won't be any learning curve. Fleener runs the 40 yard dash somewhere in the 4.7's so he doesn't have the burner speed that Davis has, but he does have the height (as shown above) to go over most NFL LB's, CB's, and S's. The guy is also the Mackey Award winner, given to the nations best TE, and an All-American. Given Fleener's credentials and pedigree he offers the best option over the WR's that would be available at the #30 pick in the draft.

Over the past two seasons Fleener has caught 17 TD's (see stats below) and has an excellent average yards per reception. Being 6'6" gives the 49ers that viable height advantage for converting 3rd downs into 1st downs and in-completions into TD's down in the red-zone. Drafting Fleener eliminates having to reach on an iffy WR prospect that the offense may never fully utilize.

SEASON	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
2011	34	667	19.6	62	10
2010	28	434	15.5	58	7

Fleener makes the 49ers more versatile because he is such a good pass and run blocker. At Stanford they would even line him up out in the slot from time to time, which allows the 49ers to play sneaky and run in trips formation or a 3 "WR" set, with draw plays or even sprint out runs.

Given he's a Stanford guy he's got smarts. I know it's been a long time, but he reminds me of a taller, faster, better version of Eric Johnson. I know it's not the greatest reference but Eric Johnson was a Yale alum (smart) and he also wore #82. This pick makes the most sense since the level of play from the TE position dropped off considerably once Delanie Walker went down with an injury. The 49ers got lucky they made it most of the year with healthy TE's. Adding Fleener is like adding a hybrid WR/TE/OL, so the 49ers will get the benefit of having all three in one. That is value, 3 for the price of 1 with your 1st round pick! The other important thing to note is that Harbaugh recruited Fleener, making the draft crush quite obvious. Not to mention the added bonus of Fleener already knowing Harbaugh and Roman's offensive system. Who cares if some draft pundits say this is a reach...they said the same thing about Aldon Smith and look how that turned out.

Fleener is ranked as the 2nd best TE in the draft by many of the draft 'experts' and the #37 overall best player according to NFL Draft Scout rankings, so there is a chance he could last to the #30 pick. Look for Fleener to be wearing #82 in red and gold next year and the 49ers anemic offense to finally start to churn out the big numbers that are so desperately needed to get to the Super Bowl.

5280 Week/end

So it's that time of year again...that time of year that Denver has 5280 restaurant week! It's always an exciting time when Denver has this deal. It allows us all to go out and enjoy a really nice dinner for a fraction of the cost of what a couple would normally pay for a great meal. It also means that you've got a date night both of you will enjoy. Friday night Colleen and I kept it pretty low key. It had already been a whirlwind week with co-workers being out and having to cover for them.

Colleen also had an interview with my company on Tuesday, but it didn't go very well. The hiring manager said she was under-qualified for the position, which is bogus since she is extremely intelligent and very driven. She is one of the hardest workers I know of and would have been an excellent hire. Alas, it is too bad that way too many hiring managers have a closed mind and only a certain select few meet their antiquated qualifications.

On Wednesday, Colleen and I met up with my parents and my Uncle Matt at their house in Wash Park. I hadn't seen my Uncle Matt in what seems like a decade, although I'm sure it was more like 7 or 8 years, but still it had been a long time. He was jovial and out-spoken and it was good to finally introduce him to Colleen and tell him that we are expecting our first baby in August. He gave me all sorts of hilarious fatherly advice about what to expect during the pregnancy...all of which was supposed to scare me about the whole process! My Uncle Scott and Aunt Nikki also showed up at the house and then we reconvened at Racine's for a late dinner. It was funny to see my Uncle's interact (since they are brothers) at dinner. They are quite the pair when they are together, laughing and making jokes, all of which were inside jokes. The stranger part is that my Dad and Uncle Scott are much closer in age and yet my Dad was the outsider, at least that's how it seemed to me.

On Thursday, we all went up to Genesee, which is just outside Golden, CO and is off I-70 and basically at the foothills and on your way up to go skiing. It was cold and there was plenty of snow on the ground since it had snowed during the day. We all met up for dinner at the Chart House which over-looks Denver; it was a gorgeous view from our table. We all met up at the Chart House for two reasons. 1st it was my Uncle Scott's 58th birthday, and my cousin Sam and his wife Karen were coming into town. I had never met Sam's wife Karen and hadn't seen Sam since our cousin Brian's wedding, which was in 2004 or 2005. It was really nice seeing him and meeting his wife. It was also nice for Colleen and I since we actually had someone our own age to talk to. We also shared a lot in common regarding our love of our dogs. They have three to our two. So we exchanged many stories and photos over dinner. It was a great meal! I had the prime rib and shrimp and Colleen had the Mahi Mahi.

Friday Colleen and I stayed in and had a mellow night. We watched Pirates of the Carribean The Curse of the Black Pearl and three or four episodes of House and went to bed early. It was nice to have a low-key night since the last two we went out and socialized. Saturday we got up at 10am, grabbed some breakfast at The Bagel Deli and brought the dogs over to my parents house so we could walk Wash Park. Coll stayed behind with my Mom and my Dad and I walked the park with Rory and Lilly. That night we went out to The Perfect Landing for our 5280 dinner and had a great date night. Coll had the scallops and I had the surf and turf. The $52.80 dinner was 4-course meal that started with a crab-meat cocktail, followed by a clam chowder and house salad, followed by our entrees, and then this decadent chocolate dessert that you can see Colleen and I enjoyed.