2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft: Pick No. 17

Rd. # Player Pos. College 1 17 Jimmy Clausen QB Notre Dame General Manager: JCruize

With the 17th pick of the 2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the San Francisco 49ers select Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen.

Here is JCruize's reasoning for the pick:

First off, I highly doubt that Jimmy will be here in the real NFL Draft. That is why this pick was a very difficult one for me. The popular pick would be either DE/OLB Brandon Graham or CB Kyle Wilson. But then I started to look at the stats. The 49ers were 4th in the league in the points allowed category, tied for 3rd for total sacks, 6th in rushing yards allowed, and tied for 11th in interceptions. Even though the 49ers' secondary is getting old and had its share of injuries, those concerns can be addressed later in the draft. The biggest stat that stuck out was passing yards per game - 22nd in the league, right behind the Lions.

Yes, I know that Alex Smith did have a resurrection of a season in 2009, but he still only had a quarterback rating of 81.5. That put Alex 19th in the league. He was 24th in the NFL with 2350 passing yards, and his 18 passing touchdowns put him 19th in the league. Even as good of a season as he had in comparison to his his past years, Alex was still below average.

Continued after the jump...

Jimmy Clausen is a 6'3", 222 lbs. quarterback from Notre Dame. Clausen has not gotten as much pre-draft hype as Bradford, but you can't argue with his numbers: 68% completion rate, 28 touchdowns passes, and just 4 interceptions, all without nearly the supporting cast Bradford had at OU. Jimmy has good size and adequate bulk for the NFL and very good arm strength. He can fit the ball into tight spaces, has great accuracy, and gets rid of the ball quickly. He has a very high football IQ, spends hours in the film room, does not force the ball, and takes what the defense gives him. Jimmy has spent 3 years in a west coast offense very similar to the one Jimmy Raye (offensive coordinator of the 49ers) uses. With Alex Smith having only one more year left on his contract, this is a perfect fit for Clausen. Sit for a year behind Smith and take over in 2011.

Like I said earlier, this was basically a pick I could not pass on. In no way was Clausen a target to be drafted, but he is a great talent. And you just don't pass on talent. Drafting Bulaga at 13 and Crabtree last season, the offensive future looks pretty good for the 49ers.

Check out the 2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.