Since the Atlanta Falcons don't have a first round pick this year, our only regional stake in SBNation.com's excellent weekly 2012 mock drafts has been tracking where Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Cordy Glenn winds up. In this week's mock draft, however, the Peach Stater gets another item of specific local interest.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets wide receiver Stephen Hill, who stunned many by declaring for the draft after a college career that didn't bowl anybody over, is riding high after running two 4.3 40-yard dashes at the NFL Combine. So high that David Fucillo has him going No. 30 to the San Francisco 49ers:
The 49ers have some issues at wide receiver, based on both the struggles in the NFC Championship Game and the fact that they only have three under contract once free agency starts. They will be drafting a wide receiver at some point, and if they do go with a first round pick, a guy like Stephen Hill could be a pivotal playmaker for this developing passing attack. He only 28 receptions this past year, but he averaged nearly 30 yards per catch. The 49ers could use something like that.
(Insider info: Fucillo is a Niners fan. This would look quite different if he were sticking the, say, Raiders with Hill.)
I still worry that Hill is going to end up being considered a workout warrior. His Combine numbers were terrific, and he looked good in drills, but he didn't have the college production Demaryius Thomas had, and that's with Thomas catching less-accurate passes. But if Hill can prove he has NFL-worthy hands, he could be a steal and show he was right all along.
For more on Jackets football, visit Georgia Tech blog From The Rumble Seat, plus SB Nation Atlanta.
For more on UGA football, visit Georgia blog Dawg Sports, plus SEC blog Team Speed Kills and SB Nation Atlanta.