FanHouse Kentwan Balmer

Seeing as how we're only entering week six of the NFL season, it would be a little early to start writing off members of this year's draft class as busts, or, as the case may be, hyping them up as instant stars. It takes time to evaluate these things, and a strong rookie season doesn't always lead to a long, successful career as an impact player.

Take for example Tampa Bay wide receiver Michael Clayton, who burst onto the scene with one of the best rookie seasons we've seen from the receiver position in quite some time. Since that rookie campaign, however, he's been a rather large disappointment, failing to come anywhere near the lofty numbers he put up that first year.

On the other end of the spectrum, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu hardly played during his rookie season, and when he did find himself on the field, he struggled to make any kind of impact. Frankly, he was kind of terrible that year. The following season, he blossomed into a perennial all-pro. Some players simply take a little longer to develop.

That being said, the San Francisco media seems to be eating it up this week that first-round pick Kentwan Balmer, and second-round pick Chilo Rachal, so far, kind of stink, while DeSean Jackson is, so far, kind of awesome. When you consider the 49ers passed on Jackson in the draft -- twice -- and the 49ers are playing the Eagles this week -- they didn't pass on Jackson -- well, it leads to a lot of talk among the local scribes.

I talked to North Carolina defensive end Kentwan Balmer at the scouting combine and came away liking him a lot, and I like the value of picking him with the 29th selection in the first round a lot. This was a very good pick for the 49ers.

Some people think the fact that Balmer only had one good season (his senior year) in college as a problem, but I tend to view Balmer's career in the opposite way: He has the potential, I believe, to develop into one of the league's best defensive linemen, and he was just beginning to develop during his senior season at North Carolina.


Previously on FanHouse:
FanHouse Mock Draft: San Francisco 49ers Select OLB Quentin Groves No. 29
Despite What You May Heave Heard, the 49ers Shouldn't Go Receiver in the First Round
I Hope You're Prepared for More Alex Smith: 49ers Dont Plan on Drafting a QB

With each pick of the FanHouse mock draft, we get into the head of an NFL general manager and let you know who he'll pick and why.

The Denver Broncos find themselves in an odd spot come the 12th pick of the first round. Their biggest need is for a defensive tackle but players like Glenn Dorsey and Sedrick Ellis will be gone by the time they pick and the next tier, headed by Kentwan Balmer of North Carolina, is a bit of a reach at such a lofty spot.

A player like Malcolm Kelly of Oklahoma would match up well opposite Brandon Marshall. Kelly's got talent to spare and might fit the criteria of best player available but the Broncos took a big hit on the offensive line when Matt Lepsis retired following the season. The line in general was a need but when Lepsis hung up his cleats, left tackle became a glaring one.

With Jake Long and Ryan Clady off the board, the Broncos can choose between Chris Williams and Jeff Otah, both strong prospects but Williams is the obvious choice. Williams's biggest strengthes are his quickness and technique, which makes him a nice fit for the zone blocking Broncos. Plus he's already got experience protecting Jay Cutler's blind side and it never hurts to have a happy quarterback.

More than a month after the NFL Combine and just a few weeks from the draft, UNC defensive tackle Kentwan Balmer is still an enigma. FanHouse's Michael David Smith reported that Balmer used the Combine to improve his stock, particularly since Glenn Dorsey didn't participate.

But after his Pro Day earlier this week, Balmer's draft status is more unclear than ever. At least to hear ProFootballWeekly.com's Nolan Nawrocki explain it:

Disheartening to scouts who watched him clock a good time [in the 40-yard dash] was the way Balmer reacted, claiming that he tweaked his hamstring and could not run a second time. Despite the so-called injury, the career underachiever was able to go through a full positional workout, leaving scouts feeling like they had just been misled about an injury.

"He has no career production," one evaluator said. "He's got excuses for everything, and he did the same thing (Tuesday) when he pulled himself out of the workout. I would be surprised if he gets drafted in the first round."

Wow, way to hold back, Nolan. Interestingly, I came away feeling exactly the opposite about Balmer after reading MDS' report. Maybe Nolan's source is just really down on Balmer, or maybe something's changed in the last six weeks. Whatever, Balmer's still the third-best defensive tackle in the draft behind Dorsey and Sedrick Ellis. And as has been the case all off-season, the only question is when he'll get drafted.

Despite Nawrocki's doubts, he admits that the Packers and Giants, two teams picking late in the first round, are interested. And there's never been a first-round pick who proved to be a shiftless layabout, so it can't be as bad as all that.*

* This does not include Lawrence Phillips, Charles Rogers, Mike Williams, Ryan Leaf and countless others.

Notes on a trip to the NFL Scouting Combine.

If LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey's absence from the combine causes him to move down on draft boards, who will move up?

The answer may be North Carolina defensive tackle Kentwan Balmer, an engaging young man who says he's excited about the prospect of working out in front of all 32 NFL coaches.

"That's what we came here for, to work out, right?" Balmer said when asked if he'd go through every drill.

Balmer, a 6-foot-4, 300-pounder, takes his football seriously. He talked about the way he watches what he eats, always makes sure to get enough sleep, and studies lots of films. So detailed is his film study, Balmer says, that he's at times been able to know whether a run or pass is coming because he has learned that an opposing offensive lineman tips off whether he's run blocking or pass blocking based on whether he staggers his feet when he lines up.

Balmer's likely NFL position is as a three-technique defensive tackle, but he can play anywhere on the defensive line. Although everyone seems to think the top three defensive lineman in this year's draft are, in some order, Dorsey, Chris Long and Sedrick Ellis, don't be surprised if Balmer makes a move.