San Francisco 49ers select running back LaMichael James in second round of 2012 draft – NFL News
The San Francisco 49ers have made another addition to their offensive unit by selecting Oregon’s running back, LaMichael James, in second round of 2012 National Football League (NFL) draft.
James was selected as 61st overall pick on Friday, April 27.
James, 22, brings a lot of talent to 49ers’ offensive pool already filled with talented players like Frank Gore, Brandon Jacobs and Kendall Hunter.
The 49ers are up for improving their offence, which was apparently their weak spot in the last NFL season. Despite being unable to score more points, 49ers were brilliant on defence and were able to get a shot at the National Football Conference (NFC) championship.
Coming into next season, however, 49ers are willing to score more points so as to complement the defence and that’s why they have selected members of offensive unit during the free agency and first two rounds of the draft.
While talking to media after James’ selection, 49ers’ general manager, Trent Baalke, said that the acquisition will make the locker room environment more competitive.
He said:
"It's like poker, right? It's a full house. In poker, a full house is a good hand. (James) allows you to carry an extra guy just because of his versatility. ... It creates competition. We're not afraid. We never back down from that. Our guys know that."
While acknowledging the player’s talent, 49ers’ head coach, Jim Harbaugh, seemed pleased to have James in the squad.
Harbaugh, too, did not rule out the fact that every player now will have to compete hard to earn playing time on the field.
He said:
“It’s a highly competitive environment. And it’s going to get real, real, and it’s going to get real, real, real fast for these young guys. Very excited to have LaMichael on our football team. Good day for us today.”
Meanwhile, Harbaugh also shed some light on his plans about utilising the running backs in the squad.
Since 49ers have a lot of players who would be contending for the running back position, Harbaugh said that he would monitor performance of all the players during the team’s training camp.
He also said that he could rotate players, but refrained from providing detailed plans, saying that he wanted to keep his focus on the draft at the moment.
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