Aldon Smith News

Before I get into the good and not-so-good of the second day of the 49ers' rookie mini-camp, I want to share that I noticed three players playing two positions today - Eric Reid played free safety and strong safety, Al Netter played right guard and center and Andre Davis, Anthony Davis' older brother, played right tackle and tight end.

After having traded down to the 40th pick from the 34th pick in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft , the San Francisco 49ers selected Cornellious "Tank" Carradine .

The 49ers' rookies arrived Thursday in advance of their three-day minicamp and the most intriguing of the arrivals wasn't one of their 11 draft picks.

Aaron Rodgers likes to hang on to the ball longer than any elite QB in the league.

With rookie mini-camps right around the corner, its time we start looking ahead to training camp and the eventual battles that await.

After being traded from the Cleveland Browns to the San Francisco 49ers in the offseason, backup quarterback Colt McCoy has embraced his new role in the city by the bay.

Linebacker Parys Haralson missed all of 2012 with a torn triceps. From 2007 through the 2011 season, Haralson was a starter and played in every regular-season game but one, compiled 21½ sacks and in three seasons registered more than 40 tackles.

In 2012, the San Francisco 49ers had six starting defensive players receive Pro Bowl honors, which was a league-high. It is one of the most skilled units in the NFL , stacked from top to bottom, yet that is where the team's draft focus was.

Less than a year ago, the NFC West was considered a joke by the rest of the NFL.

He has gone on to be an NFL All Pro, Pro Bowler and NFC champion. He is a many of few words but staggering results.

A.J. Jenkins struggled with conditioning entering rookie minicamp in 2012, but let's not blow up the situation quite so quickly.

Add Mike Iupati to the list of 49ers who had surgery this offseason. The team's All-Pro and Pro-Bowl left guard had a procedure on his shoulder and is unlikely to take part in the team's upcoming OTA sessions, according to a source with knowledge of the injury.

With all that in mind, which guys are playing under the best contracts today? Not necessarily the most team-friendly or player-friendly deals.

Oct 7, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebackers NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis react after a tackle in the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Candlestick Park.

Dion Jordan has a great opportunity to re-write the record books as a rookie in 2013.

Most of us have at least heard the terms "3-4", "4-3", maybe even "Nickel" at one point or another.

The 49ers made Tank Carradine the 40th overall pick in last weekend's draft, and with that selection the 49ers got an absolute steal.

Auburn's Corey Lemonier will be an outside linebacker in San Francisco. Auburn's Corey Lemonier was listed as both a defensive end and outside linebacker going into last week's NFL draft, so when the 49ers moved up to select him in the third round, some fans were a bit confused about his future.

Identifying faults in how the San Francisco 49ers conducted their 2013 NFL draft board was not something that even the omniscient Mel Kiper Jr .

This appears to be the 49ers' draft motto. For the second time in three years, Jim Harbaugh spoke at length about, well, length when discussing individual members of his 11-man draft class.