The Oakland Raiders opened the NFL draft by selecting LSU quarterback LaMarcus Russell with the No. 1 pick.  That was the extent of noise made from Oakland the rest of the first day.  On the contrary, the 49ers’ draft was another important step in the direction of the playoffs for San Francisco.  Nolan, player personnel director Scot McCloughan and their draft team moved around the board like savvy veterans, selecting not only the best player available, but also guys who could see action this season.  Here are coach Nolan’s comments and a few tidbits on each player:

First-round draft pick (no. 11 overall) Patrick Willis – “One of the things that I think is key in having Patrick Willis is that we’ve coached him already, so we know a lot about him from the Senior Bowl. It was really important. You can watch all the film you want, but when you get to know somebody, you really get to find out what you really want in your football team and what it’s going to look like, so I think he’s outstanding from that standpoint. When you’re building the right team, you need to pick the right people as well as the right players. Patrick will be it and he’s an outstanding guy.”

Willis was a consensus All-America and unanimous All-SEC first-team pick as a senior in 2006. He received the Conerly Trophy as Mississippi's best college football player, and was the recipient of the Butkus Award and Lambert Trophy as the nation's top linebacker. He was also selected SEC Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press and the league's coaches.  Willis is a tough athlete who played all of 2005 with a cast to protect a broken right hand, and performed in the final two games with a broken bone in his foot.  NFL Combine: 4.51 in the 40-yard dash … bench pressed 225 pounds 22 times … 35-inch vertical jump … 9-foot-11 broad jump … 7.23 three-cone drill.  

First-round draft pick (no. 28 overall) OT Joe Staley. “Everything about Patrick strengthens us, and we felt the same way about Staley. Everything about him we felt strengthens our football team, and the other thing I said all along since I took the job is we’re always going to strengthen the offensive line. That will never change as long as I’m here. Obviously, if you have a very good line, your running game is good. If you have a good line, then your quarterback is protected. If your quarterback is protected, he has an opportunity to find receivers whether those be the top guys in the league or not, at least he can find them. If you have great receivers, but you don’t have a line, it doesn’t matter because he can’t find them.”

Staley has a tall, angular frame with developing muscles, long arms, large hands, and minimal body fat (11.4 percent).  He possesses wide hips, thick thighs and a frame that can carry at least another 25 pounds with no loss in quickness.  He has excellent athletic agility for the line position, and still possesses the loose hips, lower-body flexibility and the valid quickness of a tight end, a position he once played.  Campus: 4.7 in the 40-yard dash … 450-pound bench press … bench presses 225 pounds 28 times … 600-pound squat … 31-inch vertical jump … 9-foot-3 broad jump … 4.35 in the 20-yard shuttle … 33½-inch arm length … 10 1/8-inch hands.

Third-round draft picks (no. 76) Jason Hill and (no. 97) Ray McDonald. “We added a few more players, both of them senior bowl players. Jason Hill, wide receiver, is a local guy, a San Francisco kid who went to Washington State. We got to know him a little bit at the Senior Bowl. I remember meeting him specifically a couple times and had good conversations with him. We were impressed with not only with what he did on the field, but off the field as well. It just so happened that he was the second fastest guy at the Combine.” Nolan explained that Hill’s speed was not the sole reason he was drafted, but that it certainly helps him be that much better. “The other player that we drafted was Ray McDonald, the defensive end from Florida. He was on our squad in the Senior Bowl; a very talented young man, made a lot of plays, and has great quickness.” Nolan hopes both Hill and McDonald will be impact players fairly early.

Jason Hill is one of six children of LaVerne Hawkins. Hill was a standout in football and basketball at Sacred Heart Cathedral High School. He was the runner-up for the San Francisco Player of the Year Award as a senior, adding honorable mention all-region accolades as a defensive back and wide receiver by the San Francisco Chronicle. He helped Sacred Heart clinch a victory against St. Ignatius with an interception return for a touchdown in the oldest high school rivalry west of the Mississippi (dating back to 1893). The team finished with a 9-1 record during his final season. As a junior, Hill garnered All-Bay Area honorable mention.  Campus: 4.52 in the 40-yard dash … bench presses 225 pounds 11 times … 34-inch vertical jump … 32¼-inch arm length … 9¼-inch hands … 22/38 Wonderlic score.

The son of former University of Florida receiver Ray McDonald (1982-85), the 49ers McDonald made a name for himself on the other side of the ball for the Gators. He battled back from a pair of serious knee injuries in 2005 to reestablish himself as one of the most tireless workers in the trenches. When injuries and suspensions depleted the team's defensive line depth, McDonald made a seamless move back to nose tackle from his strong-side defensive end position in the later stages of 2006, and his leadership in the middle helped Florida march on to capture the national championship. Campus: 4.9 in the 40-yard dash … 465-pound bench press … bench presses 225 pounds 33 times … 450-pound squat … 33-inch vertical jump … 9-foot-4 broad jump … 4.7 in the 20-yard shuttle … 34¼-inch arm length … 10¼-inch hands.