SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin is having a very strong rookie campaign. The receiver has caught 46 passes for 731 yards and three touchdowns.
And the former Stanford receiver almost became a San Francisco 49er as a rookie free agent.
"We should have drafted Doug," 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said of the missed opportunity.
Baldwin also thought that his destination would be San Francisco, but Seattle had the better offer and situation.
"I guess it's just the way it played out," Baldwin said. "They had a pretty stacked roster at wide receiver. I felt that they were set at that position at the time. I felt that Seattle was the best opportunity for me to win a job.
"Seattle was the first team to call me when the lockout was lifted. During the draft when the last picks were going in, Harbaugh had called me and said that they probably weren't going to be able to take me. But they were interested in having me."
The 49ers had interest in Baldwin. In fact, the 49ers actually considered drafting him but that opportunity never came up. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said that he also wanted to draft him but was very glad that he was able to sign Baldwin after the draft.
"You had to see him to appreciate him," Carroll said of his skillset despite the small size. "What separates him now is his competitiveness."
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Other notes
- Baldwin said that the 49ers offense right now is very similar to what he was in at Stanford.
- Carroll said that there is no advantage for either the 49ers or Seahawks in a short week and they had played each other before.
- Carroll also said that the reason why RB Marshawn Lynch is having such a great recent stretch was because the offensive line was very young early on and now as they have started to grow together, it's starting to work out.
- The coaches will submit their Pro Bowl ballots tomorrow and Carroll laughed and said that he won't reveal his ballot. Asked about Alex Smith as a Pro Bowler, Carroll opted to keep his votes a secret.
