49ers regret passing on WR Baldwin

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers have not made many mistakes on or off the field during this calendar year. But coach Jim Harbaugh 'fessed up to a blunder that was made in late-April."We should've drafted Doug," Harbaugh said this week, in reference to Seattle Seahawks rookie wide receiver Doug Baldwin, who played for Harbaugh at Stanford."He's done a great job," Harbaugh said. "(I'm) proud of him."Receiver Ronald Johnson, a sixth-round pick from USC, is the lone 49ers pick whom the club cut and did not retain on the practice squad. The 49ers went with undrafted rookie Joe Hastings of Washburn on the practice squad, instead.
But the 49ers aren't the only team that missed on Baldwin, who was not among the 28 wide receivers drafted. Baldwin said this week that Harbaugh called him during the draft to inform him that the 49ers would not be able to select him. But Harbaugh told him that he was on their radar as an undrafted free agent.RELATED: Doug Baldwin 2011 game logs
However, Baldwin says the Seahawks were the first team to call him after the lockout. The Seahawks showed the most interest in him, and he decided it was his best fit.Baldwin leads the Seahawks with 46 catches for 731 yards. He is looking to become the first undrafted rookie to lead his team in both receptions and receiving yards since Bill Groman of the Houston Oilers in the AFL in 1960."I don't think we would've thought he'd be our leading receiver, but we were excited about getting him after the draft," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "We had to fight a lot of teams that wanted him. He's been a really exiting player, not just catching ball but contributing on special teams, too."Baldwin caught a 55-yard touchdown pass against the 49ers in his NFL debut. In Week 14 against the St. Louis Rams, he became the first player to score a touchdown and block a punt in the same game since 2000 and was named NFC special teams player of the week.There might be some surprise that Baldwin is faring so well as a rookie, but Baldwin said he is not shocked that his old coach has been able to turn things around in San Francisco."I knew he'd come in with the same mentality," Baldwin said. "He has a lot of talent there in San Francisco. I'm not surprised because of the way he coaches and gets people to rally around him and buy into the program."I knew they would be successful. But I didn't think they'd be this far along in the process this early."