San Francisco 49ers Seven-Round Mock Draft 3.0
What will the San Francisco 49ers do with pick No. 13?
That has been the million dollar question since they acquired the pick from the Colts in the DeForest Buckner trade. As much attraction this pick garners, there is still an entire draft to consider for the 49ers.
In this mock draft, the 49ers are extremely active moving down the trade board. The main goal was to acquire a second-, third-, and fourth-round draft pick. The 49ers are so active, that they make five draft day trades. With needs at wide receiver, cornerback, and the interior of both lines, the 49ers do their part to address each position.
Without further due, I present to you All49ers third-installment of mock drafts, this time with some trades involved utilizing The Draft Network’s “Mock Draft Machine”.
Round 1 Pick 18 (from Mia): CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
Breakdown: At pick 13, Jerry Jeudy (WR-Alabama), Jedrick Wills (OT-Alabama), Javon Kinlaw (DT-South Carolina), and CeeDee Lamb were all available. The 49ers initially traded picks 13 and 156 to the Denver Broncos for picks 15 (1050 PV) and 95 (120 PV).
Denver selected Wills, and Tampa Bay selected Isaiah Wilson (OT- Georgia). With five tackles going in the top 14, it pushes down the highly touted receivers. With Kinlaw, Lamb, and Jeudy on the board, the 49ers traded down a 2nd time, this time with the Dolphins. The 49ers traded picks 15 and 95 (both acquired from Denver) for picks 18 (900 PV) and 70 (240 PV).
The next three picks are: Xavier McKinney (S-Alabama), Javon Kinlaw, and K’Lavon Chaisson (Edge- LSU). At pick 18 that leaves the 49ers their pick between Lamb and Jeudy. This is an absolute dream scenario for the 49ers, and the team has decided to draft Lamb.
Lamb is arguably the most talented receiver of the bunch, and will instantly add more fire power to the 2nd highest scoring offense from a year ago. Lamb has a huge catch radius and is phenomenal after the catch. Lamb has #1 receiver upside, and could take the 49ers offense to the next level.
Round 2 Pick 44 (from IND): Raekwon Davis, DT, Alabama
Breakdown: Like pick 13, the 49ers trade down from pick 31 twice. The Dolphins drafted Cesar Ruiz (Interior OL-Michigan) at 26, who was the 49ers main target at 31. The 49ers traded picks 31 and 210 to the Chargers for picks 37 (530 PV) and 112 (70 PV) picks.
At pick 37, the 49ers we’re very tempted to draft Austin Jackson (OT- USC) to compete to play guard for a year before taking over left tackle. However, the team decided to trade back. The 49ers traded picks 37 (from LAC) and 217 to the Colts for picks 44 and 122.
At pick 44, the 49ers draft 6’7” interior defensive lineman Raekwon Davis. Going into the draft, the 49ers have a few options regarding how they wanted to address the defensive tackle position. The 49ers draft Davis, who will immediately join the committee of players competing for the playing time DeForest Buckner left behind.
Davis does come with some concerns, as his biggest incident was being shot in the leg outside an Alabama bar in 2017. Though, he hasn’t been involved in any incidents since. On the football, Davis made some jaw dropping plays at Alabama.
However, Davis struggled with consistency and couldn’t piece all of his tools together. Pairing Davis with outstanding Defensive Line Coach Kris Kocurek will guide Davis towards reaching his fullest potential, which helps fill Buckner’s void.
Round 3 Pick 70 (from MIA): Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah
Breakdown: The 49ers acquired this pick from the Dolphins, when they traded down from pick 15 (acquired from Denver). With the 70th pick, the 49ers address the corner position. After the 2020 season, cornerback is completely in question as the 49ers top 4 corners are free agents (click to read why corner is an overlooked need).
At pick No. 70, the 49ers draft Jaylon Johnson over Damon Arnette. Johnson is only the 9th corner off the board all the way down at pick 70. Johnson, a Fresno native, stands 6’0”. Johnson has a reputation of being a physical playmaking corner, and fits the 49ers scheme. However, Johnson is recovering from a torn labrum and is expected to be fully healthy in the July/August range.
Once healthy, Johnson can compete with Emmanuel Mosley and Ahkello Witherspoon for the starting outside job, opposite of Richard Sherman. Johnson provides immediate depth at the position, and has all the traits to be an NFL starting corner. With this pick the 49ers answer some questions around the cornerback position beyond this upcoming season.
Round 4 Pick 112 (from LAC): Jabari Zuniga, Edge, Florida
Breakdown: The 49ers acquired this pick from the Chargers, when they traded down from the 31st overall pick to the 37th overall pick. With this pick the 49ers draft the best player available, which also serves a subtle need.
The 49ers had an excellent pass rush last season, though, that pass rush was not as effective without Dee Ford. With Ford (13 games including playoffs) the 49ers defense gave up 16.7 points per game and averaged 4 sacks a game. Without ford (6 games) the 49ers defense gave up 22.5 points per game and only averaged 1.5 sacks.
Ford is the only true speed pass rusher on the defensive line, and Zuniga provides depth as a speed rusher. Zuniga only played 188 snaps last season, as an injury ended his season early.
However, Zuniga was able to participate in the NFL Combine where his athleticism jumped off the charts. Zuniga ranked above the top 89 percentile in the 10-yard split, 40-yard dash, broad jump, and bench press.
Ford is due to make between 17.6-18.6 million between 2021-2023, however, the 49ers have an out with Ford’s contract after this season. If Zuniga pans out, the 49ers could part ways with Ford and use that money elsewhere.
Round 4 Pick 134 (From BAL): John Simpson, OG, Clemson
Breakdown: The 49ers 5th and final draft day trades came in the 4th round. The 49ers traded picks 122 (acquired from IND) and 176 to the Ravens for pick 134 and 157.
The 49ers draft Simpson in the 4th round to compete for the right guard spot. The position became open after the 49ers released Mike Person last month. Simpson will step in and compete with Ben Garland, Dan Brunskill, and the newly acquired Tom Compton.
Simpson has the potential to be a starting guard in the NFL, however, his draft stock is all over the place.
Nonetheless, Simpson is an extremely physical interior offensive lineman. Simpson brings more physicality to the table than he does athleticism. Athleticism is a trait Kyle Shanahan looks for in all of his offensive lineman, so it’ll be interesting to see how Simpson does in Shanahan’s system.
Round 5 Pick 157 (From BAL): Isaiah Hodgins, WR, Oregon St.
Breakdown: The 49ers acquired this pick from the Ravens when they traded down from pick 122. Here in the 5th round, the 49ers double-dip in this loaded receiver class. Nabbing a physical playmaker in CeeDee Lamb in the 1st round, the 49ers now add a 6’4” sure handed threat in Hodgins.
Going into the draft, the 49ers already had 11 receivers on their roster. Unfortunately of those 11, the team can only count on Deebo Samuel and Kendrick Bourne. Now with Lamb and Hodgins, the 49ers have two more receiving threats who are projected to have bright NFL careers.
With the added receivers Dante Pettis and Marquise Goodwin’s future with the team is furthermore up in the air, as they’ve both been involved in trade speculation this offseason. The 49ers can look to move Pettis or Goodwin on draft day, or after the draft for 2021 compensation.
*Click to see Maverick Pallack’s article on Pac-12 prospects 49ers should target*
Round 7 Pick 245: Stanford Samuels, CB, Florida St.
Breakdown: For the first time this draft, the 49ers use one of their own draft selections. The 49ers take Stanford Samuels, their 2nd corner. Similar to Simpson, Samuels draft stock is all over the place. Miller has him ranked as his 10th cornerback overall. However, The Draft Network and PFF have Samuels going towards the end of day 3 or even undrafted.
At the NFL Combine, Samuels ran a 4.65 40-yard dash. That time put Samuel in the bottom 5th percentile for his position. Not particularly fast, Samuels best NFL position may be safety. With all the question marks beyond this season at corner, and even safety, adding an additional body to the secondary would certainly not hurt.
For more 49ers coverage, follow @All49ersSI on Twitter as well as our contributor Nick Newman @NinerNick_22.
