Mocking the draft: Take 2!

By Scooter_McG

We’re now days away from finally knowing who the 49ers will take at 3, and I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say it will be a relief to finally know and end all the speculation!

With Draftmas nearly upon us, here is my second and final take on mocking the 49ers 2021 draft.

Before I get started, just a little forward notification – razor and I (and hopefully MidWestDynasty) will be posting a draft-day article for each day of the draft, with live updates of key 49er events during the draft (and possibly other notable draft day events). Please check in, follow along and keep the dialogue flowing!  

Ok, as I did with my first mock, before getting started there are a few assumptions that are worth noting with my mock:

• While I believe a Jimmy G trade is a very strong possibility before or during the draft, for the purposes of this mock I have assumed he remains on the roster (at least until after the draft).
• I have not included any trades of 49ers picks. Which is actually very much against what I think will happen, as I expect the team to be very active.

Also, the key needs remaining for the 49ers as I see them are:

• Tier I needs: QB (obviously), third WR, depth/ competition at CB (inside and outside), punt returner
• Tier II needs: depth at DE, depth at TE, developmental/ backup center, depth/ competition at RB, more depth/ competition at CB.
• Tier III needs: developmental safety, more depth/ competition at WR, OL depth
• Tier IV needs: depth at LB, depth at DT, STs specialists.

Round 1: I won’t go in depth on this one – I have already outlined why I think Trey Lance will be the 49ers pick at #3 at length in previous articles.

Round 2: After the big trade up in round 1, I can see the 49ers looking to recoup some future draft capital by trading back in round 2, maybe a few times. I could see the 49ers even moving out of round 2 altogether in order to get an extra day 2 pick in 2021 as well as a day 2 2022 pick. But as outlined in my assumptions above, I have assumed no trades in my mock.

In my previous mock I had the team taking a WR here, which would make a lot of sense in my opinion. But I can’t ignore that the 49ers front office has consistently stressed the past few years the importance of generating pressure up front. There will likely be a bunch of guys available here that would be good value and fit what the 49ers are after, but I think after signing Ebukam and Key, the team may look for a bigger DE and Payton Turner for mine looks like a guy that will have a good pro career. He’s a big, long DE with excellent quickness to his game that I think would be an excellent addition.

Round 3: After adding a DE in round 2, a tier II need in my rankings, the team still has two areas I think are key needs – WR and CB. I think the 49ers may well move up from this spot to get the player they want, and I think it will be a WR. I can see Amari Rodgers being a player they really like, as a versatile and dependable WR that can also do return duties. D’Wayne Eskridge and Amon-Ra St Brown are others I can see the team looking at, while Ihmir Smith-Marsette may be an option as more of a smooth route runner that Tony Pauline believes is receiving quite favourable grades from teams.

Round 4: Despite depth being an issue currently, I think this is where the 49ers address CB unless a talent they really like falls to them at an earlier spot, with the idea they can add a veteran after the draft if needed. I’m thinking Benjamin St-Juste or Trill Williams, if available, though there are a few others that could be of interest here including Ambry Thomas, Robert Rochell or Thomas Graham. St-Juste is a very big, explosive and fluid athlete, built much in the same vein as Ahkello Witherspoon. Williams offers a more complete package that is versatile, competitive and athletic.

Round 5: The 49ers have three selections in round 5 and a history of finding gems here. In 2021, I can see the team adding (in no particular order) Centre Drew Dalman, RB Khalil Herbert and CB Deommodore Lenoir. Dalman is the son of former 49er Chris Dalman, and a perfect fit for a zone-based offense, but needs to develop his strength. Herbert is a one-cut RB that has also displayed good hands out of the backfield. He is good at making defenders miss and has good vision as a runner. Lenoir is an underrated CB that can line up inside and outside, and was not tested much at Oregon due to his strong coverage ability.  

Round 6: I see the team adding a TE slot here with the additional of Kenny Yeboah. Yeboah transferred from Temple to Ole Miss and showed good receiving skills last season as a fluid mover with good hands.  

Round 7: With all of the tier 1 and tier II needs accounted for, I can see the 49ers looking to address something they have struggled to find through the entirety of current regime’s time – a return specialist. The team has met with Connor Wedington from Stanford, and I can see the team using the seventh rounder here on a player like him. Avery Williams may be another name to keep an eye on.

So that’s my final 49ers mock draft. What do you all think the 49ers will do?