Niners Nation
One scenario involves the 49ers getting lucky as one of the top draft picks falls into their laps. The other scenario involves trading back
The NFL Combine is right around the corner. The San Francisco 49ers are in a position to come away with a game-changer at pick No. 11. The draft is deep enough that the second and potentially even third-round pick could start in Year 1.
The depth lies at defensive line. The 49ers would be foolish to leave this class without multiple defenders in the trenches. They’d be wise to use one of their first two picks on the defensive line. To me, it’s hardly debatable where the Niners should allocate their draft resources. Replenish the defensive line and watch how quickly your defense returns to prominence.
We will begin breaking down draft prospects over the next week or so as the NFL Combine gets underway. It won’t sound like the echo chamber you read on social media. We’ll provide our own analysis, rank those players accordingly, and attempt to project the prospect based on their tape, not where everybody else ranks them.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah spoke about the Niners and what they should do at No. 11. Jeremiah started with a dream scenario for San Francisco:
Yeah, where they’re picking at 11, they’re going to be able to get a really good player. I’m curious, the one thing — we talked about him as one of the top players in the draft with Mason Graham. I’ll be curious to see how he goes through the spring. As I mentioned, I think his tape is so good, but I’m want sure he’s going to totally ace the spring part of it.
If you are looking for someone who I think would be a home run pick for him, what’s the dream scenario, to me it would be Mason Graham were to fall down to them where they could scoop him up and pick him up.
Graham is the consensus No. 1 defensive tackle looking at big boards. He’s projected to be drafted closer to fifth overall than lasting to the 11th pick. But it does bring up the question of whether a top defender falls, and whether the Niners will move up to draft them.
I do not fall into the groupthink that Graham is this generational player. That’s not to say Graham won’t turn out to be a high-quality starter. He will, but there are far too many stretches when he either doesn’t win, gets moved off his spot, or the lack of physical traits necessary — like arm length or sustained burst — show Graham’s limitations. He’s a first-round talent, just not a top 10 pick, in my opinion.
Jeremiah spoke about Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams as potential options:
Where they’re picking, we’ve talked about Walker from Georgia. That’s probably a good chance that he’s gone at that point in time. Williams is the other one. It’s kind of...
