There are no right or wrongs in a mock draft, but a recent two-round projection from ESPN’s Field Yates appears to contain an early reach for the San Francisco 49ers.
Yates has the 49ers selecting Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen with the No. 11 overall pick. That’s not a bad pairing in a vacuum because Nolen fits a need for San Francisco. He’s an athletic defensive tackle with big-time pass rushing chops who improved as a run defender across his three seasons in college.
However, this illustrates the kind of pick San Francisco should avoid if they’re simply drafting for need at the No. 11 spot.
The 49ers have too many holes to zero in on one position and select a player at that position no matter what. They just need good players. Penn State tight end Tyler Warren is still on the board when San Francisco picks in Yates’s mock. So are Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell. Both of those players are in the top 11 of Daniel Jeremiah’s most recent top 50 for NFL.com. Nolen doesn’t pop up until No. 28, behind fellow DT Derrick Harmon from the University of Oregon (No. 23 overall).
Nolen is a player to watch for the 49ers in a scenario where they find a partner they can trade back with. Finding a quality DT later in the first round while also scooping up additional draft capital makes a ton of sense for San Francisco given their laundry list of needs in this year’s draft. If they’re not able to find a team who will trade up to No. 11, then they should be foregoing their specific positional needs and instead find the best player available. They have multiple positions that need starting-caliber talent, so it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that they find a contributor outside of the trenches in Round 1.
Yates’ second pick for the 49ers also makes sense in a vacuum. He has San Francisco selecting Minnesota’s Aireontae Taylor with the 43rd overall pick. This would also be a bit of a reach according to Jeremiah’s top 50. Taylor doesn’t land in that group.
The process behind the Taylor pick makes sense, though. He’s a three-year starter at left tackle who could potentially play right tackle out of the gate, but he brings the physical traits to eventually develop into a starting left tackle in the NFL. If the 49ers view him as a swing tackle out of the gate and an eventual replacement for Trent Williams, they could circle him as a player worth taking with their second round pick.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers make head-scratching 1st pick in 2-round ESPN mock draft
There are no right or wrongs in a mock draft, but a recent two-round projection from ESPN’s Field Yates appears to contain an early reach for the San Francisco 49ers.
Yates has the 49ers selecting Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen with the No. 11 overall pick. That’s not a bad pairing in a vacuum because Nolen fits a need for San Francisco. He’s an athletic defensive tackle with big-time pass rushing chops who improved as a run defender across his three seasons in college.
However, this illustrates the kind of pick San Francisco should avoid if they’re simply drafting for need at the No. 11 spot.
The 49ers have too many holes to zero in on one position and select a player at that position no matter what. They just need good players. Penn State tight end Tyler Warren is still on the board when San Francisco picks in Yates’s mock. So are Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell. Both of those players are in the top 11 of Daniel Jeremiah’s most recent top 50 for NFL.com. Nolen doesn’t pop up until No. 28, behind fellow DT Derrick Harmon from the University of Oregon (No. 23 overall).
Nolen is a player to watch for the 49ers in a scenario where they find a partner they can trade back with. Finding a quality DT later in the first round while also scooping up additional draft capital makes a ton of sense for San Francisco given their laundry list of needs in this year’s draft. If they’re not able to find a team who will trade up to No. 11, then they should be foregoing their specific positional needs and instead find the best player available. They have multiple positions that need starting-caliber talent, so it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that they find a contributor outside of the trenches in Round 1.
Yates’ second pick for the 49ers also makes sense in a vacuum. He has San Francisco selecting Minnesota’s Aireontae Taylor with the 43rd overall pick. This would also be a bit of a reach according to Jeremiah’s top 50. Taylor doesn’t land in that group.
The process behind the Taylor pick makes sense, though. He’s a three-year starter at left tackle who could potentially play right tackle out of the gate, but he brings the physical traits to eventually develop into a starting left tackle in the NFL. If the 49ers view him as a swing tackle out of the gate and an eventual replacement for Trent Williams, they could circle him as a player worth taking with their second round pick.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers make head-scratching 1st pick in 2-round ESPN mock draft
