Four mock drafts recently published this week all have the Niners selecting somebody different in the first round.
We’re a little more than 48 hours away from the 2024 NFL Draft. Every draft analyst has their opinion on what the San Francisco 49ers will do. Let’s round up the mock drafts around the internet and see if there’s a consensus pick.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid put together a 7-round mock:
Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
Roger Rosengarten, OT, Washington
Leonard Taylor III, DT, Miami
Taylor is the type of upfield penetrator who would fit well in the 49ers’ deep rotation. He had 27 tackles for loss over three seasons.
124. San Francisco 49ers (via DAL): Tanor Bortolini, C, Wisconsin
132. San Francisco 49ers*: Malik Washington, WR, Virginia
135. San Francisco 49ers**: Jarvis Brownlee Jr., CB, Louisville
176. San Francisco 49ers*: Isaac Guerendo, RB Louisville
211. San Francisco 49ers*: Luke McCaffrey, WR, Rice
215. San Francisco 49ers*: Giovanni Manu, OT, British Columbia
251. San Francisco 49ers: Zion Tupuola-Fetui, EDGE, Washington
That’s not the worst haul. Waiting until 132 to snag a wideout is questionable, but Kool-Aid would instantly upgrade the secondary, while Rosengarten and Bortolini give you two starters along the offensive line for the future.
USA TODAY thinks a defensive tackle will fall to the Niners:
31. San Francisco 49ers: DT Johnny Newton, Illinois
The Big Ten’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who’s 6-2 and 304 pounds, is strong, tough, twitchy and certainly disruptive enough to upgrade and deepen the Niners’ precious D-line, which took some hits in free agency.
The scenario where Newton is a 49er: The offensive tackles, cornerbacks, and wideouts are gone, the phone isn’t ringing to trade out, and the value is there to take arguably the best defensive tackle in the class.
PFF has the 49ers picking up the phone to trade out of the first round:
42. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (VIA DOLPHINS VIA TEXANS VIA VIKINGS): T KINGSLEY SUAMATAIA, BYU
Mock Trade: 49ers receive Pick Nos. 42 and 86; Dolphins receive Pick No. 31
After trading out of the first round, San Francisco is getting a player who the front office would have considered at Pick No. 31 anyway. The already talented 49ers can afford to draft longer-term projects like Suamataia. He is already a solid pass protector, allowing just two sacks over 700-plus pass-blocking snaps in his college career.
63. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: DI RUKE ORHORHORO, CLEMSON
The 49ers stick to the trenches, picking up one of the more versatile defensive linemen in the draft. Orhorhoro is a solid run defender, with a run-stop rate of 7.0% last season in college. If he can develop as a pass rusher, he could become an important piece of an already strong 49ers defensive line.
86. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (VIA DOLPHINS VIA TEXANS VIA EAGLES): WR JALEN MCMILLAN, WASHINGTON
Mock Trade: 49ers receive Pick Nos. 42 and 86; Dolphins receive Pick No. 31
Rumors of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk wanting out of San Francisco continue to swirl, so the 49ers use this pick to snag a receiver who could help soften the blow of losing Aiyuk. McMillan is a very strong route runner who understands how to win at a high level. He could be a great fit for a 49ers team that schemes receivers open better than any team.
94. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: CB ANDRU PHILLIPS, KENTUCKY
That’s a round too early for my liking for Orhorhoro. He’s a fifth-year senior with limited pass-rushing upside. But Kingsley is the perfect right tackle candidate for the 49ers, while McMillan would catch 50 passes and be an ideal fit offensively.
The 33rd team thinks the Niners go defensive line:
31. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
CHOP ROBINSON, EDGE, PENN STATE
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 254 pounds
Class: Junior
Fit: The San Francisco 49ers prioritize pass-rushers with an elite first step, and that’s precisely Chop Robinson’s strength. He’s somewhat raw, and his numbers are not eye-catching (his career-high in sacks is 5.5), but his flexibility, speed off the edge and physicality are at the level of a top-tier rusher potential.
Something about a player not producing in college and expecting that to change in the NFL feels…off.
So, four different mock drafts and four different selections with zero crossovers. In conclusion: Nobody knows.
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