The 49ers stink in 2018, but that could pay dividends in the spring.
The San Francisco 49ers beat the Oakland Raiders last Thursday to improve to 2-7 on the season. The win dropped them one spot in the 2019 NFL Draft order, moving from No. 2 to No. 3. The New York Giants and Oakland Raiders sit in the top two spots. The 49ers are tied with the Buffalo Bills, but for the time being the 49ers have the weaker strength of schedule — which means they get the higher pick.
There are a lot of fans hoping the 49ers are able to land edge rusher Nick Bosa in next year’s draft. Others are not big fans, but for either group, Bosa might be off the board if the 49ers win more games. The fate of the 49ers draft prospects could lie with Nick Mullens!
With Week 9 behind us, I thought it was a good time for another mock draft from Greg, Alex, and Josh. I had them submit their top six picks, plus a write-up on the 49ers pick. I went with top six because that covers all the teams with one or two wins. This will change if the 49ers win more games, but that is where things stand for now.
Greg Valerio
The 49ers’ are in desperate need of an edge presence, and if Nick Bosa is not the selection, Clelin Ferrell is equally an excellent choice to establish a dominating fear off the edge. Ferrell is a junior prospect who has shown the capacity to improve throughout his collegiate career. With a complete game showing dominance both against the run and the passing game, Ferrell offers a perfect blend of size, length (long arms), strength, quickness, and athleticism. He displays great burst off the edge utilizing his length to his advantage playing with excellent leverage, body control (terrific bend), balance, adept at holding the point of attack and releasing with nice change of direction skills, agility, foot quickness, and power.
Ferrell also displays an excellent ability playing front-side blocks at the point of attack utilizing his length and power to successfully stack and shed showing a solid game setting the edge. Moreover, he brings impressive skills defending back-side blocks with nice athleticism, agility, length, and closing speed.
Alex Eisen
As I have mentioned in previous posts, until the position is addressed, pass rusher will be the number one priority. Nick Bosa would be the undisputed number one choice for the 49ers — unfortunately for the 49ers, Bosa would be the undisputed first choice for most every other NFL team. Unless things change, and they very well could, the Battle of the Bay has most likely knocked the 49ers out of the Nick Bosa sweepstakes. That is perfectly fine, because Clelin Ferrell out of Clemson would be far more than a consolation prize. He would be an instant upgrade for the 49ers defensive line. Ferrell is a blue chip, day one starter and top five overall pick in this upcoming draft.
Ferrell has the speed at the point of attack and causes an incredible amount of disruption along the line of scrimmage. He has a natural blend of power and speed to beat blockers along the edge and make his presence known in the opponents backfield. His long, lengthy arms, and frame will transition smoothly at the next level. Has great burst off the snap, and often requires double-team coverage along the line. What is always over-looked is Ferrell’s ability to draw so much attention, that it allows his teammates along the defensive line to shine and make plays against the run and pass. Those qualities about Ferrell should transition at the next level, which could raise the game of players such as Solomon Thomas along the line of scrimmage. Bottom line: The 49ers need a pass rusher. It is by far, without a close second, their number one priority. If Bosa is out of reach, Clelin Ferrell should be the pick for them as a top 5 overall pick.
Josh Eccles
As previously stated, Nick Bosa is the clear preferred choice for any team in need of some pass rush help. The New York Giants passed on selecting a quarterback in last year’s stacked class so they won’t make the same mistake this time around (especially given the fact that Eli Manning is a shell of his former self). The Raiders would be next and head coach Jon Gruden has blown everything up — it makes all the sense in the world that they’d spend their top pick, then, on the filling void left behind after trading away Khalil Mack by making Nick Bosa the cornerstone of the soon-to-be Las Vegas franchise.
That leaves San Francisco with some options: the secondary needs help, as does the defensive line. There also could be consideration for a top-flight receiver if the Niners decide to trade back and take a chance on Ole Miss standout A.J. Brown in the middle of the 1st round. The move here, though, should be shoring up the defensive line by adding a pass rusher that can get to the quarterback on a consistent basis. Clelin Ferrell fits the bill and would be a welcome addition to a defense that already boasts DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas, and Arik Armstead. The 49ers stink this year, but it could pay dividends.
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