Several positions are at the top of fans minds, but could the 49ers make a surprise pick?
The San Francisco 49ers are less than one month away from making their first selection in the first round in three years, as the NFL Draft begins on April 25th.
With a strong class at offensive line, many fans are proclaiming for the 49ers to take the position in the first round, which seems likelier and likelier, given the best players available at No. 31 and how San Francisco operated in free agency.
However, as the draft goes along, what other positions could the 49ers select in the draft? Let’s go through every position and gauge the realisticness of San Francisco taking a player in that area.
Quarterback
Ahead of free agency, quarterback was a position I pinpointed as a potential late-round draft candidate.
The 49ers had Brock Purdy and Brandon Allen, and it could’ve been the perfect year for San Francisco to take a flier on a Day 3 guy with hopes of developing him to be a cheap, young backup option for the next few years.
Then, the team signed Josh Dobbs to a one-year, $2.25 million deal that was fully guaranteed, likely slotting him in as the backup quarterback.
Again, like Allen, Dobbs is on a one-year deal, so San Francisco may operate with a similar mentality of drafting a developmental player. That could involve keeping them on the practice squad in Year 1 before elevating them as the backup for the following years.
But, with the position fairly sound now, the necessity to draft a backup isn’t there anymore.
Running Back
San Francisco returns nearly their entire running back room from a season ago, with the lone difference being the loss of Tyrion Davis-Price, who was cut at the beginning of the offseason.
Still, the 49ers have their top three players, with Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, and Jordan Mason all under contract.
Mitchell is on a one-year deal, so the 49ers could look for running back depth to replace him in the future.
However, I don’t see running back being a selection unless the 49ers find themselves in a best-player-available situation in the later rounds of the draft, given the team’s other needs and the immense value already stacked up at the position.
Next year, though, running back could very well be a grab via the draft.
Wide Receiver
Currently, the 49ers have all of their top three receivers under contract, as Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Jauan Jennings are set to return in 2024.
However, it becomes unclear what the team will do beyond this season, as Samuel has one year left on his contract, while Jennings is an unrestricted free agent.
Moreover, San Francisco is currently dealing with the contract extension of Brandon Aiyuk, and it seems unfeasible to pay two receivers top dollar, especially with the amount of talent coming via the draft at the position on a yearly basis.
So, with the 49ers liking to project one year ahead, I could very well see them taking a receiver in one of the first three rounds with hopes of developing them in 2024 before their draftee takes over a starting role in 2025.
San Francisco still needs depth at the position, as they lost Ray-Ray McCloud via free agency, so a roster spot is open at the position.
In this class, there is receiver talent across the board, so the 49ers may not take a player on Days 1 or 2, but I fully expect a selection at the position in this draft.
Tight End
The 49ers are in an interesting situation at tight end, as they lost their No. 2 option Charlie Woerner in free agency.
However, San Francisco did draft two players, Cameron Latu and Brayden Willis, in 2023, although they didn’t receive much from either player during their rookie season.
In addition, the 49ers just handed out an offer sheet to Detroit Lions restricted free agent Brock Wright, who could ultimately be the team’s No. 2 tight end.
If the 49ers do end up acquiring Wright, I believe the chances of drafting a tight end would lower, given the investment they made at the position last offseason in the draft.
Additionally, it feels the 49ers may prioritize a more experienced player to handle the role of Woerner as the No. 2 option, given how development takes longer for tight ends coming out of the draft.
I can see San Francisco selecting a player, but I don’t envision that being among the early rounds, if at all, in this draft.
Offensive Line
It feels like a certainty that the 49ers will address the offensive line in the 2024 NFL Draft. The question is: how early?
The 49ers are in a prime spot to take an offensive lineman with their first-round selection, as this class is loaded at tackle, with several intriguing early options around the interior as well.
Even if the team goes the best-player-available route to begin the draft, that may very well be an offensive lineman.
Beyond the first round, the 49ers could target the interior offensive line, as there appears to be a drop-off for offensive tackles as this draft goes on.
I envision two selections at offensive line, with one coming at tackle and another coming on the interior, to compete for spots this offseason.
Defensive Line
The 49ers decreased their need to draft a defensive lineman this offseason when signing Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos, and Jordan Elliott, while trading for Maliek Collins.
Adding two players at both the edge and interior solidifies the core for San Francisco’s unit in 2024.
However, the 49ers have an affinity for taking defensive linemen, so you can never rule it out.
But, with every player coming in on a two-year deal, the necessity to address the position has significantly lowered ahead of the draft, allowing San Francisco to focus on other positions.
Linebacker
The 49ers made multiple investments at linebacker in the draft last offseason, using Day 3 picks on Dee Winters and Jalen Graham, who both made the 53-man roster.
A year later, the 49ers seem fairly set at linebacker, as they signed DeVondre Campbell to replace Oren Burks as the No. 3 option, although he may be called upon for a bigger role should starter Dre Greenlaw miss any time while recovering from his torn Achilles injury.
Greenlaw could be starting the year on the PUP(Physically Unable to Play) list, which could open a roster spot at linebacker.
In addition, San Francisco brought in Ezekiel Turner, who will likely take over the Oren Burks role on special teams.
So, the 49ers have a set group of Fred Warner, Greenlaw, Campbell, Turner, Winters, and Graham.
That’s not to mention them bringing back Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles on a one-year deal.
While they could make a selection at linebacker, the team seems pretty set at the position.
Cornerback
The 49ers signed Isaac Yiadom, who should compete for the third cornerback spot this offseason alongside players like Ambry Thomas.
However, it seems likely that the 49ers will draft at least one cornerback in this year’s draft to compete with their incumbents.
San Francisco returns starters Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir, of which the latter has nickel and outside flexibility, giving the team options for that final starting spot.
Apart from them, the 49ers return Thomas, Samuel Womack, and Darrell Luter to match with free agents Chase Lucas, who has primarily been a special-teamer, and Yiadom.
Still, San Francisco could project a year into the future, where Lenoir is set to be a free agent, leaving two starting spots potentially open in 2025, and select a cornerback in this year’s draft.
While it’s a weaker cornerback class overall, the nickel group this year seems stronger than in years past, which could be appealing for the 49ers.
I expect San Francisco to take at least one cornerback in the draft, with the chance to potentially grab both a nickel and outside player, leaving a make-or-break offseason for a number of their current players.
Safety
Safety remains one of the more intriguing groups on the roster, as the 49ers lost Tashaun Gipson, who seems primed for retirement.
That leaves San Francisco with Talanoa Hufanga, who is nursing a torn ACL, and Ji’Ayir Brown, who was a third-round pick in 2023, as the top options on the roster.
Behind them, San Francisco doesn’t have much depth. George Odum re-signed on a two-year, $10 million deal, but has primarily been a special-teamer for the 49ers.
Tayler Hawkins could fight to earn a roster spot, but he’s more on the inexperienced side, having been an undrafted free agent.
I expect the 49ers to make at least one more addition to this group, especially given the fact that Hufanga not only is recovering from a major injury, but that the former All-Pro is a free agent in 2025.
That could be in free agency, where a number of intriguing options still remain, or it could be via the draft, where the 49ers could get another younger, more long-term solution to address the position.
Regardless, I don’t think San Francisco is done at safety just yet.
About the Author: Insidethe49
