The 49ers are in an interesting spot in the 2024 NFL draft. With the No. 31 pick they’re on the outside looking in at some of the top offensive tackle prospects to fill their biggest need, but they’ll also have opportunities to grab a potentially very good player who falls through the cracks with runs on quarterbacks, OTs and wide receivers.
While cornerback, tight end and safety could all be considered crucial needs for the 49ers, it’s hard to imagine them going that route given how they’ve operated in past drafts. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have typically prioritized their front seven in the first round, only straying from that when a clear need arises on the offensive line, receiver and quarterback.
This year could be a year where they view OL as a dire need that allows them to go beyond their defensive front seven. They don’t have a long-term answer at right tackle, and the last time they had that scenario they went and got an offensive tackle. Beyond that though the situations where they went with WR and QB don’t quite apply this year.
They don’t need a starting WR as badly as they did the year they traded up for WR Brandon Aiyuk, and QB Brock Purdy appears to be their franchise signal caller.
They’ve never prioritized another position in Round 1, which makes it hard to believe they’ll do so again in 2024. A safe bet on predicting the 49ers pick is that they’ll pick an OL, DL or LB. Anything beyond that would be a pretty steep departure from the norm.
Here’s a quick history of their first-round picks under Lynch and Shanahan:
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