SANTA CLARA — How would you feel if the 49ers drafted a defensive player in the first round for the fifth consecutive year?
For an offense without a quarterback or any productive receivers, wouldn’t it feel strange? Isn’t it time to pick a quarterback in the top five of the draft no matter if it’s considered a stretch by the mock draft community?
Well…maybe not. Because of a shaky second season from Arik Armstead — and really the entire front-seven — San Francisco cannot walk into the offseason feeling okay about where it stands on defense. And as draft boards start to shape up, there appears to be more surefire prospects on the defensive side of the football.
Four months ago, many were predicting Armstead to blossom into the face of the San Francisco 49ers’s defensive line. Had Armstead emerged as an up-and-coming star player this year, the 49ers could check off a box in their rebuilding project.
“In training camp, we felt he would be a Pro Bowl, All-Pro type difference maker for our defense,” defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil said on Tuesday.
Instead, because of a nagging shoulder injury, Armstead opted to prematurely end his 2016 season. Doctors performed surgery on the 23-year-old Tuesday. He’s expected to make a full recovery by the start of the offseason program in April of 2017.
So while the quickest way to change your fortune in the NFL is by inserting a talented young quarterback, it’s also the quickest way to setback your franchise.
Philadelphia is a good football team, but they’re in playoff contention because they have Carson Wentz. Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota seem to have Tampa Bay and Tennessee respectively headed in the right direction. Derek Carr is an MVP candidate in Oakland.
But there are sob stories too. From the 2014 draft class, Johnny Manziel is already out of the league and Blake Bortles seems to headed for the same path as his Jacksonville predecessor Blaine Gabbert. From 2013, EJ Manuel has been nothing but a backup insignificant Buffalo. From 2012, Robert Griffin III was a one season flash in the pan for Washington.
To me, taking a quarterback in the 2017 draft is worth the risk. The 49ers have absolutely nothing to lose and if they draft the right one, everything could change in Santa Clara for the better. We’ve never got to see Chip Kelly mold a young quarterback in his NFL career, something it seems he could really excel at. Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer each have their flaws, but it’s been established if you have no direction at quarterback, you will perpetually be one of the NFL’s worst teams.
But GM Trent Baalke, or whoever is making the pick, might be entirely too scared to take a flawed quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. They certainly have a ton of evidence to prove that choosing a quarterback in the first round can be a dangerous proposition.
And like we mentioned earlier, several slam dunk prospects are materializing on the defensive side of the football.
Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett appears to be the slam dunk No. 1 overall pick at this point. Alabama defensive linemen Jonathan Allen is arguably the best player on the best team in the country. Michigan safety Jabril Peppers is an absolute animal and has drawn Ed Reed comparisons.
Obviously, we have to mention the 49ers have DeForest Buckner, who is certainly progressing. But is a core of Buckner, Armstead, Aaron Lynch, NaVorro Bowman, Jimmie Ward, Eric and Antoine Bethea enough? It doesn’t seem like it on paper.
It’s sad that we’re already looking ahead to the NFL Draft in 2017, but the future of the 49ers will absolutely be determined by who they select with their first pick in April.
