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49ers mock draft: Family edition

By

Jacob Hutchinson

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© Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

Every day is bizarre, and if you pretend to know which day of the week it is with complete certainty when you wake up, you should stop lying to yourself. It is in that spirit, of oddity and novelty, with one week until the NFL’s first-ever fully virtual draft, that I gave my sisters the keys to the 49ers kingdom.

To be clear, their only experience watching professional or college football was the 49ers’ division-clinching win, courtesy of the now-iconic Dre Greenlaw hit on Jacob Hollister at the goal line, over the Seattle Seahawks last December (their expectations for how entertaining a football game should be are now horribly, permanently skewed).

But they’re both intelligent, and refused to be left entirely in the dark. Incorporating trades was too much of a hazard for I or them, so this mock draft proceeds under the notion that the 49ers keep all of their draft picks (they won’t). The draft was conducted via The Draft Network’s mock draft tool.

The only guidelines were that the 49ers had some needs, with wide receiver, corner and interior defensive linemen chief among them, and two early picks before a steep drop-off. The resources provided were The Draft Network’s list of team needs (I added tight end to that list) as well as Mockdraftable’s spider graphs to illustrate athleticism, a free look at any YouTube videos they desired to peruse, the quick clips available on each prospect from The Draft Network, and Google, mainly to put a face to the name. Oh, and the name. The name matters, especially in the later rounds.

So without further ado, here is what my joint GMs did for the 49ers.

Round 1, Pick 13: Chase Claypool, WR, Notre Dame

Have you folks seen spidergraphs? I mean… how can you blame them? It’s an absurd pick given the wide receiver talent in this draft, but if you were to look at this pick in a poor wide receiver class, would you be that shocked? Claypool had tremendous production at Notre Dame, with the main concerns about his agility and route-running polish. He hasn’t shown a ton of wiggle.

Their reaction to that spidergraph: “Ooooooh. Yes.”

The other logic for the pick: Great name, and Notre Dame is “supposed to be good at stuff.”

Best college season (senior): 66 receptions, 1,037 yards, 13 TD

Projected draft range: Late 1st through 3rd round

Round 1, Pick 31: Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn

Again, this was not a suggestion on my part. I suggested that cornerback was one of the higher needs at this stage, along with an interior defensive lineman, and potentially a center/guard. Cornerback (or “corned beef,” as continued to term the CB acronym) was chosen, and one of the popular pick projections for the 49ers became reality. It’s the exact pick Mel Kiper Jr. projected for the 49ers.

They did request a video to understand the duty of cornerbacks, of which they were provided this:

Why did they go with Igbinoghene?

“Based on nothing, but also broad jump, arm length and a great name. Sounds like aubergine.”

Discalaimer: the actual pronunciation is “IG-bin-OG-gah-nee.”

There were some height concerns, but his other assets warranted those concerns null and void.

Best college season (sophomore): 50 tackles, 1.5 for loss, 1 INT, 11 PBU, 1 FF

Projected draft range: Late 1st through 2nd round

Round 5, Pick 156: Bravvion Roy, DT, Baylor

The term “squatty frame” caught my sister’s eye in the brief scouting report on Roy by The Draft Network. They wanted a large, bulldozing presence on the interior, and Roy is assuredly that at 6’1″ (undersized in the height department), 333 pounds. Also, they want to give him a chance that the NFL didn’t.

“He wasn’t invited to the Combine, so we want to invite him to our team.”

Roy didn’t get a chance to show off his measurables at the Combine or at a Pro Day, so his potential to display what appears to be genuine burst and some wiggle at his size, was lost. The film seems to indicate he’s somewhat similar to D.J. Jones in having surprising athleticism at the nose. He could be a Sheldon Day replacement. This is probably too early for Roy who’s projected to go around pick 198 on average, but he’s got some upside to get excited about, and an immense senior season to back it up.

Best college season (senior): 61 tackles, 13.0 for loss, 5.5 sacks, 1 FF

Projected draft range: 5th through 7th rounds

Round 5, Pick 176: Yasir Durant, OT, Missouri

Truly the greatest quote of the draft process, defined by logical infallibility, came from my sister, Jordan, with this selection.

“Because his last name is Durant. So, he’s probably gotten tips from Kevin Durant about how to be a great athlete.”

Durant is a massive offensive line prospect at 6’6″, 331 pounds and 34 3’4″ arms. He ran the third-slowest time at the NFL Combine for offensive linemen (5.52 seconds), so he’s far from the athlete Joe Staley (or Kevin Durant) is. But hey, he’s large.

Projected draft range: Between 4th and 6th round (actually good value, projected on average, at about 156)

Round 6, Pick 210: Raymond Calais, RB, Lousiana-Lafayette

The first real positional surprise of the draft, especially for a team with five running backs on the roster. But again, let me refer you to the spidergraphs. My GMs want short, speedy guys in their backfield, and Calais is that. Speed and short stature make for a tough tackle assignment, and Kyle Shanahan will surely enjoy having another one his arsenal. He’s no Joe Williams, though.

“He’s fast and he’s little, so he can get through… Calais is a great last name.”

Check out the comparisons for Calais, though. The short running back mold tends to work mostly when he’s also a bowling ball, and can bounce off hits. The lack of a weight and college production is pretty damning for Calais. This is a terrible pick for the 49ers here, although he does have kick return potential (25.2 yards per return over four years, 2,492 yards, 2 TD in career). Your hope is for an off-brand version of Darren Sproles.

Best college season (senior): 116 attempts, 886 yards, 6 TD, 10 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD

Projected draft range: 7th, undrafted

Round 7, Pick 217: Joey Magnifico, TE, Memphis

Let’s be honest, this is a woeful pick, even this late. Magnifico is a truly horrendous blocker. He’s stiff, misses with his hands, gets way too high in his stance, and lacks the agility and lower body strength to recover. He is a slow, non-exciting tight end who doesn’t run routes with crispness or do really anything to cause room for optimism. He’s not a receiving threat, not a blocking weapon, and a second-year senior. He is, in other words, not magnifico.

Still, at this stage in the draft, it’s hard to pass up such a name.

“That’s the name of a winner.”

(There was at least one impression of a PA announcer introducing Magnifico, in the form of “Number 86, Joeeeeeeey Magniiifiiiicooooooooooooo!”)

Best college season (junior): 21 receptions, 363 yards, 5 TD

Projected draft range: Undrafted

Round 7, Pick 245: Nigel Warrior, S, Tennessee

Great number, great name. Warrior joins former Vols teammates Emmanuel Moseley and Jalen Hurd in Santa Clara because, like Magnifico, his name is elite, and he plays a helpful position.

Oh, and his tape actually provides some cause for optimism. That is, if you can find it. I was shocked at his solid footwork at multiple positions and closing speed. To be clear, there are a hefty dose of concerns, like the angles he takes and his far-too-upright tackling form. But there’s a raw player in there who’s got a solid foundation as a coverage safety and demonstrated versatility in college, moving around for Tennessee frequently from single-high, to slot, to outside linebacker, to edge. He’s also the son of former 12-season, 4-time Pro Bowler, 2-time All-Pro NFL defensive back, Dale Carter, who had 24 career interceptions.

Best college season (sophomore/senior): 83 tackles, 3.5 for loss, 1 sack, 1 INT (70-yard TD), 3 PBU, 3 FF, 1 FR versus 60 tackles, 4.0 for loss, 4 INT (102 yards), 7 PBU

Projected draft range: Undrafted

Draft review

What I was most surprised by was how deliberate my GMs were. For almost every selection, they wanted to gather information and make an informed choice. Most of that was based on athleticism and names, but there was still a desire to collect data and make a not completely in the dark decision. Overall, it was a wonky, weird draft which most 49ers fans would likely be unhappy with, but landing Claypool, Igbinoghene and Roy is at least, in theory, filling three of the 49ers real needs with potential upside.

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