Day 1 of the NFL Draft has come and gone with Deebo Samuel still on the 49ers’ roster. So now what?
The 49ers’ needs heading into the draft have not changed. It sounds likely that Alex Mack is retiring, begging the question as to whether the 49ers like a remaining center prospect enough to go get them, or if they’d prefer a move for a lingering veteran like J.C. Tretter.
Needs won’t always supersede talent, but when you’re a team like the 49ers, you have to make selections that fit the holes in your roster.
This is a draft fairly deep with safety prospects and edge rushers, though there’s a possibility they could fly off the board early. The center position is decidedly thinner, but the fact that San Francisco got zero utility out of Aaron Banks last year could make the team wary of swinging on another interior offensive line prospect in Round 2.
The smart money is on a safety to start. But if Mack is retiring and they see a successor who can play from the jump at the right spot, that’s worth a look there, too.
TRADE with Eagles
49ers receive: Pick 51
Eagles receive: Pick 61, Pick 134, Pick 187
Philadelphia has showed a willingness to wheel and deal and spent a fair bit to make the moves they have. At this point, they have a pick gap from No. 83 to 153 and another until No. 237, their final pick.
They may have a desire to bridge those gaps and acquire some mid-to-late-round picks. San Francisco obliges with a fourth-round pick and sixth-round pick. You could also swap Pick 187 for 172 if that’s what it takes to get it done, with the Eagles’ Pick 237 coming back to the 49ers in that scenario.
Pick 51: Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State
With the 49ers discernibly looking to move on from Jaquiski Tartt for reasons no one can adequately explain, and have left Jimmie Ward’s contract untouched, the need for safety is an obvious one.
Brisker is one of the premium options in this draft, and while 51 might be considered late for him, it’s absolutely within the realm of possibility. Per GrindingTheMocks, a site that tracks mock draft projections and aggregates them into one average number, Brisker has an average draft slot of 51.8.
Now, with Lewis Cine of Georgia and Daxton Hill of Michigan off the board, he could go earlier, but Jalen Pitre from Baylor could also come off the board before him and leave him available in this range.
The 49ers could be more aggressive to get him, say, with the Saints, at 49; another similar option in that they have a serious lack of remaining picks. They might have to part with No. 105 to move up there or further, though.
If Brisker is available here, he is unlikely to fall much further, given his athletic upside, frame and bag of traits. He fits the run extraordinarily well, has non-jittery, relaxed movements in coverage and attacks the ball well, using his length.
He should seek to add weight, given his 199-pound frame, but his speed to trigger in both directions coupled with his decisiveness gives you confidence that he has faith in his decision-making and plays with the requisite aggression needed at the next level. He would start Day 1 next to Ward.
Pick 93: Zach Tom, OL, Wake Forest
Remember the surprise everyone expressed when Jermaine Johnson “fell” to the Jets at Pick No. 26? If you’ve seen his tape versus Wake Forest’s Zach Tom, you wouldn’t be stunned.
Tom absolutely stonewalled Johnson. He looks astonishingly relaxed in pass protection and sets himslef up for success by throwing his hands with solid timing and aligning his body in a way that he’s rarely open to exploitation.
The reason he’s available here is because he didn’t show superb strength in the run game and would be a bit of a project. There’s some question as to whether he can play at tackle at an NFL level. He played at center his first season before moving out to tackle.
Whether he’s a tackle or a center, he has the elite athleticism to be positionally flexible, testing in the upper echelon of just about every category.
At this stage of the draft, I expect Nebraska’s Cam Jurgens to be off the board, and while someone like Dohnovan West of Arizona State is a solid center option, he doesn’t show elite traits to make a bet on this early. He’d be a decent later-round option, but he probably wouldn’t be there, either. If Jurgens is available in Round 3, trading up for him is the clear-cut choice.
Tom, though, has the tape and the elite traits worth making a bet on at this stage, regardless of where you think he’ll play. He could be the future right tackle if/when the 49ers move on from Mike McGlinchey, or compete at center. He has talent, athleticism and the ability to mold him. That’s worth swinging on here.
Pick 105: Deangelo Malone, EDGE, Western Kentucky
This should really read Myjai Sanders or Deangelo Malone. This is the expected sweet spot for both and either one would be an appropriate selection here.
If we’re making 49ers comparisons, Sanders, from Cincinnati, is closer to the physical mold of Arden Key in that he’s extremely long, lean and bendy. Sanders, though, has better play strength than Key and some serious quickness to his movements, showing brilliant swipe moves. He could use serious refining though, and look to add a better long arm move to get into tackle’s chest better before disengaging.
Malone is more in the mold of Dee Ford. He already has an NFL caliber speed rush and in some ways would be less of a project than Sanders.
While he’s lacking some size, he has all the elite athletic traits to wreak havoc on tackles. There was a real symbiosis to the rushing attack of Ford and Bosa, and Malone really gives you the chance to recreate that, with him forcing quarterbacks to step up in the pocket that should already be collapsing, with Bosa crashing the other edge.
Either prospect could be molded by Kocurek, but Malone is probably more likely to have pass-rushing success from the outset.
Pick 172: Isaiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina
Sorry, Ross Dwelley. But there’s a reason Dwelley pretty much fell out of the lineup entirely once Charlie Woerner started to appear competent as a blocker.
At this stage, you can either go for a blocking tight end like Daniel Bellinger of San Diego State, or a high-upside receiving option in Likely.
Likely didn’t look comfortable as a blocker and obviously needs to improve in that regard, but he flashed real potential to give Kyle Shanahan a 1-2 tight end tandem that he’s not so secretly wanted for a while. His desire to recreate what the Patriots had, as evidenced by the 49ers’ interest in Austin Hooper, is not a fool’s errand.
Giving yourself two tight ends capable of catching passes can change the nexus of how teams try to defend you and would give George Kittle more leeway.
Likely fits that mold and was outstanding in his senior season, catching 59 passes for 912 yards and 12 touchdowns. As a tight end, that’s nonsensically good, even if it came at a smaller school. He doesn’t have burner speed, but he’s springy and a great contested catch player.
Pick 220: Isaiah Weston, WR, Northern Iowa
It’s all about swinging for the fences at this stage, and Weston has the upside to be a deep threat. He’s not super agile, lacking short-area quickness, but he has the size and athleticism to give him a shot this late.
He had an outstanding All-American campaign in 2019, but suffered an injury in the following year before a solid 2021 campaign. He generally plays smaller than his size, but again, he’s flawed, hence why he’s available here.
The athleticism and two impressive seasons are enough to take a swing here. While he’s on the older side, nearing 25, you don’t want as much of a project with a player who’s going in the late sixth round. He could project as the deep threat with size this offense has long lacked.
Pick 221: Isaiah Pacheco, RB, Rutgers
This one is for me. Being born and raised in New Jersey, having seen the Greg Schiano-led (his first stint) Rutgers Scarlet Nights led by Ray Rice (yeah, I know, we didn’t know back then) was really compelling stuff.
Pacheco has that gritty East Coast style of play to him reminiscent of the guile from St. Peter’s in their March Madness run. There is a seriousness, aggression and athleticism to his game that was born out of being an New Jerseyan through and through.
He is one of the best pass blocking running backs in this draft without question, and the play strength he displays was backed up by the fact that he put up 27 bench press reps, good for a 97.7th percentile among all running backs.
His vision is solid and while he doesn’t appear to be the most elusive runner of all time, he has professional speed that is absolutely worthy of employment in an outside zone system. The madman style he runs with reminds me of Jeff Wilson Jr.
There is a run through you, not at you attitude that he has that would add some brawn to the 49ers’ running back corps. He’s got the muscle, athleticism and discernible commitment to all things harsh and brutal that would make him greatly appreciated in Anthony Lynn’s running back room.
Part of his lack of college production can also be explained by the fact that he went to Rutgers, a program which joined the Big 10 voluntarily to be drubbed year in and year out without a hope of ever competing for a conference title.
He put in his best work against Michigan, giving them a run for their money, which is an encouraging hint about his ability to perform at the next level.
He only rushed for 647 yards in his senior season, but was an All Big-10 Honorable Mention and again, played for a school that is generally outmatched in the Big 10. His offense also ran a lot of zone read, leaving his quarterback to run the ball quite a bit. He wouldn’t be available here if there weren’t some issues.
Pick 262 (Mr. Irrelevant): Jordan Jackson, DT, Air Force
If you’re not taking an absolute leap of faith, total swing on athleticism or some sort of high-upside trait at this stage, you are missing the point.
This is Mr. Irrelevant. There’s going to be a week’s worth of attention on him and having the backstory of being an Air Force alone is fairly compelling.
But Jackson has the athletic upside worth swinging on, too. He has the explosiveness and quickness in all categories that you might as well bet on with the draft’s final pick.
You can see glimpses of him here. It’s rough, but hey, it’s the last pick.
