Once again it is that time of year when the NFL Draft is upon us. Each year, LWOS explores the top three draft needs for each team, and this article’s focus is the San Francisco 49ers. General manager Trent Baalke is entering his 11th year with the 49ers, and this may prove to be one of his most challenging drafts considering the situation concerning Colin Kaepernick. Also, this will be Baalke’s first time managing the draft with new head coach Chip Kelly. The 49ers have a total of twelve picks in this year’s draft. Though seven of those picks do not happen until the fifth or sixth round, they are still valuable, and twelve is an abundance of picks. The 49ers first pick is at number seven in round one, and the issue they most need to address is obvious at this point. It’s the biggest concern for most teams in the league.
San Francisco 49ers 2016 NFL Draft: Top Three Needs
Quarterback
The Colin Kaepernick situation in San Francisco has been treacherous since he was benched last season and placed on injured reserve. As of April 1st, Kaepernick’s contract of $11.9 million for 2016 is guaranteed, yet rumors still abound that the Denver Broncos and John Elway are trying to obtain the 28-year-old quarterback from San Francisco. The 49ers played Blaine Gabbert last season when Kaepernick went down. Though Gabbert did show flashes of talent last season, in no way did he prove himself to be a long term solution for the team. With Thad Lewis as the 49ers third option, Trent Baalke should be looking to take a quarterback with his seventh pick.
At the top of most people’s lists are Carson Wentz and Jared Goff. With the latest move by the Los Angeles Rams to acquire the first pick in the draft from the Titans, odds are one of those two players will be gone by the seventh pick. Even though the Browns picked up Robert Griffin III this off-season, there are still questions surrounding his durability, so both Wentz and Goff may be off the board. The Dallas Cowboys, who pick fourth, may need to add a quarterback to the roster as well. With Tony Romo nearing the end of his playing days, now would be the time to draft a young quarterback and start grooming him. Paxton Lynch and Dak Prescott could be options considering Chip Kelly likes a mobile quarterback, and runs his offense at lightning speed. If the 49ers and Kelly are looking for a pro-style quarterback, Connor Cook and Christian Hackenberg could also be viable options, even though Hackenberg’s draft stock did fall a bit during the draft combine. The best option that will be available to San Francisco with the seventh pick seems to be Connor Cook. Cook is 6’4″ and 220 pounds so he has all the size needed, and a strong arm. Though Cook only had a 57.5 completion percentage at Michigan St., he did finish his four-year career at the school with 9,194 yards, 71 touchdowns and only 22 interceptions.
Linebacker
Patrick Willis’ retirement after the 2014 season left a large void not only in the 49ers locker room, but in their defense as well. And things got no better when Chris Borland decided to quit football entirely in March of 2015. Navarro Bowman tore his left ACL and MCL in the 2013 NFC Championship game, and is still getting back to the player he was before his injury. San Francisco’s only real all-pro talent left at linebacker is Ahmad Brooks, and his is entering his 11th year in the league.
Reggie Ragland out of Alabama could be a good fit for the 49ers, and is one of the top prospects coming out of the draft at linebacker. At a height of 6’1″ and weighing 247 pounds, Ragland has the necessary size to play the position. Ragland also shows the instincts and toughness needed to be a success in the NFL. In 2015, Ragland had 102 tackles, seven pass break ups, and 2.5 sacks for the Crimson Tide. Jaylon Smith from Notre Dame, and Myles Jack out of UCLA were both thought to be high draft picks coming out of college. But both suffered serious knee injuries last season, and there was worry during the combine that both players could have long term issues with their knees. In fact, there is doubt that Jaylon Smith will even be able to play in 2016. At 6’0″ and 245 pounds, Kentrell Brothers, out of Missouri, is an option for Chip Kelly if he is looking for speed at linebacker. Brothers recorded an outstanding 152 tackles for Missouri in 2015, 12 of them for a loss. He also had 2.5 sacks, and has the ability to makes plays on the perimeter due to his quickness. Although Brothers draft stock fell a little after the combine, he still has the potential to be a big play threat at the linebacker position.
Offensive Line
San Francisco’s offensive line has been in a state of decline the past few seasons. This off-season started out with left guard Alex Boone leaving for the Minnesota Vikings. The team did re-sign guard Jordan Devey, but he is considered by many to be the team’s worst linemen. Left tackle Joe Staley and center Mike Kilgore, if health, will fortunately be returning to the team. Also, the 49ers did sign Zane Beadles from the Jacksonville Jaguars during free-agency, most likely to fill the whole left by Boone at left tackle. This means that the right side of the 49ers offensive line is wide open. If Anthony Davis returns from retirement he could fill the right tackle spot, be he shouldn’t be counted on as that decision is still somewhat up in the air. San Francisco does have Brandon Thomas, Ian Silberman, and Colin Kelly on their roster, but none really have the capabilities of a Boone or Staley.
Though this year is considered to be a weak draft class at guard, there is NFL level talent coming out at tackle. Laremy Tunsil out of Old Miss is the top rated offensive linemen coming out of the draft. Tunsil is 6’5″, 310 pounds. Before the recent trade with the Rams, it was rumored that Tunsil may go at pick number one to the Tennessee Titans. Tunsil has a great skill set for the NFL. He has a natural knee bend, quickness, and agility. He would be a great blind side blocker if he falls to pick seven for the 49ers. Notre Dame standout Ronnie Stanley had a great performance at the combine, and would be a good fit at right tackle. Stanley has all the strength and athleticism to be a Pro Bowl player in the league, and is a great pass protector. Another player at the top of most linemen rankings is Joshua Garnett from Stanford. Garnett has the ability to be a great pulling guard and run blocker, which could be useful in a Chip Kelly style offense. Garnett does need to add some upper body strength, but lifted well on bench press at the combine, and should be there for the 49ers to take at pick seven.
