The NFL draft is nearly here which means the top draft analysts are making their final projections ahead of Round 1 Thursday evening.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid took a crack at projecting all 257 picks in this year’s draft, but he offered a handful of different wrinkles in how San Francisco can look to attack their needs.
We went through each pick for the 49ers and issued a grade based mostly on how much we like the selection:
Round 1, Pick 31: Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
This feels like the unlikeliest of all the mock draft picks for the 49ers as we near the draft. San Francisco has never selected a CB earlier than Round 3 under John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan, and McKinstry is coming off a Jones fracture in his foot. He’s a talented, physical cornerback with good size and ball skills (22 pass breakups the last two seasons), but the 49ers would have to stray pretty far from their team-building norm to go this route.
Grade: C-
Round 2, Pick 63: Washington OT Roger Rosengarten
There’s been some buzz about Rosengarten going to the 49ers in the first round. That seems a little steep for an OT prospect who may not beat out Colton McKivitz for the starting job this year. In Round 2 though he’s much more interesting, even if he takes the Aaron Banks path to a starting job where he doesn’t contribute much in Year 1 before taking over in Year 2. Rosengarten needs to add some weight to his frame after measuring in at 6-5, 308 pounds at the combine, but he could develop into a long-term starting right tackle for San Francisco after starting all 28 games there for the Huskies the last two seasons. For the 49ers, finding an OT in Round 2 is paramount if they’re not going that route in Round 1.
Grade: A-
Round 3, Pick 94: Miami DL Leonard Taylor III
This is a high-ceiling/low floor type of selection. Taylor is a fun player to project in the 49ers’ defensive front. He may never be a starter or every-down player, but he shows enough flashes of athleticism and individual dominance that it’s easy to see San Francisco being enticed by his play. This would certainly be a project for 49ers DL coach Kris Kocurek and taking Taylor in the third round means the 49ers are very confident Kocurek can get the most out of him. If he does, Taylor would be a much-needed young, rotational defensive lineman. If he doesn’t, the 49ers would have yet another third-round whiff on their hands.
Grade: B-
Round 4, Pick 124: Wisconsin C Tanor Bortolini
This is a good range for the 49ers to try and find depth or long-term starters along the interior. Bortolini is a big center prospect at 6-4, 303 pounds which gives him some flexibility to potentially move to a different interior spot. Of his 27 college starts on the O-line, Bortolini started 13 at center, eight at left guard, three at right guard and one at right tackle. That type of versatility is something a team like the 49ers would covet in trying to build out a deeper offensive line. If things went really well here Bortolini could wind up in the mix for the starting right guard spot with a chance to be the long-term starter at center. Love the idea here.
Grade: A
Round 4, Pick 132: Virginia WR Malik Washington
Outside of Day 1 or 2 of the draft, Washington is the wide receiver who would be the most fun in the 49ers offense. He’s undersized at 5-8, 191 pounds, but he plays bigger than his size and is exceedingly hard to bring down after the catch. He fits the 49ers’ offensive ethos and posted 110 catches for 1,426 yards and nine touchdowns last season. Good pick.
Grade: A
Round 4, Pick 135: Louisville CB Jarvis Brownlee
Throwing more picks at the CB situation is a good idea regardless of whether the 49ers take one in Round 1. Brownlee isn’t particularly big at 5-10, 194 pounds, but he doesn’t shy away from contact which should serve him well if he winds up sticking with an NFL team as a slot CB. Dane Brugler of the Athletic also notes that Brownlee was a regular special teams contributor throughout his college career which might also make him enticing to a 49ers club looking to bolster its special teams units.
Grade: C
Round 5, Pick 176: Louisville RB Isaac Guerendo
This is a reasonable spot for the 49ers to add some running back depth. Neither Elijah Mitchell nor Jordan Mason are slam dunks to earn roster spots this year, so finding a capable player to challenge for a job makes sense. Guerendo is a lot like Mitchell as a prospect in that he’s more of a one-cut and go type of runner with big-time speed to the edges. The problem and major red flag here is that Guerendo only started one college game in part because of injuries in three separate seasons that allowed him to play in just 41 games across six seasons. RB is a good idea for the 49ers and Guerendo has a good combination of size and speed, but his injury woes are a significant red flag even this late in the draft.
Grade: C-
Round 6, Pick 211: Rice WR Luke McCaffrey
Adding Christian McCaffrey’s brother would be fun, but it’s more than just a good story. McCaffrey, a converted quarterback, checks in at 6-1, 198 and plays with a hard-nosed demeanor reminiscent of his older brother. There’s a case to be made that McCaffrey is still ascending as a receiver. He didn’t contribute for Rice until the last two seasons when he posted 129 catches for 1,715 yards and 19 touchdowns in 24 games. He also contributed 27 rushes for 265 yards and one touchdown in those 24 contests. This is an interesting late-round add with a ton of upside for the 49ers, but they may have a logjam at receiver.
Grade: B
Round 6, Pick 215: British Columbia OT Giovanni Manu
This late in the draft the 49ers aren’t liable to find a starting-caliber offensive lineman. Instead they opt for Manu in Reid’s draft, who comes with really high-end physical traits like a 6-7, 352-pound frame. He ran a 5.06 40-yard dash at his Pro Day which indicates an intriguing measure of athleticism as well. It’s unlikely Manu, who started all 39 games he played in college including 33 at left tackle, would make the roster in Year 1. He’d be a nice developmental piece on the practice squad though.
Grade: C
Round 7, Pick 251: Washington DE Zion Tupuola-Fetui
There’s not much that indicates Tupuola-Fetui is a long-term answer for the 49ers. They need depth on the edge though and it’s hard not to notice Tupuola-Fetui’s motor on tape. He posted 7.0 sacks in just four games during the 2020 pandemic season. Unfortunately for him his production never reached that level again and he put up just 11.5 sacks over the next three seasons. At 6-2, 244 pounds he has enough size to be a situational pass rusher though. Some time as a developmental player on the practice squad may be required before he can contribute.
Grade: C
