We decided to get in on the mock draft action and do a seven-round mock that we cut up by round. Chances are the 49ers make some trades and don’t use all 11 of their scheduled selections, but for our purposes we stuck with the 11 picks to get a feel for what types of players San Francisco might target in which round. We used the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator to execute the mock, and made thee picks for the 49ers. Here’s the third round:
The 49ers are in a place to start the draft where they don’t necessarily need to target a specific need. If a good player slides to them, they have the roster flexibility to make a pick at virtually any position.
However, we stuck mostly to their top needs in the first three picks with an offensive tackle, a defensive back and a cornerback. The latter two picks sound redundant, but they’re very different players who’ll fill different roles that could both be improved for the 49ers.
It stands to reason they could go with a tight end or edge rusher early on, especially if they make a trade up the board. For now we stuck to the needs since some good players at those positions fell to the back of Round 3:
Round 3, Pick 99 | OL Wanya Morris, Oklahoma
Morris is the type of offensive tackle the 49ers might find in the third round who can compete with Colton McKivitz for the starting right tackle job right away. He measured in at 6-5, 307 pounds with arms just over 35 inches long. There aren’t many boxes Morris doesn’t tick from his size to his outstanding athleticism. He has experience at both tackle spots
Round 3, Pick 101 | DB Jartavius Martin, Illinois
Martin goes by “Quan” according to the Illinois athletics site. He did a little bit of everything for the Illini during his five seasons with them, including playing in 55 games and posting 222 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, seven interceptions and 30 pass breakups. His role with the 49ers could conceivably be similar to the one Jimmie Ward filled. He’s athletic enough to play the free safety spot alongside Talanoa Hufanga, but he has the physicality and coverage skills to mosey into the slot and cover receivers and tight ends. As a rookie he’d benefit from playing behind a seasoned veteran like Tashaun Gipson, but it’s easy to see new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks carving out some kind of role for him.
Round 3, Pick 102 | CB Cory Trice, Purdue
Trice is a ton of fun to watch and he fills the 49ers’ need at cornerback. He is massive at 6-3, 206 pounds, but he has plenty of athleticism and coverage skills to stick at cornerback in the NFL. Trice has some experience at safety since he played the position when he arrived at Purdue, but he finished his career with 26 starts in 32 games at CB. Allowing Wilks to help develop a player with Trice’s physical tools could result in a late third-round find who becomes a cornerstone of an already good, young secondary.
