The NFL Draft is one week away. Electric, isn't it? Get your takes off now so you can make sure when the one player you fell in love with goes somewhere else and excels, you can lord it over John Lynch. That's what it's all about.
This is a seven-round mock which features three trades, but still ends up with the 49ers making 10 selections. The thesis? Get Brock Purdy a tackle, and stack value.
Without further ado, the first move of the draft... a trade. As a note, this is a long piece, and links to tape of each player are clickable on their name.
TRADE DOWN WITH COMMANDERS
49ers trade to Commanders:
Round 1, Pick 31
Round 3, Pick 94
Round 5, Pick 176
Commanders trade to 49ers:
Round 2, Pick 36
Round 3, Pick 78
Round 5, Pick 152
The Commanders need talent. They have a new regime the 49ers know all too well, with Adam Peters and Martin Mayhew. They have a 34-pick wait after selecting No. 2 overall, then go 36 and 40. Would it not be in their interest to close that gap and move up, maybe hopping some interior offensive line desperate teams in the Panthers and Cardinals for Jackson Powers-Johnson, or acquiring some receiving help via Ladd McConkey or Adonai Mitchell? Or maybe they see more in Jordan Morgan than I do.
There’s a risk for the 49ers that the Commanders would want to take a tackle. My response to that is, if they can’t figure out who Adam Peters wants, after working with him for seven years, well, that’s on them.
The five-pick slide nets the 49ers a 16-pick boost in the third round, and a 24-pick jump in the fifth. That seems worthwhile, and benefits both parties, neither of whom lose a selection. You could try to flip 124 and 100, instead of 176 and 152, but that may be a bit less appealing to Washington.
Round 2, Pick 36: Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
It took me a while to come around on Suamataia. He is, in many ways, much more of a project than any of the previous tackles who will likely come off the board, with some worrying lack of polish at times. But unless the 49ers trade up, I do not believe they will be able to get any of the following tackles:
Joe Alt, Notre Dame
Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Penn State
Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
Troy Fautanu, Washington
J.C. Latham, Alabama
Amarius Mims, Georgia
Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma
The best chance they have is probably to get Guyton, who is mocked right around the 31 range, but the board has to fall just right. I think it’s likelier all seven of those tackles are gone by the time it’s pick 31, and the board there just doesn’t offer much value.
Suamataia has immense physical traits, but can get out over his skis with sloppy technique, both in his hands and footwork. He played at a small school, and put up some bad tape on occasion, especially on the right side against Oregon.
Still, he’s got absolute road grader potential, and has the perfect level of athleticism to punish defenders in the run game, in the exact manner the 49ers require. He is the best of the rest in terms of potential. His experience on either side of the line will also come in handy.
And while some have mocked Arizona’s Jordan Morgan to the 49ers at 31, I don’t see it. He seems like a guard, and there are plenty of other guards who don’t get stood up and pushed back, and ride on the coattails of “maybe” being a tackle.
He’s a decent fit in an outside zone scheme, but the value is taking a guard/center later, where there are plenty. Either get a tackle, or don’t. Don’t do the “maybe he’s a tackle” dance. For the record, Fautanu is. He would be a dream fit, but it feels likelier he goes closer to 10th than 20th.
With Suamataia in this slot, you get a guy who can spend a year learning from one of the greats in Trent Williams and offensive line coach Chris Foerster. You bet on smarts and athleticism at tackle when you go early, and Suamataia appears to have that.
Round 2, Pick 63: Ruke Orhorhoro, DT, Clemson
This is a tricky one. The 49ers could maybe move up, and I think if someone like Florida’s Ricky Pearsall gets anywhere past 55, that may be worth it. The Dolphins, by the way, have a 103-pick gap between their 55th overall selection and their next one. If you’re San Francisco, consider giving them 63, 132 and get back 55 and 158. The Dolphins slide back 7 picks to cut that 103-pick gap to 69. Nice.
But this scenario assumes Pearsall is gone earlier than that, as are Xavier Legette and Keon Coleman. The only other exception is if Georgia safety Javon Bullard is there. He is my top safety in this class and a stud. The 49ers have been in the market for a safety because they (understandably, and correctly) do not trust Talanoa Hufanga in coverage. Bullard and Ji’Ayir Brown would be a damn good young safety pairing, and might actually bring out the best in Hufanga. But I don’t think Bullard will be there, at least not in this scenario.
So, you stack up the defensive line with one of the freakiest, athletic defensive tackles in Ruke Orhorhoro (Oh-roh-roh-roh). The 49ers could still use some help on the interior after Arik Armstead’s departure, and Orhorhoro is a superb athlete. You could argue they’d be better off going for Texas’ T’Vondre Sweat, to plug gaps and eat up space, and that is a perfectly fair argument. Michael Hall Jr. of Ohio State is another elite athlete option who you could maybe get at 78.
Orhorhoro doesn’t possess that same swathe-eating ability in the run game as Sweat (no one does), but he is strong enough to be functional there, and Sweat is a one-trick pony as a pass-rusher, which he’s not actually much of. Orhorhoro very much is.
Maybe there’s too much overlap with Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins, but both of their best days are behind them (which is not to say they can’t or won’t be productive). Orhorhoro, who often had to play wider than his strengths complement, won’t have to do that with the 49ers, and he has enough strength to improve in the run game.
Round 3, Pick 78: Jalen McMillan, WR, Washington
Most of the great receivers have gone at this stage. You start getting into your Devontez Walkers, Johnny Wilsons and Jermaine Burtons of the world. A lot of boom-or-bust guys, in my view.
Jalen McMillan, if healthy, is a fantastic option here for the 49ers. He has solid size at 6 feet and 1/8 inches, 197 pounds, along with the speed (4.47-second 40-yard dash, 83rd percentile for receivers), and route-running polish to execute at all levels. While he could afford to add some pounds, I saw flashes of blocking potential that the 49ers will like. He was more widely recruited than Rome Odunze, and those natural movement skills show. I prefer him over his other receiving teammate, Ja'Lynn Polk, at least as far as the 49ers are concerned.
His main criticism is that he can struggle against the physicality of press man, which he didn’t face all that much of in college. Many receivers struggle against good press man, especially early. See: Deebo Samuel in the Super Bowl. He may be a better day one fit at Samuel's Z position, similar to how he was used at Washington, but I think he has the size and savviness to play anywhere. He'll need to get in the weight room a bit.
That said, he’s someone who would immediately provide the 49ers with a fourth capable receiver, of which they have lacked. The will be in need another flexible outside receiver next year if/when they trade Samuel next offseason after extending Brandon Aiyuk in this one.
McMillan’s knee injuries, in an offense featuring Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk make him undervalued in my view, and he would be given time to develop and provide a bigger-bodied option for Purdy with more speed than Jauan Jennings (also a free agent after this season).
TRADE UP WITH COLTS
49ers trade to Colts:
Round 4, Pick 124
Round 4, Pick 135
Colts trade to 49ers:
Round 4, Pick 117
Round 5, Pick 151
This entire article is just even trade swaps, and no, I’m not proud of it. But that’s what’s happening.
The most important part of this trade is that it rids the 49ers of the cursed pick 124: the last remains of the Trey Lance era. If you take a player with 124, that player becomes part of that curse. If you move up with it, you leverage it into something else, tossing it into the murk and mire that is two selections. But it’s not a one-for-two trade, either, so you can’t just say that the 117 and 151 selections represent the pick traded for Lance. It’s murky. The legacy evaporates further.
Round 4, Pick 117: Tanor Bortolini, C, Wisconsin
Aside from that, you move up seven slots while dropping back 16. Maybe that’s a little rich on the back end (it is) just to avoid using the Lance pick, but it allows you to select, in my view, the steal of the draft in Tanor Bortolini. The knock on the Wisconsin center is that he can get a little off balance by over-extending, and needs to work on his anchor against bull rushers.
But my god, this dude is sick. He is incredibly astute in his assignments, and has top, top-tier athleticism to excel in pulls, second-level blocks, and passing off assignments or picking up late blitzers. He is going to be the redemption to the 49ers failure to draft Creed Humphrey (Aaron Banks is the "just fine" Ling’s Palace to Creed Humphrey’s Schmegelman’s) in 2022.
Bortolini played guard before taking over the center spot from current Jets center Joe Tippman, and he will compete at both center and guard immediately.
Round 4, Pick 132: Malik Mustapha, S, Wake Forest
Depending on what the 49ers do previously, you could make an argument for a number of positions. If they take Javon Bullard at 63, this pick might Colorado State edge rusher Mohamed Kamara, or Florida State’s stellar outside corner Renardo Green (who I don’t think will be available here).
Mustapha, though, is maybe my second-favorite safety in this class, and seems criminally underrated. Maybe you take him at the 117 slot, but Bortolini is too good to pass up.
It seems like any time there’s a screen or an outside zone run, Mustapha comes downhill like he was shot out of a cannon. He might be undersized height-wise at 5 feet, 10 1/8 inches, but he has a sturdy frame at 209 pounds, and contains elite athleticism and instincts that allow him to range over and make plays on deep balls.
His coverage has the most question marks, but coverage is notoriously difficult to evaluate for college safeties, and Mustapha flashes more than enough intelligence and athleticism to grow into a quality, well-rounded safety.
TRADE UP WITH CHARGERS
49ers trade to Colts:
Round 5, Pick 152
Round 6, Pick 215
Colts trade to 49ers:
Round 5, Pick 140
Round 7, Pick 253
This is operation get a tight end. San Francisco moves up 12 spots, then drops 38. Maybe that's a bit expensive, but you want to get your guy.
Round 5, Pick 140: Tip Reiman, TE, Illinois
The 49ers need a tight end in this draft. The top tight end not named Brock Bowers is Kansas State’s Ben Sinnott, and he is probably going in the second round. After that, it’s a muddled mess, with such names as McCallan Castles (who I actually love as a late sixth-to-seventh-round option).
I have trouble believing Reiman will be available this late, but mock after expert mock go by and he’s available here. He is inexperienced and needs technical work as a blocker, and as a route-runner. But George Kittle was inexperienced, and lacking production.
I'd like to see Reiman get less distended as a blocker. He has a tendency to stand up a bit too straight and can lose some of his natural drive and strength. He is a whopping 6 feet, 5 inches and 271 pounds and ran an absurd 4.64-second 40-yard dash. He had an insane 9.92/10 relative athletic score.
Reiman, like Kittle, has superb athleticism. He flashes much more pass-catching ability than Kittle did. Without having added a backup tight end, and with neither Cam Latu nor Brayden Willis, in my view, going to cut it (it’s at best a bad bet), the 49ers need to bring someone in. They need to lessen Kittle’s workload anyway, and Reiman can help do that.
Round 5, Pick 151: Decamerion Richardson, CB, Miss St.
Richardson is a bit of a project, but he has all the physical tools you'd want in a corner. He took a 30 visit with the 49ers this past week, and there is a ton to like about him.
He's a little slimmer than you'd like at 6 feet, 2 1/4 inches and 188 pounds, but his tackling form is excellent. Maybe that's to compensate for a lack of pure hitting power, but it's rare to see someone tackle and wrap up in such a vintage, consistent way.
His main asset is his speed. He struggles to consistently press at the line of scrimmage despite long arms, and too often leans on that speed and length to catch up to receivers. His most worrisome trait, a la Ahkello Witherspoon, is that he doesn't track the ball superbly, or play through it as well as some other corners.
That said, I actually see the 49ers as fine at outside corner. Deommodore Lenoir should remain inside, because he is a stellar nickel, and that's incredibly valuable for the 49ers. But between Ambry Thomas, Darrell Luter Jr., Isaac Yiadom and Rock Ya-Sin, San Francisco actually has a very solid corner group.
You could make an argument that the 49ers should be looking for more of a nickel type who gets downhill and makes plays around the ball. Both Kentucky's Andru Phillips and Auburn's D.J. James are great options around the third round in that regard. But it doesn't feel like a pressing need.
Richardson could become an Antonio Cromartie-like corner. One other option, in a similar mold (and who is a bit more naturally gifted in press man) is Boston College's Elijah Jones. He's another lean, long corner with length and great speed, though maybe not as fluid.
Round 6, Pick 211: Jordan Magee, LB, Temple
Someone might take this guy in the fourth round, or he could be available as a priority free agent. That’s what happens when you play at Temple, on a horrific defense. Oddly enough, temple has another intriguing linebacker, Yvandy Rigby, who will be an undrafted free agent, and is a bit beefier than Magee.
With Magee, you get a swiss army knife. This guy has outrageous speed and fluidity in movement at linebacker. I could see him as a slot, or someone who with such an impressive coverage ceiling that you can stay in base.
He’s a bit undersized and I’d like to see him shed blocks a bit quicker, and more assertively. But in the sixth round, you’re swinging on upside, and at the very least, this guy will be a menace as a gunner. Special teams is an area the 49ers invested in heavily this offseason, with the knowledge that the kickoff rule change was coming.
Magee is a guy who can help you in all facets of special teams from the get-go. Maybe he pulls a reverse Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and moves to safety, but it’s hard not to see him as an NFL player with his movement skills.
The other player of interest, who might not make it to this slot, is hulking Wyoming tackle Frank Crum. He has, by all accounts, no clue what he’s doing out there. He’s sloppy, with bad technique, bad footwork, out over his skis because he reaches too early too often. But. BUT! He can get very mean in the run game and has the clear athleticism to be an NFL player. Does this mean you’re taking two developmental tackles in the same draft? Sure. But that’s twice the opportunity to get one of them to hit. Trent Williams, unfortunately, can’t play forever.
Oh, and Qwan’Tezz Stiggers, of the Toronto Argonauts deserves a shout here. He had a bizarre career, with family issues forcing him to eschew college. He got a shot in Fan Controlled Football, excelled, then got signed by the Argonauts and won their version of Rookie of the Year. He is a superb athlete who is, given his inexperience, very raw. But he plays through and tracks the ball well, and has all the physical tools to succeed.
Round 7, Pick 251: George Holani, RB, Boise State
Elijah Mitchell has one year remaining, and the 49ers should really pick up a running back in this draft, just not in the third round. Never draft a running back before round five.
Holani is wildly underrated. He did everything at Boise State. He was forced into the unfortunate job of pass protecting in almost every rep against Washington in Boise State’s season opener, and lost some time last year because of that.
But Holani is physical, well-sized, and with the requisite first-step speed, intelligence, and creative elusive capabilities to be a very solid running back. He ran for 1,157 yards and 10 TDs his redshirt senior year, and despite some injuries last year, ran for 748 yards and 7 TDs (with a 5.6 yards per carry average).
One other running back option here, or at the Magee pick, is Troy running back Kimani Vidal, who I think may go early in round six.
Round 7, Pick 253: Fabian Lovett, DT, Florida State
The 49ers didn't pick up a gap-plugger in T'Vondre Sweat, so this attempts to remedy that. Lovett is a big fella at nearly 6 feet, 4 inches, and 316 pounds. He ran a surprisingly quick, 5-second 40-yard dash, but tested terribly in terms of explosion.
We don't really care about any of that. He is one of the strongest defensive tackles in this draft, and while he leave himself a bit vulnerable to redirection, he fights harder than just about anyone to hold his ground. And he does so successfully. He is a high upside run defender who might have enough to give you an occasional power rush. But make no mistake, he's here to plug gaps.
Conclusion
This is a perhaps conservative estimation of who's available for the 49ers at every spot in the draft. Another mock will come before draft day with a slightly more optimistic view.
I must also conclude by providing this horrendous grade given to me by Pro Football Focus (ignore the final few picks).
Their draft tool, which is both incredibly useful, and horrendous, hates this draft. It is here for posterity, and to mock the great, but often galaxy-brained minds over there that sometimes miss the full picture in obsession over one part of it.
