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It’s never too early for a mock draft! A new first-round projection from Pro Football Network has a head-scratching selection for the 49ers though.
Given that the 2023 college football season hasn’t started yet and NFL teams haven’t begun training camp, the art of an early mock is going to be an inexact science with some predictions that wind up way off the mark by the time the draft comes around.
However, PFN’s Dalton Miller has the 49ers drafting Clemson safety Andrew Mukuba with the 31st overall pick:
The San Francisco 49ers lost Jimmie Ward in free agency, so they decided to draft the next one in the 2024 NFL Draft. Like Ward, Andrew Mukuba can wear any hat he needs to for his defense. He is comfortable in the slot, in the box, and as a free safety.
San Francisco traded up to No. 87 in this year’s draft to take Penn State’s Ji’Ayir Brown, who they expect to pair alongside strong safety Talanoa Hufanga for the foreseeable future. Adding another safety doesn’t really make a ton of sense.
If the 49ers find themselves in a position where they need to draft a safety with their first first-round pick in three years it means something went catastrophically wrong with either Brown or Hufanga. Either one struggles badly, or their fit alongside each other isn’t working out.
Chances are the 49ers aren’t going to punt on that duo before Brown has a shot to be the full-time starter though since veteran Tashaun Gipson figures to be ahead of him on the depth chart to start this year.
San Francisco could wind up with a slew of needs by season’s end though. Right tackle could be in play. Cornerback, tight end, linebacker and defensive end could also be positions the 49ers need to target in the first round of next year’s draft.
Any guess at this point requires some form of projection, but it’s hard to imagine a scenario where general manager John Lynch and the front office targeting a safety with their first pick for the second draft in a row.
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