The 49ers’ list of NFL draft needs will fluctuate greatly depending on how free agency shakes out for them. If they’re able to retain key players like defensive lineman Arik Armstead and free safety Jimmie Ward, they’ll be able to use the 2020 draft to add depth to a Super Bowl-ready roster. If they lose out on those free agents, the draft will become a means for finding a starter or two. The latter situation plays out in Mel Kiper’s new mock draft.
San Francisco sticks at the 31st pick and once again takes LSU safety Grant Delpit to replace Ward. Delpit appears ready to step in and start at free safety right away, which would be the ideal scenario for the 49ers if they do stick with their first round pick instead of trading back to accumulate more assets.
Kiper’s analysis is intriguing for a couple reasons.
First, he doesn’t broach the idea of the 49ers trading back – something his colleague Todd McShay has done in his mocks. Kiper emphasizes the pressure on head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch to “get this pick right because they don’t have another selection until the fifth round.”
While it seems less likely in the event they lose a starter in free agency, a trade is the most logical choice for San Francisco in a year where they’re bereft of quality draft capital. That’s why all discussions of the 49ers’ first-round pick has to come with the caveat that there’s a good chance they explore all avenues of trading back before taking a player there.
The other interesting note from Kiper regards another free agent, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. He posits that the 49ers could let Sanders walk “and replace him with a playmaker from a super-deep class.”
If there’s a significant market for Sanders, which there could be for teams looking for a still-productive veteran, the 49ers may not have much of a choice but to let him go.
On the other hand, if the 49ers believe a No. 1 receiver to pair with Deebo Samuel long-term will be available at No. 31, then letting Sanders go seems like an obvious choice given their financial constraints.
A deep class also indicates San Francisco may not need to spend a first-round pick to find a productive player that fits into Shanahan’s offense. In the last two years, they’ve used two second-round picks, a third-round pick and a seventh-round pick on wide receivers. Adding a first-round choice to that group may only happen if they hit a home run in free agency and retain both Armstead and Ward.
This year’s draft is going to be an important one for the 49ers in their quest to build a long-term contender. Fortunately for Shanahan and Lynch, they won’t have to make any of these huge draft decisions until April once free agency has shaken out and they get a clearer picture of their roster and its needs.
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