While most mock drafts have the 49ers selecting a wide receiver with the No. 13 pick they acquired from the Colts in the DeForest Buckner trade, it may not be that cut and dry on draft day. A new three-round mock from the Draft Wire presents a scenario where it won’t be easy for San Francisco to simply scoop the best wide receiver available.
They do take a receiver in the mock. Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb becomes a 49er to try and fill their void near the top of their wide receiver depth chart. That’s a sensible pick. Lamb is a bully on contested throws and a monster after the catch. His skill set would fit nicely alongside Deebo Samuel.
Where the conundrum arises for San Francisco is whether they want to address receiver with that selection given the other players on the board at that point, namely, South Carolina defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw and Florida cornerback CJ Henderson.
Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III is also on the board, but quibbling over the best available receiver matters less than ironing out which positional need and value is best that early in the first round.
Adding a top wide receiver to an offense that averaged 29.9 last season makes a lot of sense. Especially considering a regression could be coming for the 49ers’ defense, meaning additional output from the offense will be necessary. On the other hand, this wide receiver class is deep. Colorado’s Laviska Shenault, Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk and Clemson’s Tee Higgins are all available when San Francisco picks at No. 31, and could all be had at different points of the second round in the Draft Wire mock.
A player like Kinlaw would make also make a lot of sense at No. 13 since filling the void left by DeForest Buckner won’t be easy. Arik Armstead can take over some of the work there, but the 49ers’ depth on the interior isn’t the strongest part of their defensive front. Kinlaw probably won’t be as productive as Buckner right away, but at 6-5, 324 pounds with long arms, a ton of strength and good athleticism, Kinlaw projects to be a productive pro pretty quickly.
San Francisco rode a very good, very deep defensive line to the Super Bowl last season, and selecting Kinlaw instead of a wide receiver at No. 13 would give the 49ers the best chance of replicating that formula.
A cornerback could also be the pick at No. 13 depending on how the 49ers view Ahkello Witherspoon and Emmanuel Moseley long term. Neither player is under contract beyond 2020. Richard Sherman, who turned 32 this offseason, is also entering the final year of his deal. San Francisco could add a cornerback early this season to get a head start on retooling their secondary.
Henderson would be the logical selection there if the team opts to go that route. He has ideal size at 6-1, 204 pounds and the 4.39 speed of a smaller player. The key with Henderson is how good he is at playing the ball. He had six interceptions and 20 pass breakups in 30 games at the University of Florida. Henderson is the type of player who could step in and be a long-term starter on Day 1. Finding that player is crucial if the 49ers have reservations about the viability of their top corners going into this season. Figuring out how to deal with the rest of the roster is a secondary (no pun intended) concern.
Lamb, or any wide receiver the 49ers like, makes sense at the No. 13 spot in this year’s draft. It isn’t a home run though. San Francisco has a smattering of holes on their roster that they could fill with their top pick. If the draft shakes out how it does in this Draft Wire mock, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are going to have some difficult decisions to make.
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