Our initial list of the 49ers’ four biggest needs in the NFL draft was incorrect. Or at least they were misguided since technically there’s not a correct answer to the question.
Our first list of 49ers draft needs went like this:
1. Wide receiver
2. Cornerback
3. Safety
4. Defensive line
There were caveats with each of these, like defensive line moves out of the top four if Arik Armstead re-signs, or safety gets pushed down if Jimmie Ward sticks around. The other two spots remain on the list.
An amendment to these initial rankings needs to be made though. Safety is too high on the list, and interior offensive line is missing.
There was an initial reaction to ensure the secondary stayed among the NFL’s best in 2020, but the 49ers may be able to do that even if Ward walks.
Tarvarius Moore, who got an apparent endorsement from Jimmie Ward on Instagram, would be the logical replacement. He’s a natural free safety who started the first three games of the season while Ward was out with a broken collarbone. His transition to start the year wasn’t perfect, but his two big plays in the Super Bowl, including an interception, showed a flash of what he brings to the back end of the 49ers’ defense.
Moore would get penciled in as the starter if Ward does walk, but some competition for that job would help. Our initial ranking of draft needs said “finding a prospect who can step in and take over as the starting free safety right away may wind up becoming a top priority for the 49ers.”
That’s not necessarily correct. They’ll surely try to find some safety depth in the draft, but they don’t need a premium pick to do so. Ironing out some other positions first before finding a free safety with perhaps a fifth-round pick makes more sense than reaching for a prospect when Moore, a 2018 third-round pick, is already tabbed as the starter.
The other reason safety gets pushed down the list is because interior offensive line needs to get into the top three, and is probably their most immediate, pressing need going into the draft.
Good offensive line play is essential for any offense, and San Francisco is in a spot where they need to start moving toward reconstructing their offensive front. Left guard Laken Tomlinson is just 27-years old and has played well since joining the club in 2017. After that things get dicey.
Center Weston Richburg struggled while playing through an injury in 2018, then had his 2019 season cut short by a knee injury in Week 14. He played well prior to his injury last season, and a contract restructure will keep him on the club in 2020, but the team has to consider both depth for the upcoming season and their future at the position.
Right guard could also become a vacancy in the starting lineup if the team parts ways with right guard Mike Person. The 31-year-old and his $2.5 million salary cap hit can be released with no penalty against the cap. San Francisco could take the top guard available with their first pick in the draft and find a new starter at a cheaper price than Person. It’d be an added bonus if that player could also kick down to center in the event Richburg is unavailable.
Taking an interior offensive lineman early also ensures a player like Daniel Brunskill is put in a position to either compete for a starting job or give the 49ers quality depth on the interior.
With all that said, here is what the new 49ers’ list of pre-draft needs looks like:
1. Interior offensive line
2. Wide receiver
3. Cornerback
4. Safety
Defensive line gets pushed out for now since Armstead’s camp is working on a long-term deal with the 49ers. There aren’t signs that those talks are progressing one way or the other, but it’s enough to push that position out of the top four needs heading into free agency.