برچسب: 49ers

Who says the 49ers don’t have a pick in the first round of the draft?
They made a preemptive strike a year ago when they traded up to get Trey Lance out of North Dakota State, a quarterback who had he waited a year, would have likely been this year’s Trevor Lawrence as the no-doubt-about-it No. 1 overall selection.

With Lance scheduled to take over in 2022 barring the unlikely scenario of Tom Brady coming to town, the 49ers can bypass a so-so crop of quarterbacks and focus on the rest of their roster.
Lance cost enough draft capital to leave the 49ers currently without a selection until the second round, No. 61 overall, and then they don’t pick again until No. 93 in Round 3. They have nine selections overall, however (fourth, fifth, sixth and three in the seventh) so coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch can be upwardly mobile if they choose to strike on a player they like.
If not, the 49ers will be looking to the south and the example of the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in hope of backfilling an already solid roster with quality depth and maybe a starter or two.
The process starts in earnest Tuesday when the NFL Scouting Combine begins in Indianapolis.
Daniel Jeremiah, the NFL Network’s lead college scouting analyst, has been buried in film study and evaluation and warns that considering the Rams merely a team of superstars acquired outside of the draft is only part of their championship pedigree.
“The discussion of the Rams being a superstar team is very valid, but I think if you look at that team, some of their key players and home run picks they’ve had outside of the first round helped build their nucleus,” Jeremiah said in national video conference Friday. “It shows the importance of depth in the draft. And I think this is really a good depth draft, especially when you get in the second, third and fourth rounds. There’s a lot of quality there, some potential starters.”
The Rams got wide receiver Cooper Kupp in the third round in 2016 Wide receiver Van Jefferson (2020), Cam Akers (2020) and Taylor Rapp (2019) were second round selections, left guard David Andrews in the fifth (2019), safety Nick Scott in the seventh (2019). Defensive tackle Greg Gaines was a fourth-round pick (2019).
When a team isn’t scheduled to pick until No. 61, guessing potential draft selections is like catching minnows in a barrel. Jeremiah did have a pair of names he thinks the 49ers might consider should they make a minor move upward or stand pat — Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam (6-foot-2, 193 pounds) and Louisiana offensive tackle Max Mitchell (6-6, 297).
“Elam is a press corner with big-time makeup speed,” Jeremiah said. “There’s some stuff in transition you struggle with a little bit, but there’s a lot to like about him in that range.”
Trey Lance was taken No. 3 overall in 2021 and would likely have been the top pick in the upcoming draft had he stayed in school one more year. ‘Getty Images
Elam is rated No. 47 in Jeremiah’s top 50 players, with Mitchell at No. 48.
The 49ers’ projected starters at corner are Emmanuel Moseley, who has had issues staying healthy, and Ambry Thomas, a third-round pick a year ago who came on in the last quarter of the season to be one of the most pleasant surprises in the eyes of Shanahan.
In Mitchell, Jeremiah sees a mobile lineman who would fit nicely in the 49ers’ outside zone plays that are their bread and butter in the running game. He was a college teammate (no relation) of Elijah Mitchell, the 49ers leading rusher last season with 963 yards as a sixth-round pick.
“He’s got really good feet, he’s a good athlete and has the ability to reach and seal guys in the run game,” Jeremiah said. “You think about what they ask of their guys movement-wise, he’d be up for the challenge. He’d be a fun one I think would fit in real well there.”
Mike McGlinchey, the 49ers’ starting right tackle was lost in November to a torn quadirceps and may or may not be ready to open the season. Veteran Tom Compton filled in when McGlinchey was out.
One thing appears certain — if Lance is the player the 49ers think he is, then they were right to make the move last season. Jeremiah doesn’t have a quarterback in his top 10 players and some scouts believe there may only be one or two that are worthy of mid-to-late first-round picks.
If Lance had played another year at North Dakota State and remained healthy, there’s a good chance he would have been the first name called in 2022.
“He’s more talented than any quarterback in this draft class and I don’t think it’s particularly close,” Jeremiah said. “If he’d have had a chance to go back to school, grow and play and develop, I think he would have been the first pick in this draft.”
With the NFL having backtracked on its original plan to house players in a bubble and limit access to personal trainers and nutritionists, it remains to be seen the extent to which players will actually work out in front of scouts and personnel departments of all 32 teams.
Shanahan and Lynch are big believers in film trumping workouts, but the combine can help with the decision-making process.
“It has value from the standpoint of watching these guys move around on the field together,” Jeremiah said. “When you’ve got four corners, they’re all kind of in your third-round stack, and they’re out on the field at the same time doing the same drills, it can help you separate them. It doesn’t provide wild swings but it can break ties.”
KEY OFFSEASON DATES UNTIL THE DRAFT
Feb. 22-March 8: The period to designate franchise or transition players is underway and no team has done so as yet. Candidates for the 49ers would be guard Laken Tomlinson and defensive tackle D.J. Jones, but they’d rather work out a longer-term deal with less of a first-year hit. The price for Tomlinson would be approximately $16.5 million, with Jones checking in at $16.9 million.
March 1-7:  NFL Scouting combine begins. First up are check-ins and physicals. On-field workouts begins Thursday with quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends. Offensive linemen and special teams are Friday, linebackers and defensive linemen Saturday and defensive backs Sunday.
March 14-16: Agents can begin negotiations with clubs for free-agent contracts. Typically agreements are reached with the most sought-after players and become official on the 16th. Key 49ers free agents include Tomlinson, Jones, running back Raheem Mostert, safety Jaquiski Tartt, nickel corner K’waun Williams, defensive tackle Kentavius Street and corner Jason Verrett.
March 16: Start of the new league year. The 49ers could trade Jimmy Garoppolo on this date if an agreement was reached previously as his trade exemption will expire. Teams must be cap compliant, which would off-load Garoppolo’s $26.5 million in salary.

April 18: Teams with returning coaches can begin off-season programs, giving Shanahan and his staff a look at the progress of Lance.
April 22: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets. Scheduled for restricted free agency are linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, guard/tackle Daniel Brusnkill.
April 28-30: NFL Draft. The 49ers currently don’t have a pick until the second round, No. 61 overall, and have nine selections in all — including three in the seventh round.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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