Eastcoast49ers February Mock Draft

I used Deuh's mock offseason as a base for some of my offseason decisions. I don't think anyone would match a tender offer for Celek and Nelson and I don't want to pay them the tender amount. I'd like to keep our secondary intact if possible, because they played well together this season. If Cox and Culliver both command high salaries, this may be unlikely, but I imagined we'd have cap with the following moves, especially if we also restructure Kaepernick and Stevie. Baalke indicated they needed to add depth to the secondary, but he's probably not counting on having Culliver, Cox, and Cook back. This offseason is what I would like to see happen rather than what I think the 49ers will do.

Re-sign:
QB Josh Johnson
RB Frank Gore
RB Alfonso Smith
CB Chris Culliver
CB Perrish Cox
CB Chris Cook
LS Kyle Nelson

Tender:
DE Tony Jerod-Eddie

Let Walk
QB Blaine Gabbert
RB Phillip Tanner
WR Michael Crabtree
WR Brandon Llyod
WR Kassim Osgood
TE Garrett Celek
OG Mike Iupati
DE Justin Smith (retires)
LB Dan Skuta
LB Michael Wilhoite
LB Desmond Bishop
S Bubba Ventrone

Cut:
S Craig Dahl – can save $1.7 million for a backup S. Hopefully we can count on Jimmie Ward to provide depth at safety this year.
CB Marcus Cromartie – save $510,000 for a player who may not make the roster if we bring back Culliver, Cox, and Cooks.

Possibly Cut:
K Phil Dawson - would save $3.134 million (only $1 million in dead money) - if we can get a free agent kicker or draft a kicker to replace Dawson, we may want to look into that. He's 40 and unlikely to regain his Pro Bowl form.
WR Stevie Johnson - would save $6.025 million - depends on which WR's we draft and the progression of Ellington and Patton. We need to get speed on the field. I think Stevie is a decent receiver, but I don't love the combination of Stevie and Boldin on the outside.

Extend:
OLB Aldon Smith
ILB Patrick Willis

Acquire:
DE/DT Jared Odrick, Dolphins: After losing McDonald and Justin Smith, we bring in a veteran who is solid against the run and pass.
OT Eric Winston, Bengals: He's 31 and has been bouncing around the league serving as a backup. He still has reasonably quick feet and could serve as a backup swing tackle. He'd be a short term solution to our lack of depth on the offensive line and shouldn't be too expensive.

Trades:
Trade Ahmad Brooks for a 2016 conditional 5th/6th round pick: Brooks may be tradeable now because his contract de-escalated. This opens up a little cap room and the starting spot opposite Smith is Lynch's.

Trade Round 1 Pick #15 to the Carolina Panthers for Round 1 Pick #25 and Round 2 Pick #57: Carolina needs to rebuild their offensive line to protect Cam Newton. There is a good chance one of the top tackles is still available at 15, so they trade up with the 49ers who may have missed out on the top 3 WR's and Shelton. This is an exact match on the trade value chart (1050 to 1050) and could benefit both teams if an offensive lineman is BPA.

Trade the 49ers 4th and 5th round pick to move to the top of the 4th round.

Draft: Phillips and Trail are a little ambitious - Phillips may drop because of his injury history and Trail is very raw, but it would take some luck to get them here. I'd be thrilled if the draft worked out like this though.

Round 1, Pick 25 (from Carolina): Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma, 6'5 225
I wouldn't mind if we took this guy at 15, but the team will have to be very comfortable after interviewing him that he has matured and will be able to stay out of trouble in the NFL. I consider him the most talented WR in the draft – he is still raw and needs a lot of work on route running and blocking, but he is an immediate red zone threat and has the speed and jump ball ability to stretch the field. Trading with the Panthers would keep us ahead of some other teams who may be looking at Green-Beckham late in round 1 (Ravens, Cowboys/Broncos if they lose Dez or Demaryius, Colts, Packers if they lose Cobb, Seahawks, Patriots).

Round 2, Pick 46: Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma, 6'6 334
Phillips is ranked 23 on CBS and is outside of ESPN's top 32 draft rankings. Ultimately, I think he falls to midway through the 2nd round because of his injury history. He missed most of the 2013 season with chronic back issues and had surgery on his back. According to Stoops, Phillips dealt with back issues for a couple years before the surgery (CBS draft profile). He's big and powerful enough to play NT, but he needs to work on staying low. He's been compared to Dontari Poe and Albert Haynesworth, so the talent is there. He needs to stay healthy and get more experience. With his size and length, he could also rotate at 3-4 DE.

Round 2, Pick 57 (from Carolina): Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami (Fla.), 5'10 183
Late 2nd round seems to be the right range for Dorsett despite the rumors of him possibly being taken in the first round after the Senior Bowl. I consider him the 9th or 10th best receiver behind Cooper, White, Parker, Green-Beckham, Strong, Coates, Funchess, Smith, and maybe Agholor. He has unbelievable speed.

Round 3, Pick 79: Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M, 6'5 300
We brought in Eric Winston as a free agent to provide immediate depth as a swing tackle. Ogbuehi could compete for a starting guard spot once healthy, be a backup swing tackle, and possibly replace Staley in the future at LT. He was viewed more highly than Brandon Thomas before his injury, so we probably wouldn't be able to wait past this pick to draft him. Borderline first round talent who struggled a bit and was kicked to RT, but has all the physical tools to develop into a starting tackle in the NFL. In this scenario, he wouldn't be counted on to start right away.

Round 4: Lynden Trail, OLB, Norfolk State, 6'6 262
This may be a bit of a stretch as there is a decent chance Trail is gone before the 4th round, but I would really like him as a developmental OLB behind Lynch or Smith. He's pretty raw, but he's a very good athlete with good length. I think he could be pretty similar to Lynch as a player, but is not as developed as a pass rusher. You can never have enough pass rushers and Trail and we could use some more depth here if Skuta leaves.

Round 4 (comp) Kurtis Drummond, FS, Michigan State, 6-1 205
Productive 3 year starter for Michigan State who was a First Team All American as a senior, but is expected to be picked in rounds 4-5 because he isn't a great athlete and lacks ideal strength for a safety. I like him as a cheap replacement for Dahl. He's a solid tackler who takes good angles, so he may be able to contribute on special teams as well. He was 2nd on the team with 91 tackles his junior year and led the team with 72 tackles as a senior.

Round 6 Blake Bell, TE, Oklahoma, 6'6 263
Bell switched from QB to TE this past season for Oklahoma. He doesn't have much speed, but he's a big body and his experience at QB may help him develop into a route runner quicker than many would expect. He's a pretty big project, but he has reasonable (and big) hands and he improved a lot as a blocker in his first season at TE.

Round 7 Connor Halliday, QB, Washington State, 6'4 198
Halliday is another project who would be the 3rd QB behind Kaepernick and Johnson. He obviously needs to put on a significant amount of weight to take hits at the next level and he needs to improve his accuracy and decision making, but he has a big arm and was very productive at Washington State. He seems like a very competitive kid, which is a good thing. I wouldn't go so far as to say he would challenge Kaepernick, but maybe he could compete with Johnson for 2nd team snaps.

Round 7 (comp) Kyle Brindza, K, Notre Dame, 6'1 236
Brindza has a pretty big leg which is noticeable on kickoffs, but struggles with accuracy at times. He's also enormous for a kicker and would outweigh our 3rd string QB by close to 40 pounds (not really relevant but amusing to think about). He had much better stats as a junior and I think he has the potential to become a solid starter. I wouldn't be shocked if drafted a kicker with the comp pick or brought in one or two UFA's to compete for a spot. If they perform well in training camp, Dawson is carrying a $4.134 million cap number and is on the decline. Only $1 million of that is dead money, so the 49ers could save $3.134 million if they cut him. Dawson isn't the Pro Bowler he was when we got him and he's not likely to regain that form as a 40 year old. We're going to have to find a new kicker this season or in the near future.

DGB is my pick out of the wrs also and I also traded back 10 in my mock..I very highly doubt we resign 2 of cox/cully/cook never mind 3 of them..out of the 3 we need cully back most..you also said ward would be the back up after cutting Dahl but then drafted Drummonds..I'd take a cb there..my choice would be diggs/Gunter if around..but not bad at all..I'd be very happy with this..

Worried about DGB and his off the field issues. At #15, it might be a bit high, but a #25, I'd pull the trigger.

after taking DGB in the first who has already some red flags i would be really nervous to take a guy in the second who you describe having chronic (!) back issues for several years.

the wrs also http://www.fifacoinsltd.com/ and I also traded back 10 in my mock..I very highly doubt we resign 2 of cox/cully/cook never mind 3 of them..out of the 3 we need cully back most..you also said Read more at

Originally posted by bobashabiniu:

the wrs also http://www.fifacoinsltd.com/ and I also traded back 10 in my mock..I very highly doubt we resign 2 of cox/cully/cook never mind 3 of them..out of the 3 we need cully back most..you also said Read more at

Agreed^
Such insight

"win with class"--no DGB

No way the Niners sign Eric Winston, he's president of the NFL Players Union. Dr. York shakes at the sound of his name.

2 WRs and a K???

Well done!

The rest is gravy

Originally posted by AlmighT49er:
after taking DGB in the first who has already some red flags i would be really nervous to take a guy in the second who you describe having chronic (!) back issues for several years.

This would be my major concern as well. Coming off a complete waste of a pick in Lattimore where we took a chance on an injury plagued player, and still trying to figure out if any of our other "redshirt" players will stay healthy and contribute, combined with the lesson the entire NFL is learning with Josh Gordon, I'd be VERY wary of a one/two punch of a player with tremendous and repetitive off field issues (especially in today's NFL where it's now suspend first, ask questions later) AND a player with significant injury red flags.

To take DGB in the second, and/or someone with a minor injury concern a bit later, would be one thing. But to use our first two pick, in areas where we desperately need an infusion of talent on a pair of players that for different reason have very high bust potential, would be a no go for me.

Especially given that while an upgrade at NT is a need, but not one of our top needs IMO (falling after WR, DL, CB, OL, TE and OLB). To miss out on upgrading one of those positions with a healthy, non-headcase stud, for a injury riddled NT is an unnecessary risk.

That being said, I like some of the later picks. Particularly Dorsett, Trail and Bell. But with those picks in mind, I'd rather see a DL, OLB and/or CB in the first couple picks. Particularly because I doubt we resign 2, let alone 3 of our vet CBs.

I could get down with this draft!

Love the trade down and it's actually with a team that might need/want to move up...makes sense.

I know you said you hope this is what happens and not what Baalke will do, but their is no way we can resign all 3 cbs, Gore, and still have cash for Odrick. I'm not a fan of drafting another torn ACL prospect, but in all I had a lot of similar picks in my 1st mock draft

Good mock and thanks for the effort and work.

If we pick DGB at 15 and he tanks - its a big loss.

If we pick him at 25 and he tanks it's still a big loss.

We LOST our 1 pick! Just he same as AJ. DGB is a far superior talent BUT still a loss.

I'm a gambler - so WTF, I'd gamble.

Either way, it's a gamble and I'd pick your decision at 25.

Another case of "who I want and not necessarily who you think Baalke might want". Why not say draft wish list lol.

I'd like us to take a TE a little earlier ...Maxx Williams from Minnesota would give us a big target in the redzone, the guy is a solid playmaker and would fit what we do ...and Tony Sparano would turn our TE's into solid contributors of our attack