Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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On Thursday morning, the Los Angeles Rams and the Tennessee Titans announced a
blockbuster trade that gave the Rams the number one overall selection in the NFL Draft later this month. A trade this big was guaranteed to shake up everyone's mock drafts and will definitely change the San Francisco 49ers' draft strategy, given that the top two quarterbacks available, California's
Jared Goff and North Dakota State's
Carson Wentz, will almost certainly be gone by the time they select at number seven.
The good news for Goff fans is that he may still be playing at Levi's Stadium when the 49ers
kick off their 2016 season on September 12. The bad news is that it may be as a member of the visiting Rams.
What this does mean for the 49ers is that the likelihood of an even better non-quarterback talent falling to them increases. So how did this mega-deal impact the mocks of the national media? Here is just a small sample size of the impact as it relates to the 49ers' selection. These analysts and reporters previously had the 49ers selecting a quarterback in the first round.
Will Brinson, CBS Sports
Old Pick: QB Jared Goff, California
New Pick: DE DeForest Buckner, Oregon
Dane Brugler, CBS Sports
Old Pick: QB Jared Goff, California
New Pick: OLB Myles Jack, UCLA
Rob Rang, CBS Sports
Old Pick: QB Jared Goff, California
New Pick: DE DeForest Buckner, Oregon
Sam Monson, Pro Football Focus
Old Pick: QB Carson Wentz, North Dakota State
New Pick: OT Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss
Chris Burke, Sports Illustrated
Old Pick: QB Jared Goff, California
New Pick: DE Joey Bosa, Ohio State
Jon Ledyard, USA TODAY
Old Pick: QB Jared Goff, California
New Pick: OT Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame
Here are two that, despite the Rams-Titans trade, still have the 49ers selecting a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Jonah Tuls, USA TODAY
Old Pick: QB Jared Goff, California
New Pick: QB Paxton Lynch, Memphis (In his most likely of five scenarios)
Nate Davis, USA TODAY
Old Pick: QB Carson Wentz, North Dakota State
New Pick: QB Paxton Lynch, Memphis (After trading down to 11)
Then there is one that didn't even have the 49ers selecting a quarterback prior to Thursday and now, following the Rams-Titans trade, does have them selecting a new signal caller.
Chad Reuter, NFL.com
Old Pick: OLB Myles Jack, UCLA
New Pick: QB Jared Goff, California
Next week, we will present our updated survey of mock drafts from around the web. After dominating as the 49ers' selection
every week since we have been surveying mock drafts, it will be interesting to see how the quarterback position is impacted by the shift at the top of the draft order.
The San Francisco 49ers first selection in next week's draft comes at No. 31 overall. However, NFL Media analyst Chad Reuter doesn't have the Bay Area team remaining at that spot in the first round. In his seven-round mock draft, he envisions the 49ers striking a deal with the Green Bay Packers to move up six spots to No. 25 overall, where they select former Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry.
Reuter notes, "Whether it's for a cornerback like McKinstry, an offensive lineman or a receiver, the 49ers could very well give up a mid-round pick to acquire one of the few missing pieces on an otherwise potent roster."
The rest of the mock draft reveals at least part of the
The San Francisco 49ers hold the No. 31 overall pick, but speculation abounds that they may seek to move before or during the first round of next week's NFL Draft. With the offensive line as a prime target for improvement and the position going mostly ignored in free agency, a strategic trade-up to acquire an impact player could be in the cards.
Alyssa Barbieri proposes such a scenario in her latest mock draft for USA Today's Touchdown Wire. Barbieri envisions the 49ers trading with the Miami Dolphins to move up 10 spots, selecting former Alabama offensive lineman JC Latham.
Latham started 27 games
Analyst Dane Brugler recently revealed his seven-round mock draft for The Athletic, forecasting all 257 selections in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, set to kick off next week.
"Piecing together a mock like this is time consuming, but I enjoy the exercise, because it allows me to focus on each team's needs, organizational trends and prospect-team pairings that make sense based on '30' visits, league buzz and overall interest," Brugler wrote.
Most expect the 49ers to address the trenches early in the draft, and Brugler has the team doing that. It's just not on the offensive side of the football. In fact, Brugler doesn't have San Francisco
The San Francisco 49ers have overhauled their defensive line in free agency, bidding farewell to defensive tackle Arik Armstead and defensive end Chase Young while bolstering their ranks with the signings of defensive ends Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos. Additionally, they acquired defensive tackle Maliek Collins via trade.
Having focused primarily on the defensive side of the ball in free agency, the 49ers are widely anticipated to turn their attention to the offensive side in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Long-standing ESPN analyst Mel Kiper unveiled his latest mock draft, this
