NFL Network held a live mock draft, with analysts and other media personalities making first-round selections for each team. Steve Mariucci was tasked with making the selections for his former team — the San Francisco 49ers.
Mooch had the Niners going with a cornerback at No. 13 overall, but that was because the top three wide receiver prospects in this draft class had already been scooped up. So the former NFL coach turned analyst had San Francisco selecting CJ Henderson out of Florida.
Mariucci did note that the 49ers need to acquire a starting receiver and cornerback from the first round, so naturally, he went with a wideout at No. 31 — Tee Higgins of Clemson.
"We lost Emmanuel Sanders, and Deebo Samuel was a great rookie last year, and George Kittle's a great tight end, but I need some more weapons for Jimmy G," explained Mariucci.
At nearly 6-foot-4, Mariucci likes Higgins' height and feels he is a "pretty darn polished" and productive receiver.
"He's stretch wide receiver," said analyst Bucky Brooks while discussing Mariucci's hypothetical selection of Higgins. "He's a guy that can make the plays down the field. Even though people are talking about his 40-time, he is at his best when he's really working as a vertical-stretch player.
"He's a guy who can dominate with 50-50 balls, puts the ball in the paint, scoring touchdowns. So yeah, I can see him being the guy who is certainly in the conversation at the bottom of the first round."
So there you go. The NFL Network live mock draft had the 49ers selecting Henderson at No. 13 and then Higgins at No. 31, courtesy of former 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci.
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