Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
You have to applaud anyone who puts in the effort to build out a seven-round mock draft. After the first dozen or so selections, there will be more missed projections and hits. However, these massive efforts are a good indicator of the perceived needs of each team.
NFL.com's Chad Reuter is the latest analyst to
deliver a seven-round mock draft. While it does contain trades, it doesn't feature the San Francisco 49ers shipping off wide receiver
Deebo Samuel to get back into the first round. The 49ers lack a first-round pick this year and next, thanks to last year's trade to draft quarterback
Trey Lance. For now, San Francisco's first selection comes in the second round, at pick No. 61 overall.
With that selection, Reuter has the team bolstering the defensive backfield with Maryland safety
Nick Cross. Former 49ers safety Jaquiski Tartt remains a free agent while
Jimmie Ward is entering the final year of his contract.
Cross registered 66 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, three sacks, two passes defensed, three interceptions, and two forced fumbles through 12 game appearances as a junior in 2021, per
Sports Reference. He recorded 134 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks, 10 passes defensed, five interceptions, and three forced fumbles through his three collegiate seasons.
The 49ers' following selection comes in round three at No. 93 overall. Reuter has the team sticking with defense, adding Western Kentucky pass rusher
DeAngelo Malone. The team could see him as a nice bookend to complement two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher
Nick Bosa.
Malone registered 94 tackles, 17.5 tackles for a loss, eight sacks, four passes defensed, and four forced fumbles through 14 game appearances as a senior in 2021, per
Sports Reference. He has recorded 349 tackles, 59 tackles for a loss, 32.5 sacks, an interception, and seven passes defensed through five seasons with the Hilltoppers.
San Francisco owns the final selection of the third round—a compensatory pick. Reuter projects three straight defensive picks by general manager John Lynch and company. He has the team adding Pittsburgh cornerback
Damarri Mathis.
Mathis registered 43 tackles, two interceptions, a touchdown, and five passes defensed through 12 game appearances in 2021, per
Sports Reference. He recorded 86 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, 18 passes defensed, five interceptions, and a touchdown through his collegiate career.
Those are the first three 49ers selections from Reuter's seven-round mock draft. San Francisco owns six more picks, though, including the final selection of the 2022 NFL Draft. Those six projected selections are below.
- Round 4, Pick 134: OG Logan Bruss, Wisconsin
- Round 5, Pick 172: RB Zander Horvath, Purdue
- Round 6, Pick 187: Edge Cameron Goode, California
- Round 6, Pick 220: WR Calvin Turner Jr., Hawaii
- Round 6, Pick 221: OG Zach Thomas, San Diego State
- Round 7, Pick 262: TE Nick Muse, South Carolina
The days surrounding July 4th are more often than not one of the slowest times of the year for NFL content, which makes it an opportune time to shamelessly borrow another site's good idea.
With that in mind, let's build off a feature that was published earlier today by NFL.com that selected one player from each team that could be in line for their first Pro Bowl appearance in 2022.
Feature writer Nick Shook selected running back Elijah Mitchell for the 49ers, pointing at the unexpected level of success Mitchell had in his first NFL season after being drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
"The 49ers enjoyed quality
Fans like to play "What If," wondering what things might be like had their favorite team opted for a different choice at a pivotal moment. Fans aren't the only ones, though. Take former San Francisco 49ers safety Jaquiski Tartt, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, for instance. His missed interception of a Matthew Stafford pass intended for receiver Van Jefferson in the NFC title game might have sent the Niners back to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years.
"That's a play I should make in my sleep, and I didn't make it," Tartt said after the game. "... I know that was a big play in the game, a big opportunity for me and for the team, and as a player, I just feel like I let my brothers down."
Had Tartt made the play, maybe the 49ers win their sixth
Last week, ESPN analyst Rob Ninkovich looked at the 2021 rookie quarterback class and stated he expects Trey Lance to make the "biggest jump" in Year 2. Another ESPN analyst, Sam Acho, agrees with that prediction.
Why is Lance the best second-year quarterback, in Acho's opinion? It's because of the weapons around him. The 22-year-old quarterback will have wide receiver Deebo Samuel (assuming the offseason rift can be mended) and tight end George Kittle at his disposal.
"Yes, there was a reason Zach Wilson was the second pick overall last year," Acho said. "There's a reason Trey Lance was third, right? Because he's that good as well."
More critical for
The quarterbacks from the 2021 draft class will be linked together and compared for a long time. Most received a significant amount of playing time during their rookie seasons. The one who did not was San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance. He started just two games and spent most of his freshman NFL season learning behind veteran Jimmy Garoppolo.
The upcoming season will be different, though. Lance is slated to become the 49ers' full-time starter, with Garoppolo likely to be shipped out of Santa Clara. One ESPN analyst believes Lance has the most to prove among the 2021 first-round quarterback class that also includes Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones.
"He is the one that has the most to prove because you almost have to prove your
