Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
The Athletic has 49ers going defense with first 3 picks in 7-round mock draft
Apr 17, 2023 at 9:57 AM
•
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic
mocked all seven rounds of next week's NFL Draft. What does the analyst envision the San Francisco 49ers doing with their 11 selections? He has the Bay Area team focusing on defense with its initial picks.
It's worth noting that the 49ers don't own selections in the first, second, or fourth rounds. Their first picks come at the end of the third round, where they own three of the last four selections. Brugler has head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch bolstering their defense with those selections before shifting focus to the offensive side of the ball.
Below is a list of the players Brugler projects to the 49ers.
- Round 3, Pick 99: Byron Young, Edge, Tennessee
- Round 3, Pick 101: Cory Trice, CB, Purdue
- Round 3, Pick 102: Marte Mapu, LB/S, Sacramento State
- Round 5, Pick 155: Cameron Latu, TE, Alabama
- Round 5, Pick 164: Demario Douglas, WR, Liberty
- Round 5, Pick 173: Warren McClendon, OT, Georgia
- Round 6, Pick 216: Chad Ryland, K, Maryland
- Round 7, Pick 222: Dante Stills, DT, West Virginia
- Round 7, Pick 247: Ty Okada, S, Montana State
- Round 7, Pick 253: Arquon Bush, CB, Cincinnati
- Round 7, Pick 255: Justin Shorter, WR, Florida
Young racked up 12.5 sacks over the last two seasons with the Volunteers, adding 83 tackles, 23.5 tackles for a loss, an interception, and two passes defended, per
Sports Reference.
The 49ers spoke with Young at the NFL Scouting Combine and hosted Mapu for a pre-draft visit. The latter
sustained an injury during a pre-draft workout but is expected to be full-go for an NFL training camp.
"A torn pec kept Mapu from working out prior to the draft, but the non-combine prospect still has a decent chance of hearing his name called on Day 2," wrote Brugler. "His ability to cover and play the run as a nickel linebacker would be a great fit in the 49ers' scheme."
The analyst also commented on the projected Okada selection in the seventh round. He's a player who has heard from the 49ers, something that had (to my knowledge) not yet been reported.
"Okada has been one of the late risers in the process, and he absolutely blew up his pro-day testing," wrote Brugler. "A nickel safety who can fill multiple roles, he has heard from numerous NFL teams, including the 49ers."
It makes sense that the 49ers might use multiple picks to restock their defensive backs group. The team lost Emmanuel Moseley, Jimmie Ward, and Tarvarius Moore in free agency.
Isaiah Oliver and Myles Hartsfield are the only defensive backs San Francisco has added so far this offseason.
Related News
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
49ers' 5 Keys to Victory vs. Seahawks, Round 2
The red-hot San Francisco 49ers head home to take on the 6-6 Seattle Seahawks in a division battle. The last time the two teams faced each other was in Week 12 when the 49ers defeated the Seahawks 31-13 on Thanksgiving. The 49ers look to improve their record to 10-3 and remain at the top of the NFC West. First, they must stick to the Keys to Victory.
Time of Possession
The last time these two teams met, the 49ers controlled the clock. The team possessed the ball for 35:30, allowing the 49ers to run 65 plays, 11 more than the Seahawks. Control the clock, win the game.
Discipline
In their last meeting with the Seahawks, the 49ers
What Logan Ryan adds to the 49ers defense
The San Francisco 49ers strengthened their safety position this week by adding versatile defensive back Logan Ryan. The team was looking to bolster the backfield following injuries to Talanoa Hufanga and George Odum. Hufanga suffered a season-ending torn ACL, while Odum sustained a torn biceps.
Ryan, most recently with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2022) and New York Giants (2020–21), played cornerback during his first seven seasons before transitioning to safety in 2020.
On Wednesday, Ryan revealed that he learned of the 49ers' interest while on a cruise in the Bahamas.
"Once I knew that the 49ers were interested, at that point, there wasn't any drinking on the cruise,
"We got too many weapons": 49ers defense very confident in offense
The San Francisco 49ers will undoubtedly rise to the top of most—if not all—power rankings this week after their 42-19 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. It will be hard to find anyone who doesn't view the Bay Area squad as the Super Bowl favorite after 13 weeks of NFL play.
San Francisco is proving to be a balanced team, equally impressive on offense and defense. Even 49ers defenders are in awe of the firepower on the offensive side of the football.
"I think the offense showed what we capable of when we're fully healthy," cornerback Charvarius Ward said in the locker room after the game.
Tough assignment: How Nick Bosa and the 49ers defense limited Jalen Hurts
On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers defense adopted a different approach against the Philadelphia Eagles. It involved a typically aggressive-minded defensive line being ... well ... less aggressive.
The unit has had its problems when facing mobile quarterbacks, often struggling to bring down elusive signal-callers, resulting in surrendering some embarrassing numbers.
They wanted to avoid that while facing Jalen Hurts, an MVP candidate who has amassed an impressive 2,328 rushing yards and 38 rushing touchdowns in his four NFL seasons. This time, the strategy was containment. The primary objective was to prevent Hurts from exploiting the 49ers with his legs, even if it meant sacrificing potential sacks.
Passing up aggressively pursuing a quarterback can