Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus unveiled a seven-round mock draft for the San Francisco 49ers, addressing several key needs for the team in the 10-pick projection. Interestingly, the mock draft sees the team adding two legacy players. But before delving into that, let's examine the first three selections.
Sikkema has the 49ers shoring up their offensive line at pick No. 31 with the selection of former Arizona offensive tackle Jordan Morgan.
Morgan allowed 14 pressures and two sacks in his 477 pass-blocking snaps at left tackle in 2023. He earned an impressive pass-blocking grade of 87.3 and an overall grade of 83.5.
"Morgan is a smooth-moving prospect whose best position in the NFL might be guard," wrote Sikkema. "His track and field background gives him natural balance and core strength for good change-of-direction ability. His arm length isn't elite for offensive tackle play, but it should be adequate. While his footwork is fast, the strides in his kick slide are short. His hand placement, patience and football IQ are all pluses.
"Though listed at 325 pounds, he lacks density and strength. Bull rushes can overwhelm him if they come at an angle, and though he has the foot speed to stay in front of pass rushers, he doesn't have the natural strength to redirect their momentum."
Sikkema has San Francisco fortifying the secondary with the addition of former Iowa State cornerback T.J. Tampa at pick No. 63 in the second round.
"It's impressive to watch a cornerback of Tampa's size move the way he does. His start-and-stop ability for a player who has more mass and longer legs is well above average," Sikkema wrote. "As one would expect, his long arms are excellent for ball production. He ranked in the 98th percentile for forced incompletion rate on passes thrown his way in college.
"He is physical in coverage but still dives at ankles for tackles quite a bit. His footwork is good in his initial backpedal, but he can get turned around and lose his leverage, at times, leading to separation. If Tampa can clean that up, he can be a very sticky cornerback."
In the third round, Sikkema has the Niners adding an edge rusher in Jalyx Hunt of Houston Christian.
The analyst remarked, "Though a bit undersized (arm length and wingspan are still great for an edge), Hunt packs a punch. He is strong at contact and can push back OL or even completely erase TEs. He is very explosive out of his stance to go with decent bend. He lacks a well-rounded pass-rush profile, likely because he didn't really need one to dominate his competition level."
Two of the 49ers' last seven selections involve legacy players, the sons of a couple of greats who played for the organization. Sikkema has San Francisco drafting former USC wide receiver Brenden Rice, the son of Jerry Rice, in the fourth round with the No. 124 overall pick.
"Rice, the son of the most accomplished receiver in NFL history, has a level of football intelligence that sets him apart from most of his peers," Sikkema wrote. "There is so much nuance to how he plays the position — much more than you'd expect, even for the more polished receiver prospects.
"He has a vast understanding of releases, route running and hand techniques. He is a smooth runner who can gain separation at all three levels of the field. He isn't the most dynamic athlete, so his NFL Combine testing will be big for his draft stock. He also brings special teams experience as a returner."
According to Sports Reference, Rice amassed 84 receptions for 1,402 yards and 16 touchdowns in two seasons with the Trojans after transferring from Colorado.
Later in the mock draft, Sikkema has the 49ers drafting the son of the team's all-time leading rusher. In the sixth round, the analyst sends former Southern Miss running back Frank Gore Jr. to the team where his father played most of his Hall of Fame-worthy career.
The younger Gore amassed 2,513 rushing yards and 22 total touchdowns in his final two seasons with the Golden Eagles, per Sports Reference. During his senior year, he caught 27 passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns.
Below are all of Sikkema's selections within his 49ers-specific mock draft:
- Round 1, Pick 31: Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona
- Round 2, Pick 63: T.J. Tampa, CB, Iowa State
- Round 3, Pick 94: Jalyx Hunt, Edge, Houston Christian
- Round 4, Pick 124: Brenden Rice, WR, USC
- Round 4, Pick 132: Theo Johnson, TE, Penn State
- Round 4, Pick 135: Marist Liufau, LB, Notre Dame
- Round 5, Pick 176: Kiran Oladapo, S, Oregon State
- Round 6, Pick 211: Khristian Boyd, Northern Iowa
- Round 6, Pick 215: Frank Gore Jr., RB, Southern Miss
- Round 7, Pick 251: Frank Crum, T, Wyoming