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Daniel Jeremiah and Charles Davis discussed the draft possibilities for the San Francisco 49ers yesterday on
NFL Network. With so many needs on the team, the 49ers can go in nearly any direction in the upcoming draft. However, one direction that may not make sense anymore is quarterback thanks to
a trade between the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans that saw the first overall selection go to the former.
Jeremiah and Davis went through two scenarios. One with the team going offense first and the other with the team going defense first.
Scenario 1 - Offense First
The duo has the 49ers addressing the offensive line with their first selection, the seventh overall. They have the team selecting
Notre Dame OT Ronnie Stanley. That would be a solid pick for the 49ers, especially if top defensive prospects like
UCLA LB Myles Jack or
Oregon DE DeForest Buckner are off the board.
"I think Ronnie Stanley steps in day one as your starting right tackle for the 49ers and they rock and roll up front," said Jeremiah.
RELATED 49ers Pre-Draft Visit/Meeting Tracker
Jeremiah and Davis had the 49ers going defense with their second-round selection – the 37th overall pick. They have the team selecting
Baylor CB Xavien Howard. The 49ers have a lot of youth behind
CB Tramaine Brock. As a unit, the defense finished the 2015 season 27th against the pass, allowing 261.2 passing yards per game.
"You know I liked this kid out of Baylor, Xavien Howard, who can run. Didn't test so well at the combine, but went to his pro day – cleaned that right up," said Davis.
The two went back to offense in the third round with the 68th overall selection. They have the team selecting
Oklahoma WR Sterling Shepard. Jeremiah referenced a matchup between Oklahoma and Tennessee while discussing Shepard. "Sterling Shepard just took the entire game over. I'm not certain he gets to [pick number] 68, but if he does, just run that card up. You got yourself a playmaker," said Jeremiah.
Scenario 2 - Defense First
With the team's first selection, they have them going with
Oregon DE DeForest Buckner. A fantastic selection if he is still on the board and a bookend to last year's top selection,
Oregon DE Arik Armstead. "You talk about a rare physical specimen here in DeForest Buckner. Those 11-inch hands? Haven't seen that before since I have been scouting," said Jeremiah.
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With their second-round selection, the duo have the 49ers going with
Kansas State OG Cody Whitehair. "They have to get better up front. We have them going tackle in the first scenario. In this scenario, you get a guy that played tackle, that's going to kick inside and be an outstanding guard at the next level," said Jeremiah.
Finally, they have the 49ers going with
Utah State ILB Nick Vigil with their third-round selection. "This guy can move now. I've watched him on tape just a couple of days ago, again. He moves around really well. I think he'll be an asset in the passing game," said Davis.
| Round |
Scenario 1 |
Scenario 2 |
| 1 |
OT Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame |
DE DeForest Buckner, Oregon |
| 2 |
CB Xavien Howard, Baylor |
OG Cody Whitehair, Kansas State |
| 3 |
WR Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma |
ILB Nick Vigil, Utah State |
You can watch the whole segment below.
Draft War Room: 49ers
OT Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame
At the NFL Scouting Combine in February, the 6-foot-6 and 312-pound Stanley had a 40-time of 5.20 seconds and completed the three cone drill in 8.03 seconds. Other measurables for Stanley include an arm length of 35 5/8 inches and hands that measure 10 5/8 inches.
DE DeForest Buckner, Oregon
The 6-foot-7 and 291-pound Buckner had a 40-time of 5.05 seconds, a vertical jump of 32 inches, a broad jump of 116 inches, and completed the three cone drill in 7.51 seconds. Other measurables for Buckner include an arm length of 34 3/8 inches and hands that measure 11 3/4 inches.
CB Xavien Howard, Baylor
The 6-foot and 201-pound Howard had a 40-time of 4.58 seconds, a vertical jump of 33 inches, a broad jump of 122 inches, and completed the three cone drill in 7.18 seconds. Other measurables for Howard include an arm length of 31 1/4 inches and hands that measure 9 1/8 inches.
OG Cody Whitehair, Kansas State
The 6-foot-4 and 301-pound Whitehair had a 40-time of 5.08 seconds, a broad jump of 110 inches, and completed the three cone drill in 7.32 seconds. Other measurables for Whitehair include an arm length of 32 3/8 inches and hands that measure 10 1/8 inches.
WR Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma
The 5-foot-10 and 194-pound Shepard had a 40-time of 4.48 seconds, a vertical jump of 41 inches, a broad jump of 123 inches, and completed the three cone drill in 7 seconds flat. Other measurables for Shepard include an arm length of 30 3/8 inches and hands that measure 9 3/4 inches.
ILB Nick Vigil, Utah State
The 6-foot-2 and 239-pound had a 40-time of 4.72 seconds, a vertical jump of 31.5 inches, a broad jump of 115 inches, and completed the three cone drill in 6.73 seconds. Other measurables for include an arm length of 32 3/8 inches and hands that measure 10 1/4 inches.
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Scenario 2
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Scenario 1
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Despite initial reports, two draft prospects who were set to visit the San Francisco 49ers ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft ultimately did not meet with the team. Matt Barrows of The Athletic revealed that former USC wide receiver Brenden Rice and former Oregon safety Jamal Hill didn't end up visiting the Bay Area organization.
Barrows wrote, "Meanwhile, a report in March indicated that USC receiver Brenden Rice, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, would visit the 49ers, but he didn't end up coming, according to two league sources."
Justin Melo of The Draft Network first
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 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
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
