49ers '25 Mock v.3.31

* * * Trade Down* * *
I believe the Niners will be looking to trade down to accumulate picks. The most natural candidates are Seattle at 18 who badly needs OL and WR help, Denver at 20 who could target Jeanty, Hampton or Tyler Warren, or the Chargers who I could also see loving Warren or moving up for a DL they like (see Kenneth Grant). In this scenario I have the Seahawks moving up to draft the best OL on the board or Tet McMillan if he falls to 11 in exchange for 18 and their 2nd 2nd Round Pick from Pittsburgh.

18th Pick: DT Walter Nolen Ole Miss 6'4" 296
Nolen is the most physically gifted DT in the class. Simply put the guy is strong as an ox, explosive and just scratching the surface of his potential. He dominated the SEC this year and was consistently in the backfield of opposing offenses. You hear mixed things about his character, but on the field the guy is "all gas, no breaks" and fits exactly what Saleh and the Niners want to do. I think he's a day 1 starter at 3-technique.

43rd Pick: OT Charles Grant William & Mary 6'5" 311
Word just broke that the Niners held a private workout with Charles Grant and I can see him being a target in the 2nd round. Grant is a very natural and easy mover and has 35" arms. He worked in a predominantly zone blocking scheme so he's an easier projection for the Niners. Play strength and level of competition are concerns but he's got as much upside as any OT in this year's draft. I can see him being a swing tackle this year and then eventually taking over for Trent.

52nd Pick: DE Oluwafemi Oladejo UCLA 6'3" 259
The Niners have been all over "Femi" and the only question is whether they can hang back and grab him in round 3, but given all the buzz recently, I can see them having to move up. Oladejo is raw, having just moved to DE two seasons ago, but he's long, incredibly strong and explosive and has a non-stop motor. I imagine he reminds the Niners of Samson Ebukam but with far higher upside as a pass rusher.

75th Pick: DT C.J. West Indiana 6'1" 316
West is one of my absolute favorite DTs in this year's draft. The guy dominated at Indiana this year and then put up some incredibly impressive numbers at the combine, running 4.95 at 316 lbs. He's got shorter than ideal arms, but the guy is a Tasmanian devil with brute strength and explosion off the line - think DJ Jones with a bit more pass rush. 75 might be 10-20 spots high for him, but he's going to be an instant impact player next to Nolen.

100th Pick: D.J. Giddens Kansas St. 6'1" 212
Giddens feels like an ideal Shanahan running back. He's a patient runner who hits the hole hard and gives you a lot as a pass catcher out of the backfield. If he's gone, I like RJ Harvey a lot here too.

4th Round: DE Sai'vion Jones LSU 6'6" 290
Jones oozes potential. He's huge, long, explosive and runs hot. He's still figuring out his game, but he's the kind of moldable clay that should appeal to Kris Kocurek.

4th Round: OG/C Jackson Slater Sac State 6'3" 311
The Niners usually shy away from small school prospects so going with Charles Grant in round 2 and then Slater in round 4 is a bit off trend, but...Slater showed incredibly well at the Senior Bowl where he played as well as any interior OL. He's a very good athlete who projects at OG and C. I believe he can take Brendel's job week 1.

5th Round: TE Jaylin Conyers Texas Tech 6'4" 260
Conyers is an impressive athlete with long arms, run-after-catch ability and is a capable blocker. He's got some Kittle to his game. There are questions about his ability to stay in shape and concentrate, but the upside is as good as many TEs in this draft.

5th Round: LB Teddye Buchanan Cal 6'2" 233
Buchanan is a wrecking ball who blew the lid off the combine. He's everywhere on the football field; playing both run and pass. I think you can pencil him as our starting WLB next to Fred for the next 5 years.

7th Round: CB Mac McWilliams UCF 5'10" 191
The Niners love feisty corners and few are feistier than McWilliams. He plays with an edge and an attitude that Niners brass will love. He's not the stickiest man corner but has excellent instincts in off/zone coverage and few CBs play the run better or harder.

7th Round: S Dan Jackson Georgia 6'0" 194
Jackson is another prospect who put himself on the radar as a late invite to the Senior Bowl and then strengthened his stock with an awesome Pro Day running 4.4. He's instinctive, tough and at worst projects as a special teams dynamo.

7th Round: LB David Gbenda Texas 6'1" 236
Gbenda stood out watching Texas tape. He isn't the most dynamic athlete but he's plenty fast and his instincts are excellent. He's also by all accounts a high-character guy and excellent leader.

Im not sure about Nolen. He lacks ideal size and length and plays out of control leaving his gap. Plus the alleged character concerns. I don't know. I'd pass on him.

I like Grant but level of competition is a huge issue with him. I don't see him as a starting tackle either and he lacks the strength right now to be a day 1 starter. I'm not taking a prospect OL from
a small school with a 2nd round pick. Plus, I think if we were to go Oline there will be much better guys available there. Grant seems like a 3rd rounder to me.

And Oladejo and West are MASSIVE reaches in rounds 2 and 3. They are good players but there will be far superior players available with those picks.

Oladejo seems like a 4th round prospect and West seems like a 5th round prospect with the depth of this DL class.

This mock seems very underwhelming but Savion Jones, Jackson Slater, Jaylin Conyers and Teddye Buchanan are good picks in the 4th and 5th.

This seems like a real world Shanahan / Lynch draft where they over draft guys in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd they fall for and they turn out to be busts but we get 4 or 5 starters with 4th and 5th round picks.

I don't believe Oladejo and West are massive reaches. I think both go at latest in 3rd. Oladejo is rising up draft boards quickly and if SF loves him, I don't think he'll be there at 75.

Originally posted by Sask49erFan:
Im not sure about Nolen. He lacks ideal size and length and plays out of control leaving his gap. Plus the alleged character concerns. I don't know. I'd pass on him.

I like Grant but level of competition is a huge issue with him. I don't see him as a starting tackle either and he lacks the strength right now to be a day 1 starter. I'm not taking a prospect OL from
a small school with a 2nd round pick. Plus, I think if we were to go Oline there will be much better guys available there. Grant seems like a 3rd rounder to me.

And Oladejo and West are MASSIVE reaches in rounds 2 and 3. They are good players but there will be far superior players available with those picks.

Oladejo seems like a 4th round prospect and West seems like a 5th round prospect with the depth of this DL class.

This mock seems very underwhelming but Savion Jones, Jackson Slater, Jaylin Conyers and Teddye Buchanan are good picks in the 4th and 5th.

This seems like a real world Shanahan / Lynch draft where they over draft guys in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd they fall for and they turn out to be busts but we get 4 or 5 starters with 4th and 5th round picks.

If you're not sure about Nolen, I don't know what you're looking at. He's a perfect player for our type defense. I bet our Dline coach likes him over all the other guys out there.