Rising from ashes March mock draft

eastcoast49ersfan · 2015-03-20T20:21:09-07:00

Draft Theme: After this disastrous offseason with Gore leaving, Willis and Borland retiring, and Justin Smith likely to retire, I think it's time to start rebuilding and drafting guys who will fit long term needs rather than immediate needs. I tried to pick higher upside players who may not be able to make an impact right away, but could contribute on a championship team down the road. Trades: Trade Ahmad Brooks for a 2016 conditional 5th/6th round pick: Brooks may be tradable now because his contract de-escalated. This opens up a little cap room and the starting spot opposite Smith is Lynch's. Trade Round 1 Pick #15 to the Carolina Panthers for Round 1 Pick #25 and Round 2 Pick #57: Carolina needs to rebuild their offensive line to protect Cam Newton. There is a good chance one of the top tackles is still available at 15, so they trade up with the 49ers who may have missed out on the top 3 WR's and Shelton. This is an exact match on the trade value chart (1050 to 1050) and could benefit both teams if an offensive lineman is BPA. Draft: Round 1, Pick 25 (from Carolina): Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia, 6'1 222 I'm predicting the trade down from 15 assuming there the BPA is an offensive tackle who Carolina wants and is willing to give up their 2nd round pick to get. I think it's in our interest to trade back if Shelton, the top 3 WR's, and Trae Waynes are all gone. At 25, Gurley would be in the conversation for BPA. We signed Bush to a one year deal, so he is not necessarily in the long term plans for the 49ers and Gurley represents a significant upgrade over Hyde when healthy. He's got track speed (4.4), runs with power, and is an effective receiver out of the backfield. He and Hyde would wear down defenses and Gurley has enough speed to get outside as well. In this scenario Gurley slips due to injury concerns, but the 49ers can afford to sit him out as long as necessary. If Gurley is gone, Melvin Gordon is the pick and is a dynamic back who would complement Hyde well. DGB and Alvin Dupree would also be considered here. Trading back appears to give us the best value if we can get one of these guys. Round 2, Pick 46: Stephone Anthony, ILB, Clemson, 6'3 243, 32 ½" arms, 4.56 40 Anthony is becoming popular on the zone for good reason. This guy has the size and athleticism to stick with TE's and we need a cover linebacker with Willis gone and Bowman coming off serious injuries. He doesn't have the instincts of Kendricks (who I think will be gone by this pick) or Dawson, but he's a guy we should be able to develop into a quality ILB. The 49ers have met with him and are going to meet with McKinney, so it wouldn't be too surprising to see one of them taken here. Round 2, Pick 57 (from Carolina): Byron Jones, CB, UConn, 6'1 199, 32" arms Byron Jones may be gone by this pick in the actual draft, but he's being projected in this range. The guy is a freak athlete and a standup guy off the field. He beat the world record for the broad jump at the combine with a 12' 3" jump and posted a 44 ½" vertical to go along with it. We need help at CB after failing to resign Culliver and Cox and this guy has the size and athleticism to develop into a shutdown corner. Round 3, Pick 79: Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M, 6'5 306, 35 7/8" arms This guy drops a bit because he struggled at OT this season and wasn't able to participate at the combine due to injury, but he's a great athlete and has incredible length. Ogbuehi could compete for a starting guard spot once healthy, be a backup swing tackle, and possibly replace Staley in the future at LT. He was viewed more highly than Brandon Thomas before his injury, so we probably wouldn't be able to wait past this pick to draft him. Borderline first round talent who struggled a bit and was kicked to RT, but has all the physical tools to develop into a starting tackle in the NFL. Round 4: Chris Conley, WR, Georgia, 6'2 213, 33 ¾" arms, 4.35 40 Another combine freak, Chris Conley was a solid, but not spectacular performer in Georgia's run heavy offense. With the acquisition of Torrey Smith, we don't need immediate help at WR, so this guy could spend time learning the craft from Anquan Boldin. As a physical specimen, this guy compares favorably with Sammie Coates and any other receiver in the class and I love that he was a willing blocker in college. This is another guy who I wouldn't be surprised to see gone by this pick, but would be happy to take here as the potential upside outweighs the risk. Round 4 (comp) Ray Drew, DE, Georgia, 6'4 284 Drew was a combine snub, but that could allow us to take him later than he would have been available otherwise. He was misused at Georgia, but has good size, length, strength, and athleticism for a 3-4 DE. Despite his lack of production in college, Drew displayed a solid motor. He's a player I would like to bring in to compete with Tank for Cowboy's spot. Round 5 Blake Bell, TE, Oklahoma, 6'6 252, 33 1/8" arms Bell switched from QB to TE this past season for Oklahoma. He doesn't have much speed, but he's a big body and his experience at QB may help him develop into a route runner quicker than many would expect. He's a pretty big project, but he has reasonable (and big) hands and he improved a lot as a blocker in his first season at TE. He needs to continue to add strength as 14 reps on the bench is pretty poor for a TE. He's another long term project who may not make an impact year one, but has some untapped potential at TE. Round 6 Brandon Bridge, QB, South Alabama, 6'4 3/8" 229, 4.72 40 Bridge was not very productive in college, but his size, athleticism and arm strength have drawn comparisons to Colin Kaepernick. He would be a long term project behind Kaepernick and Gabbert, but it may be worthwhile to develop a QB behind Kaepernick as insurance, whether that QB is Gabbert or Bridge. QB isn't really a need and there are some other QB's available in this range who showed more in college (Halliday, Fajardo), but this guy has way more potential than other prospects available this late and is not limited by arm strength or small hands. There's no guarantee our coaches will be able to fix Bridge's mechanics, but if they can, Bridge could become a valuable backup that could draw interest from other teams or possibly replace Kaepernick in the event of injury or if Kaepernick regresses and we end up cutting him in a couple years. Round 7 Mario Alford, WR, West Virginia, 5'8 1/2" 180, 31 ¼" arms, 4.43 40 (4.27 at pro day) Alford was a very productive receiver opposite Kevin White in college. He would be brought on mainly as a KR/PR, but would be given a chance to compete at WR as well. Alford had 945 receiving yards and 11 TD's as a senior and also returned 26 kicks for 743 yards (28.6 yard average). He raised some eyebrows at West Virginia's pro day when he ran a 4.27 40 and he looks much faster than a 4.43 on the field. He's still projected to be a 7th round pick on CBS and a couple other sites I've looked at so I included him in the mock, but I feel like he'll be gone before this pick in the actual draft. Round 7 (comp) Kyle Brindza, K, Notre Dame, 6'1 236 Brindza has a pretty big leg which is noticeable on kickoffs, but struggles with accuracy at times. He had much better stats as a junior and I think he has the potential to become a solid starter. I wouldn't be shocked if drafted a kicker with the comp pick or brought in one or two UFA's to compete for a spot. If they perform well in training camp, Dawson is carrying a $4.134 million cap number and is on the decline. Only $1 million of that is dead money, so the 49ers could save $3.134 million if they cut him. Dawson isn't the Pro Bowler he was when we got him and he's not likely to regain that form as a 40 year old. We're going to have to find a new kicker this season or in the near future.

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Mar 26, 2015 at 4:21 AM

#31

SanDiego49er
Veteran
Posts: 52,205

You sure like Georgia a lot. Do you live there? Or you went to that University?

Mar 26, 2015 at 3:47 PM

#32

eastcoast49ersfan
Veteran
Posts: 4,112

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
You sure like Georgia a lot. Do you live there? Or you went to that University?

Nope, I have never been there and not really a fan of their football team either. It's more of a coincidence that I picked 3 Georgia players, but I really like Gurley and Ray Drew. I'm on the fence about Conley, but he's a high upside prospect in the 4th round and I like that he's a willing run blocker.

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