Draft position based on CBS's prospect rankings (shown in parenthesis). Goff is a little unrealistic, but there is a long time until the draft and I'm holding onto the dream. Myles Jack, Carson Wentz, or Paxton Lynch could also work with the rest of this mock.
Trade both early 5th round picks and a 6th round pick to move up to the early 4th round to select KeiVarae Russell (we have 12 picks including three 5th round picks and four 6th round picks, so we use 3 of them to move back into the 4th round and select a player who has fallen).
1. Jared Goff (4) - QB – I know this is a stretch, but I'm hoping that Wentz balls out at the Senior Bowl, the Titans take Tunsil at 1, the Browns take Bosa at 2, and the Cowboys take Wentz at 4. Goff's size may scare off some teams, but I think that would be a mistake. He's the most accurate QB in the class, has great feet, makes quick decisions, and has enough arm strength to make NFL throws. Wentz or Lynch could also be really good in Chip Kelly's offense if Goff is gone.
2. Germain Ifedi (39) – OG/OT – Ifedi played RG in 2013 and RT in 2014 and received a 2nd round grade from the draft committee. He stayed and started at LT to begin the season, but struggled there and the coaches moved him back to RT. Ifedi has very long arms and could be a mauler in the run game. He has good athleticism, but needs to work on his technique and hand placement. This guy has first round upside and could shift to LT eventually, but is better off at RG or RT for now which is what we need.
3. Kenny Lawler (72) – WR – Lawler is still pretty raw and didn't put up huge numbers in college, but he was Goff's #1 receiver, especially in the red zone, so they already have some chemistry. Lawler needs to gain some weight, but has good speed for his size and has long arms and massive hands (allegedly 11").
4. CJ Prosise (120) – RB – Prosise was converted from WR to RB and was impressive his first year at the new position at Notre Dame (he benefited from playing behind a very good offensive line though). He needs more time to develop as a runner and work on pass protection, but could be a great weapon for Chip Kelly's offense given his ability to run WR routes and catch the ball out of the backfield. He's a project, but he has good size and athleticism and looks like a natural at RB.
4. KeiVarae Russell (122) – CB – The 49ers trade their 5th round pick, the Chargers 5th round pick, and a 6th round pick to move up and grab Russell early in the 4th round. Russell falls due to character concerns and a broken leg late in 2015, but he is a terrific athlete with long arms who could develop into a very good cornerback in the NFL. He was viewed as one of the best corners in his class prior to missing 2014 due to academic issues. Could develop into a #1 corner, but it will take some time for him to recover after missing all of 2014 and part of 2015.
4 (comp). Matt Judon (146) – DE/OLB – Judon was one of the top players in Division II this year and finished the season with 20 sacks, which is ½ sack away from the Division II record. He has good size and athleticism for a 3-4 OLB and it looks like he has pretty good length, but it will take time to adjust to the jump in competition in the NFL. He would provide depth and competition as a pass rush specialist. He injured his ACL two years ago, but it doesn't seem to be affecting him anymore.
5 (comp). Willie Henry (195) – DT – Henry is a redshirt junior and it is a little puzzling why he decided to declare in a very strong DT class. He moves well for his size and was an important piece of Michigan's elite defense this year. Mel Kiper apparently loves this guy and thinks he could be a first round pick if he does well in workouts, but I included him because I was basing this mock on CBS draft rankings. There are so many good DT's in this draft that we can expect to find a solid rotational player as late as the 5th round even if Henry is taken earlier. D.J. Reader is another player CBS has projected to fall to the 6th round who could potentially be a good NT for us – he's even bigger at 325 and played baseball and fullback at Clemson, but could fall due to character concerns and poor technique.
6. Montese Overton (208) – ILB – Overton is undersized (6'2 221) and raw (one year starter), but was one of 15 for '15's top athletes in the country having been clocked in the low 4.3's in the 40 with a 36.5" vertical and 345 bench press. He only started for one season at East Carolina, but would be brought on as a developmental prospect and special teams player with the length and athleticism to become a solid coverage linebacker eventually.
6 (comp). Jalin Marshall (317) – WR/PR – Marshall is an explosive athlete who was overshadowed by some bigger names at Ohio State. He needs a lot of work on his route running, but could be used as a punt returner early on and Kelly may find creative ways to use him on offense.
6 (comp). Marshall Morgan (300) – K – Morgan has solid leg strength – he hit field goals of 55 and 56 yards in college and had 31 touchbacks in 2014. He set the SEC record with 20 consecutive made field goals between 2013 and 2014, but his accuracy dipped a bit in 2015 going 18/25. He is brought in to challenge Dawson for the starting job and eventually replace him. He's arguably the 2nd best kicker in the class behind Aguayo who could go in the 2nd or 3rd rounds.
[ Edited by eastcoast49ersfan on Jan 23, 2016 at 6:16 PM ]
