How Free Agency has impacted the Draft

My main thought, the FA work has been well planned to allow them a free hand in the draft to go BPA. Allowing for the fact that this is year 1, I think the only real pressure is to pick up some pass rush. Other than that we take the best player available and next year we start to fill in the gaps. So far I am really liking their work.

Quite a haul indeed.

Hopefully they go BPA (within reason). This is not a one year project.

They definitely need some linebackers.

Eli Harold better bring his A-game.

Yeah, I think BPA is always the best draft philosophy and none of their moves make this exclusionary, but I wanted to try to get into Lynch's thinking going forward.

Bottom line, they're trying not to draft for need because that will limit your selections at 2. But I still think a QB is at play. Hoyer and Barkley doesn't automatically mean they're going to not rule out a QB at 2. But I expect the draft to have a QB, a wr, and then defensive heavy.

1 - looks like they have a draft plan for NT and LEO
2 - receiving RB in the mid rounds probably 3rd round or top of 4th
3 - will draft a C sooner than later 2nd-4th
4 - will draft more offensive line later rounds

Even if you consider BPA, most of these defensive prospects are not even that much better than the QBs. Considering their injury history. Barring any unlikely trade down scenario:

Allen = shoulder arthritis. DL is also getting kind of crowded.

Foster = injured. No pro day workouts. No combine workouts. Drama with that nurse. All of that is gonna make him a top 5 pick? Don't see it.

Malik Hooker = injured. Drafting a free safety at #2? You don't even know what you have in Jimmie Ward yet for this. Makes no sense just like picking Allen at DL because you have Armstead/Buckner, even though I think AA is going to flame out but thats another discussion.

Jamall Adams = again. Safety at #2? Positional value just doesn't seem right for the #2 overall.

Corey Davis / Mike Williams = I mean, I like these guys, but they're not elite WR prospects. If you're going to reach for a WR here, you might as well get a QB. Especially since you splurged in free agency on multiple WRs.

Derek Barnett / Soloman Thomas = These two EDGE guys are the only people I see realistically at #2. Not injured. Barnett had more sacks than Garrett. Soloman Thomas had one explosive game on film that I think people are overrating a bit, but hes still pretty good.

I think Watson and Trubisky are still in play, as much as people don't like it.

What the 49ers have done is boost their roster enough that they can keep their options open early on in the draft. On offense, they continue to need playmakers in any form they can find them. Whether that's a QB, RB, TE or WR, it doesn't really matter. If they are sure on Cousins then you can take QB off the list, but if they were to swap the #2 with the #17 to acquire Cousins, why wouldn't OJ Howard or Christian McCaffery be options in addition to receivers?

On defense, I would say the top priorities would be to add someone in the secondary and a pass rusher.

Still need pass rush, ILB, probably another CB, really need to beef up the OL (C in particular) and still need to beef up the WR corp, a secondary RB and get a future QB

Originally posted by Ensatsu:
Even if you consider BPA, most of these defensive prospects are not even that much better than the QBs. Considering their injury history. Barring any unlikely trade down scenario:

Allen = shoulder arthritis. DL is also getting kind of crowded.

Foster = injured. No pro day workouts. No combine workouts. Drama with that nurse. All of that is gonna make him a top 5 pick? Don't see it.

Malik Hooker = injured. Drafting a free safety at #2? You don't even know what you have in Jimmie Ward yet for this. Makes no sense just like picking Allen at DL because you have Armstead/Buckner, even though I think AA is going to flame out but thats another discussion.

Jamall Adams = again. Safety at #2? Positional value just doesn't seem right for the #2 overall.

Corey Davis / Mike Williams = I mean, I like these guys, but they're not elite WR prospects. If you're going to reach for a WR here, you might as well get a QB. Especially since you splurged in free agency on multiple WRs.

Derek Barnett / Soloman Thomas = These two EDGE guys are the only people I see realistically at #2. Not injured. Barnett had more sacks than Garrett. Soloman Thomas had one explosive game on film that I think people are overrating a bit, but hes still pretty good.

I think Watson and Trubisky are still in play, as much as people don't like it.

This. Even with Cousins in the fold next year having Mitch or Watson with a year under their belts would still be a major asset. With Hoyer or Barkley being behind Cousins and the draftee. And the s**t with Cousins could fall apart. What if he suffers a major injury late in the season? Or another team just outbids us? Guess you could just beat on Hoyer for another year and re evaluate the qb situation.

Trade down and draft Jabrill Peppers.

I feel like they will be drafting hooker, lattimore, or garret if he's there.

Garret, if not there, trading down.

I think Cousins is a safe bet and you go for Garrett or Soloman. Either that or trade down and grab a WR. Hoping we somehow land Garrett.

I don't think free agency has impacted the draft at all (at least not the first 2-3 rounds). What's impacting it is Cousins' desire to be a 49er. I'm very high on Trubisky but I think I would take Fournette with the second pick if we can't trade back.