King released just one mock draft this year, and in it has the New England Patriots moving up to No. 13 to select quarterback Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama. King admits that the move is purely a guess and is not based on any insider information.
As part of the trade to move down 10 spots to No. 23 overall, San Francisco acquires the Patriots' first-round selection in 2021. King believes the 49ers will try to move down again to add some day-two draft equity. The team currently lacks a pick between No. 31 overall and No. 156.
It is worth noting that, in King's mock, both Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs of Alabama are still available at No. 13, with CeeDee Lamb of Oklahoma being the lone receiver selected by that point. He went to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 12.
While King does have the 49ers trading down again in the first round, he has the team using the No. 23 overall pick to shore up its offensive line with tackle Josh Jones of Houston.
"If they stay here, tackle's the right call," writes King. "With Joe Staley having either one year or zero years left, it's a good time to pick a long-term tackle. Jones started for four years at left tackle—45 games—and that's not something you can say for many collegiate tackles these days."
In King's mock, San Francisco trades away its second first-round selection, sending the No. 31 overall pick to the Dallas Cowboys, who select offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz of Michigan. In the process, the 49ers gain the Cowboys' third-round pick (No. 82 overall). While it can be assumed that Dallas also surrenders the No. 51 overall pick in the deal, and possibly more, King doesn't specify what else the Cowboys included in this scenario.
"Niners wanted two picks—possibly one for a big-body plugger in the middle of the defensive line, one for a receiver—and this deal does the trick," adds King.
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