The San Francisco 49ers do not have a heck of a lot of draft capital in the 2020 NFL Draft and yet they do not have very many needs either. The Super Bowl loss will sting for quite a while for the Niners, but this is a team that should be right in the thick of contention come the start of the new season. Armed with two first-round picks and not much else, hitting on those early selections will increase San Francisco’s odds of getting back to the big dance. I took a turn at making those picks using the Mock Draft Simulator from TheDraftNetwork.com
The 49ers trading away DeForest Buckner was a huge shock to the football world, as any trade involving one of the best interior pass rushers in the game would. San Francisco has a ready-made replacement in DT Arik Armstead, who was a fine rotational rusher that came off the bench last year. It is a nice calculated risk by the Niners. While Armstead has less career production, he is coming off a career year, his contact extension is worth $5 million less annually than the extension Buckner got from the Colts, and San Francisco was able to net pick thirteen overall from Indianapolis, a much higher pick than the Niners would have been able to get for Armstead. The 49ers’s defensive line starters are pretty well set, but their depth there needs to be addressed. All in all, depth is the only real concern defensively as all starters are pretty much set in stone.
San Francisco also has most of their offensive starters in place, save for only two players that departed in free agency. WR Emmanuel Sanders left to go to New Orleans, leaving a spot across from Deebo Samuel wide open. Starting right guard Mike Person was let go from an interior offensive line that could have used some work before his departure. Replacing these two should be a priority in this draft and that is exactly what I chose to address early:
Round 1, Pick 13: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
Jerry Jeudy is an absolute technician at the wide receiver position. He is without a doubt the best route runner in this draft class. Jeudy is very deceptive with his route running, as everything is predicated on fooling the cornerback across from him. He uses a series of false steps and head fakes to get defenders out of position, often fooling the corner into thinking he will run an inside route before bursting outside or vice versa. Here is a good example against LSU:
Jeudy sells a slant route really well before quickly flipping his hips to run an out route. The corner is too slow to react, leaving Jeudy wide open for an easy pitch and catch. Jeudy was used both on the perimeter and in the slot at Alabama, where he was dynamic regardless of alignment. His route running gets to shine when he is lined up in the slot and has the whole route tree at his disposal, but he has the size and straight-line speed to defeat press and get vertical on the outside. You can even use him in the quick game, where he shows his run after the catch ability on quick slants and screens. It is pretty simple: put Jeudy anywhere and he will thrive. The thought of putting him in Kyle Shanahan’s creative offensive attack should strike fear in the hearts of the rest of the NFC West.
Round 1, Pick 31: Cesar Ruiz, OG/OC, Michigan
Ruiz is easily the best interior offensive lineman in this draft class. He was primarily a center at Michigan but I think he can hang at guard as well. Other centers I have already profiled like Matt Hennessy and Nick Harris had issues at the point of attack, getting pushed backwards off the snap but recovering with good technique. Ruiz is an absolute tank that does not get moved backwards, as he has better size than the two guys I just mentioned and moves just as well out in space as them. Ruiz is a bully at the line of scrimmage, gets good push in the run game and will straight bury a defender into the turf. He has all the traits of a mauler-type lineman and yet he can move! Check this play out against Penn State:
Ruiz snaps the ball, pulls from center, and seals off a defender to give his running back the edge to reach the end zone. Ruiz can step right into the starting guard spot vacated by Mike Person, with the potential to kick back to center in the future, where starter Weston Richburg has had trouble staying healthy lately.
Round 5, Pick 156: Khalil Davis, DT, Nebraska
125 picks later, the 49ers are making another selection. In reality, San Francisco may look to trade back with one of their two first-rounders, I just have tried to shy away from trades in these mocks. I wanted to give the Niners another interior pass rusher to replace Arik Armstead’s role now that Armstead is moving into a starting job, I just wish I gave them a better one. Davis’s athleticism had me intrigued after he blew up the Combine, but I was not a fan of his tape. Davis may have the speed and hand usage to be a potential situational pass rusher in the league, however, he just gets completely washed out in the run game. There are too many instances where he struggled to shed blocks and got pushed way off the line. I would not suggest using him in two-gap situations and double teams will create problems for him. Using him more as a gap shooter in a penetration style defense is where he is going to win, it will just have to come on third downs and obvious passing situations. If you want to get an idea of how athletic Davis is, watch him chase down this running back on a screen against Wisconsin:
Round 5, Pick 176: Lamar Jackson, CB, Nebraska
No not that Lamar Jackson. Jackson is a big, long corner that could be developed into a starting boundary cornerback. He has a similar build to Richard Sherman, who is not getting any younger and could use a protégé.
Round 6, Pick 210: Justin Strnad, LB, Wake Forest
Strnad is an athletic and rangy linebacker prospect that could be worth developing for San Francisco. There are rumors that starting LB Kwon Alexander could be a cap casualty after this season and Strnad could be a guy that steps into the lineup in a few years.
Round 7, Pick 217: Jared Pinkney, TE, Vanderbilt
Pinkney should be a solid back-up tight end in the NFL. He is a pretty good blocker and while he struggles to separate, he should still find some success in the passing game. He can compete with Ross Dwelley for the back-up job to George Kittle.
Round 7, Pick 245: Jon Runyan, OL, Michigan
Runyan was a tackle in college but his NFL home will likely be guard. He will probably never be a starter yet he could make for a nice versatile depth piece. A worthwhile flier at the end of the draft.
Obviously there are not many premium picks here for the 49ers, even so, giving them the best interior offensive lineman and potentially the best wide receiver in what is a deep class makes up for the lack of capital. Having only two vacancies in the starting lineup and having two first-round picks with which to fill them is definitely a nice luxury. We shall see if that means San Francisco will be in the championship hunt once again or whether the Super Bowl hangover will drag this team down in 2020.
Written by: Daniel Hower
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