Welcome to .500 hell.
So now that the San Francisco 49ers are pretty much out of it (and if you are hoping, you truly put the “Faith” in “Faithful”), it’s time to start looking to 2025. That means mock drafts at some point, free agent priorities, and all that fun stuff we haven’t done since 2020 in the regular season.
The 49ers are in a slush of six-win teams. With all the tiebreakers regarded, Tankathon has them with the 15th overall pick. This is what we call .500 hell. You might remember when division rivals are clearly out of the mix; I encourage you to root for those rivals to win. That’s because that puts them in .500 hell. Not bad enough for a top-10 draft choice, not good enough to be in the back third of the league where you say, “it happened because they made the postseason”.
The 49ers are in .500 hell. That said, even if elegant, tanking is not what you want the organization to do. That’s a terrible culture and how you get teams like the Cleveland Browns. As fans, we can ask for draft positioning, but you want the team to keep playing hard and not folding.
Despite being out of the top 10, I’m seeing some intriguing options on various mocks. Defensive players like Texas A&M’s Edge Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart could be available. Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon might also make it and is a name to watch. Then there’s Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks, a draft crush for some of you. Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant might also be there. Marshall’s defensive end, Mike Green, is another name seen in mock drafts, but that might be a bit early.
I haven’t followed enough college football to say, “This is the guy.” Years ago, I fell in love with Zach Wilson during his final season at BYU. We know how that turned out.
All I’m saying is no one knows how these things shake out, and we haven’t even had a combine yet. Many prospects I named will get boosts in their bowl games/playoffs. A lot rides on those. Back in the day, Ohio State quarterback (and brief 49ers’ signal caller) Troy Smith was seen as promising but had a terrible National Championship performance, which had a hand in his getting selected in the fifth round. Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o was seen as a first-rounder, but a lackluster combine pushed him to the second round.
Positioning is the first battle, and we have a few more weeks before we know precisely where the 49ers are drafting. For once (and thanks to the 2024 draft), they have a great secondary, and it won’t need to burn multiple picks on cornerbacks and safeties, provided they can get Talanoa Hufanga locked in with an extension (which may happen).
The big thing right now is addressing the lines on both sides of the ball. The defensive side needs a pass rush; even Nick Bosa has limitations. The offensive side needs to get a succession plan for when Trent Williams calls it a career. Furthermore, If you give Brock Purdy crazy money, you might want to be sure that investment is protected. The 49ers made good strides on the line this year with Dominick Puni, but they have Aaron Banks potentially looking somewhere for free agency, so it’s still a work in progress. The lines on both sides of the ball should be the show’s star this year.
What are you prioritizing at this pick?