We rank the three most positions of need by importance for the 49ers ahead of the NFL Draft
It’s only the middle of February, so while the NFL draft board is taking shape, it’s still too early to talk about certainties regarding the annual event.
We know that the San Francisco 49ers are currently scheduled to make the 11th pick, but even that could change. The 49ers could do as they did a few years back, trading up a month before the draft. They could even take that 11th pick and attempt to turn it into a Maxx Crosby or a Myles Garrett.
But for now, they’re at 11. So what should they do with the selection? With so many needs, let’s power rank which positions would make the most sense for the 49ers to address with their first pick:
1A/1B. Defensive line/Offensive line
Great teams are built in the trenches, and the 49ers need desperate help on both sides. There’s a valid argument for both sides to be the number one priority for the 49ers to address with their first selection.
I lean towards the defensive line because while the 49ers offensive line is not perfect, it’s a perfectly fine group—one that could be better and one that could be worse. The same could not be said for the 49ers defensive line in 2024.
Nick Bosa had a down year from what we’ve grown accustomed to, but he didn’t have much support around him. Bosa finished with nine sacks – his lowest total since his rookie season – with Leonard Floyd finishing right behind him with 8.5. But, the rest of the 49ers’ pass rush combined to be slightly better than Bosa and Floyd, with seven players combining for 18.5 sacks, just one more than the 17.5 produced by Bosa and Floyd.
However, the 49ers’ sitting at 11 leaves them in a tough spot. Abdul Carter, Mason Graham, and Mykel Williams are considered the three best players on the defensive line in this draft. However, Carter will be gone within the first three picks, with Graham and Williams projected to be taken before the 49ers are on the clock. The next wave of linemen – Walter Nolen, Mike Green, and Derrick Harmon – are being mocked later in the first round and could be seen as a reach at 11.
We assume the 49ers hold at 11 here, so the two players that make the most sense would be Graham or Williams if San Francisco is lucky enough for either to drop. But if neither drops, the 49ers shouldn’t reach for a defensive lineman when there is a need on the offensive line.
Will Campbell would fit nicely for the 49ers, but he also falls into the “likely won’t fall that far” category. But unlike the defensive line, the offensive line has plenty of top-end prospects. Armand Membou has been a popular selection for the 49ers at 11, and so have Kelvin Banks Jr. and Josh Simmons.
San Francisco should hope one of the top defensive linemen falls to them to shore up a pass rush that was lacking in 2024, with the comfort of knowing that an offensive lineman will be available if not.
2. Cornerback
As we get further down this list, the positions will be narrowed down to if that one specific name falls to the 49ers. Cornerback is the first of those positions.
Pass rush depth was a priority during Robert Saleh’s first term as the 49ers defensive coordinator, and it should be the priority to start his second term. Still, the San Francisco secondary has some needs, starting with cornerback.
Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green give Saleh a solid foundation to build upon, but Charvarius Ward’s impending departure opens up a starting spot. If Will Johnson out of Michigan falls to 11, San Francisco should jump all over the opportunity.
Saleh used the draft to shore up his secondary with the Jets, using the fourth selection of the 2022 draft on Sauce Gardner with a great return. Johnson can be for the 49ers what Gardner was for New York. Johnson offers great coverage ability in both zone and man coverage and would be a great addition to a 49ers defense in need of some versatility.
If Johnson is there at 11, it could mean the likes of Campbell, Graham, and Banks are gone. If the top names aren’t there, Johnson could be a home run selection.
3. Wide receiver
Wide receiver is a luxury position and one the 49ers don’t need to address in the first round. It is a position that’s important to Kyle Shanahan, and while there aren’t too many names at receiver that will be taken in the top half of the draft, there is one that, if he falls to the 49ers, it’s tough to see Shanahan pass on him.
That would be Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan.
With the 49ers moving on from Deebo Samuel, wide receiver suddenly becomes a need, with plenty of questions surrounding the receivers left on the roster. That’s not to say the 49ers need to take whatever receiver they can as soon as possible, but McMillan would be the exception.
The six-foot-five receiver has some issues separating but has a massive catch radius, is good at finding open space, and is a brutal tackle with the ball in his hands to make up. McMillan shouldn’t be the 49er’s first choice – he might not even fall to the 49ers – but if some of the names above are gone, McMillan would be a great “best player available” selection.