Trying to pinpoint which pundits are incorrect about their opinions when it comes to the NFL Draft.
For the past few months, we’ve listened to NFL Draft analysts give us their opinions about who the San Francisco 49ers should draft. We’ve seen the names change as we’ve gotten closer to the draft and as more and more information has came out.
As it relates to Kyle Shanahan and what the Niners will do this week and weekend, you’ll continue to hear conflicting opinions. There’s nothing wrong with that. They are called opinions for a reason.
One expert will tell us it’s necessary for the 49ers to find a Trent Williams replacement this Thursday, while the next analyst will sell us that cornerback is the top need on the team. It’s tough to agree with that line of thinking after seeing the projected starters along the defensive line.
Shanahan all but told us how the 49ers built their peak version of the roster at the owner’s meetings when he said, “I think we all got a little spoiled in ‘19 because we had one of the best D-lines in the history of football.”
That’s why players like Walter Nolen, Mykel Williams, and Derrick Harmon make sense for the 49ers. They need an impact player next to Nick Bosa.
But what if that impact comes via trade? What if they’re thinking outside of the group of players from above, or even other names the Niners have met with, like Shemar Stewart or James Pearce.
A blockbuster trade involving the 49ers’ No. 11 overall pick, or a player, would certainly qualify as predictions gone wrong if the Niners’ brass didn’t even feel that this class was worthy of using their first-round pick on.
Selecting one of the positions we haven’t been talking about ad nauseam counts. An offensive skill player would surprise. Jalon Walker, who plays linebacker and rushed the passer at Georgia occassionally, has the athletic upside you dream of, so it shouldn’t totally surprise people, but that’s not a name that we’ve seen paired with the 49ers since early in the process.
What have you seen reported about the 49ers that you find to be the “most wrong” about what they’ll actually do?
My answer: I’m not buying the 49ers Day 1 interest in an offensive lineman. The 49ers have met with the top offensive tackles in the class, including Kelvin Banks, Armand Membou, Josh Simmons, and Josh Conerly. We can add another offensive tackle to that list as of Monday.
Indeed, the Niners need to think about life after Trent Williams while upgrading from Colton McKivitz on the right side. That can be true while acknowleding the 49ers got to the Super Bowl with McKivitz playing the same way he did in 2023 as he did in 2024. Statistically, McKivitz gave up five more sacks in 2023 than he did in 2024.
However, the passing defense fell off a cliff after a defensive line that lacked depth was zapped by multiple injuries throughout the year. In 2023, the 49ers were sixth in passing success rate allowed and seventh in dropback expected points added (EPA) allowed. Last year, they slipped to 18th and 22nd in those respective categories. That’s on top of a run defense that finished in the bottom quartet of the NFL. Based on the current roster’s construction, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has his work cut out for him.
I’d take it a step further and say the organization would be better suited to take a defensive player with their first two picks. It’s Bosa and three new starters. Yetur Gross-Matos was healthy enough to play 61 more snaps than Talanoa Hufanga last season. Not only will you need to replace both starting defensive tackles, but there’s also 604 snaps from Leonard Floyd.
Any prediction of an offensive player early in the NFL Draft feels incorrect. How about you? Where do you think pundits are wrong about the 49ers draft? Scroll down and let us know in the comments.