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San Francisco 49ers Have Plenty of Options for Seventh Pick

By Sean Bialaszek

January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Chip Kelly (left) and San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke (right) pose for a photo in a press conference after naming Kelly as the new head coach for the San Francisco 49ers at Levi
January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Chip Kelly (left) and San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke (right) pose for a photo in a press conference after naming Kelly as the new head coach for the San Francisco 49ers at Levi /
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The NFL Draft is rapidly approaching, and the San Francisco 49ers have plenty of options for what to do with the seventh overall pick.

The NFL Combine is officially over, and the NFL Draft is officially next month. The Tennessee Titans are on the clock, leading up to them making the first overall pick on April 28th. Behind them, 30 other teams will pick on the first day of the draft, including the San Francisco 49ers, who hold the seventh pick. After a 5-11 season last year, the 49ers have a few different needs to fill, and they’ll have a lot of deciding to do before making their selection.

Quarterback is a clear concern for the 49ers, and so far through mock draft season, that has been the most common selection the team has been projected to make. Blaine Gabbert is the starter right now after taking the job mid-way through last season, and the man he supplanted, Colin Kaepernick, is probably on his way out of San Francisco (but who really knows anymore).

There are three clear “top-level” quarterbacks in this year’s draft: North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz, Cal’s Jared Goff, and Memphis’ Paxton Lynch. Most every draft expert has placed Wentz over Goff, and if the Cleveland Browns agree, Wentz won’t be on the board when the 49ers pick at seven. If the Dallas Cowboys decide to take Tony Romo’s eventual successor with the number four pick, that likely takes  Goff off the board and leaves Lynch for San Francisco, if they decide to take a quarterback as well. If Dallas doesn’t take Goff, the team can choose between the Bay Area kid Goff and Lynch.

Quarterback isn’t the only need for San Francisco, as they also have to protect their passer, and block for the run game, better. Left tackle Joe Staley, a Pro Bowler for five straight years, is signed through 2019. Center Daniel Kilgore is probably the second-best lineman behind Staley, but has had injury issues, playing only 12 games in the past two years. Rookie tackle Trenton Brown, all 6’9″ and 376 pounds of him, showed a lot of potential in six games and two starts late in the year. Maybe right tackle Anthony Davis is coming back, maybe he isn’t. Right guard, usually either Andrew Tiller or Erik Pears, was terrible, and left guard Alex Boone is an unrestricted free agent.

Depth is a real concern for the 49ers here. It may not be enough of a concern to take a lineman at seventh overall, but it does need to be addressed. The top lineman in this draft, Ole Miss’s Laremy Tunsil, is probably going to Tennessee at number one, and the number-two tackle, Notre Dame’s Ronnie Stanley, has been mocked to the Baltimore Ravens at number six. If Baltimore doesn’t take Stanley, maybe picking the 6’6″, 312-pounder is a good move for the 49ers. Trying to pick another lineman if Stanley is off the board, maybe Michigan State’s Jack Conklin, would probably be a reach.

There’s also the guys that the quarterbacks have to throw to. The wide receiver group is inexperienced, as Torrey Smith is the only established threat, although Quinton Patton did record a career-best 30 catches last year. Anquan Boldin, good old Mr. Reliable, is an unrestricted free agent, and if the team isn’t able to bring him back, they’ll need to replenish the group. Doing so with the first pick of the draft probably isn’t a great idea. Laquon Treadwell is the best receiver of the incoming group, but probably should stay on the board at number seven. Going for a receiver on the second or third day is probably a better bet.

On the defensive side of the ball, the 49ers have a lot of needs. Their pass rush was as bad as it had been in a decade last year, as their 28 sacks were fourth-worst in the NFL, and marked the first time the team didn’t crack 30 sacks since 2005. There are two impact pass-rushers that should be off the board before the 49ers pick, but if either Ohio State’s Joey Bosa or Oregon’s DeForest Bucker fall, the 49ers should swoop on them. If not, maybe picking up Clemson’s Shaq Lawson could help.

Inside linebacker should also be considered a need for the 49ers. Following a devastating knee injury in 2013, NaVorro Bowman returned to the field and played extremely well, but was missing his old running mate Patrick Willis. The 49ers were 29th in the NFL against the run in 2015, allowing 126.3 yards per game, after finishing no worse than seventh versus the run in the prior four years.

Adding another linebacker to play alongside Bowman would be beneficial to the defense. UCLA’s Myles Jack is coming off a knee injury in his senior season, but seems to be back on track and ready to roll for the upcoming season, so much so that he may be off the board by the time the 49ers pick. With news of Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith’s knee injury being much worse than expected, he is no long worth the risk of a first-round pick. Ohio State’s Darron Lee is another linebacker to possibly keep an eye on.

There’s a lot of other variables that will go into this pick, not just what the teams ahead of San Francisco will do. If either Goff or Lynch is still on the board, will new head coach Chip Kelly be comfortable having either one run his offense? Would he rather wait until a later round to take a quaterback to better fit his system? Will the 49ers make an early free agency splash and fill a need?

Next: Muddy Water in Kaepernick/49ers Situation

It’s hard to dictate what will happen over the next two months, but there are a lot of options for the 49ers. They need to make the best of all their resources to get back to glory.