San Francisco 49ers: Draft Options with the #2 Pick

And with the second pick in the NFL Draft the San Francisco 49ers choose….

We are just over five weeks away from the NFL Draft, and that is good, no great, news for the San Francisco 49ers’ faithful. With a 2-14 record, second to last in team offense, and dead last in team defense, excitement for the faithful has been scarce.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel! This draft class is absolutely loaded with talent, especially defensively, so what will new head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch do with the number two overall pick?

Let’s address the possibility of trading picks first. If given the opportunity to trade down, they should absolutely jump at it, no questions asked. With so many gaping holes across the board, trading down means more draft picks while maintaining significant quality.

The only problem is there will be very few teams, if any, willing to make that move due to the depth of this draft. This is an unlikely scenario, but one that would benefit the Niners most, so start crossing those fingers.

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Now working in the scenario that no team will trade up for the number two pick, let’s look closer by position.

Quarterback. Yes, the Niners need a franchise quarterback like Jed York needs the team to have a winning season – badly. However, quarterback is just about the one area this draft class is not as gifted. North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky is currently ranked first, and had a workout with the Niners, but Deshaun Watson makes a great case for that top spot. He battled against the best defenses in college football and got the job done.

Either could be a bust, but Watson has shown glimpses of his ability to play in high stakes games and has the tools to become their guy. Bottom line is neither of these two look like a franchise QB right now, and it would be a risk drafting either with the first pick.

There are also talks that Shanahan acquires Kirk Cousins. In which case this argument is already over as using a coveted early draft pick on an unknown QB is a mistake.

Wide Receiver. Shanahan is an offense guy, and desperately wants a playmaker. With great size and athleticism (Shanahan loves speedy receivers), Corey Davis from Western Michigan could be that guy for him.

Torrey Smith failed to step up, and the Niners gave him the boot. The team added some fire power in free agent Pierre Garcon and Jeremy Kerley performed relatively well last season. These are the top two, but Shanahan likes to keep a higher number of receivers on the active roster.

There are a number of other options in Clemson’s Mike Williams and Ohio State’s Curtis Samuel if the organization chooses to wait to pick up a WR until a later round. Again, there is depth in this draft and waiting for a wide receiver wouldn’t be the worst idea.

Safety. Malik Hooker from Buckeye nation has caught the attention of many 49er fans and analysts. Due to the scheme shift, the Niners will primarily play one deep safety and that player has to be able to defend the pass. Hooker fits that description extremely well, as he is as athletic as they come with intense speed and aggressiveness.

If you have witnessed this guy tackle, it is evident the impact he can have for a team. The only draw backs are his lack of experience which causes questionable guesses and missed tackles. Additionally, using the number two pick on a safety is a risk when every draft pick is so precious. Especially considering it is not the most pressing need, as the Niners have Jimmie Ward and Eric Reid at safety.

Defensive End. Okay, the 49ers have a significant amount of needs for this draft class. But they need a powerful pass rusher, specifically an edge. If Myles Garrett is there, then the Niners should snag him quickly. Unfortunately, he will most likely go as the number one pick to the Browns, leaving Stanford’s Solomon Thomas and Tennessee’s Derek Barnett. Thomas has great explosiveness for his size and the ability to be a disruptive pass rusher.

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Remember, the 49ers used first-round picks in the last two drafts on DE: DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead. So where would Thomas fit in? He lacks the length to be a successful edge rusher, so with Aaron Lynch, Armstead, Buckner, and Ahmad Brooks on the line, Thomas would most likely be adding depth. Never a bad idea. Especially when you had one of the worst run defenses of all-time last season.

So the questions remain: how do Lynch and Shanahan approach their first Niners’ draft? Go for the best player available or for greatest need? Do they go to Shanahan’s wheelhouse and draft offense first? Or go where the real depth is, defense? A lot can happen in the month leading up to the draft, so let the ride begin!