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San Francisco 49ers: Full seven-round 2019 NFL mock draft

By Justin Fried

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 03: Defensive lineman Nick Bosa of Ohio State works out during day four of the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 3, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 03: Defensive lineman Nick Bosa of Ohio State works out during day four of the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 3, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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San Francisco 49ers draft
EVANSTON, IL – NOVEMBER 03: Miles Boykin #81 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish catches a pass for a touchdown over Montre Hartage #24 of the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half of a game at Ryan Field on November 3, 2018 in Evanston, Illinois. San Francisco 49ers mock draft (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

The 49ers decided to double-up at receiver as they take their second pass-catcher in back-to-back rounds with the selection of Notre Dame’s Miles Boykin.

I really wanted to go cornerback here as the 49ers desperately need some help at the No. 2 corner position opposite Richard Sherman. Ahkello Witherspoon struggled mightily last season and while the Jason Verrett signing is promising, it’s hard to count on him given his lengthy injury history.

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That said, the value just wasn’t there at the position. Miami’s Michael Jackson was still on the board, but I didn’t see him as a good fit in the 49ers Cover-3 scheme as he projects as more of a press Cover 2 type corner.

Because of that, the team decided to draft its second consecutive receiver with Boykin here in the fourth round. Like Arcega-Whiteside, Boykin is more of a contested catch possession receiver but he doesn’t have the elite high-pointing ability that the Stanford product has.

Still, Boykin has the size and physical athleticism to be a very effective possession receiver at the next level. The main difference between him and Arcega-Whiteside is that he projects as more of a big slot receiver due to his inability to reliably beat press coverage. Although he needs to develop more as a route runner before he could be a consistent contributor on offense.

But with his physical upside, Boykin would be a very solid pick in the fourth round. Given that the 49ers didn’t have a single receiver post more than 500 receiving yards in 2018, it seems reasonable to double-up here at the position.