The NFL Draft starts two weeks from tomorrow, which means draft analysts are looking for any and all new angles to keep the discussion flowing. Todd McShay put together his latest mock draft earlier today and went with a scenario-based approach. Instead of simply mocking out 32 picks, he went through each team and listed out various scenarios.
For a team like the Colts, there were only two scenarios: 1) Draft Andrew Luck and 2) Draft Robert Griffin III. For the 49ers, he provided four potential scenarios with the pick:
Scenario 1: San Francisco would love to see Hill drop to this spot and add a dynamic weapon to the passing game.
Scenario 2: Trade out. Defensive linemen such as Ta'amu and Clemson's Brandon Thompson are not worth the pick, but moving back could allow the Niners to fill a need position with a better value, perhaps Zeitler, Silatolu or a 3-4 defensive lineman.
Scenario 3: They could elect to go with the best defender available, meaning they might get comfortable with Jenkins or look to McClellin to bring some pass-rush help opposite Aldon Smith.
Scenario 4: Reyes might not appear on the surface to be the best fit, but he's a smart, versatile player who can pick up the system quickly and inject some youth into an aging defensive front.
McShay attached a mock draft pick for each team and for the 49ers he projected Connecticut defensive tackle Kendall Reyes. He had not mocked Jenkins or McClellin to anybody, so I'm not quite sure what his intention is with this. I suppose it is just a way to come up with one more scenario?
He listed G, DE, CB, WR, OLB, TE, S, and ILB as the positions of need. A lot of people have been mixing in tight end as a position of need. I'm not quite sure if they are doing it because of Jim Harbaugh's propensity for extra tight ends in his offensive sets or if they recognize that Delanie Walker is a free agent after this year. My guess is it is the former, but who really knows what some of these people know.
In his mock, he had the Houston Texans drafting Stephen Hill with the No. 26 pick, which explains why Hill is not going to the 49ers in this mock. It is interesting that there is no mention of Fleener. Not because that is necessarily the pick, but it has become a fairly popular opinion.
I still think we see the 49ers make a move either up or down in the draft. Their roster space is sufficiently limited that it makes sense to package away picks to move up, or deal away picks for 2013 picks. There have been no rumors of a move, but my gut just tells me it seems like a realistic possibility. Keep in mind, my gut bought into the excitement of Giovanni Carmazzi.
For more on Reyes, check out Mocking The Draft and National Football Post.