The 2015 NFL season has only two games remaining, which means mock drafts are picking up steam. I'll have the mock draft database up and running either later this week, or early into next week. I suspect quarterbacks will be prominently listed for the San Francisco 49ers, but I think plenty of us are at least a little skeptical about the quarterback position being at the top of the 49ers priority list in the first round.
The latest 2016 NFL mock draft from Mocking The Draft goes in that quarterback direction. Dan Kadar has the 49ers selecting Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch with the sixth pick. He has the Cleveland Browns selecting Jared Goff with the second overall pick. Here is how the top six looks in Dan's mock draft:
1. Tennessee Titans - Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss
2. Cleveland Browns - Jared Goff, QB, Cal
3. Baltimore Ravens - Jalen Ramsey, DB, Florida State
4. San Diego Chargers - Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
5. Dallas Cowboys - Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida
6. San Francisco 49ers - Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis
Here is what he had to say about Lynch to the 49ers:
The way the top of the draft is playing out, the 49ers should be able to remain steady with this choice and take who is left between Lynch and Goff. Although there needs to be some developing with Lynch, it's hard to overlook his efficiency, size and athleticism. In the right hands, he could be turned into a star.
Whatever happens with the 49ers in the upcoming draft, I fully expect Blaine Gabbert to be the starting quarterback Week 1 of the 2016 season. Two poor performances to close out the season might have me hedging my bets a little bit, but I think that is the direction this team is headed if they retain much of the current coaching staff. I do think the 49ers will draft a quarterback in this year's draft, but I would be a bit surprised if it happened on day one. Instead, I see them grabbing someone to stash behind Gabbert for a year, and potentially build toward.
In the meantime, I emailed Dan to get his thoughts on a potential non-QB pick for the 49ers. I'll follow up with that later this week.