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The NFL Draft is an exercise in risk, with an incredible amount of uncertainty surrounding most picks. The closest we have seen to a sure thing might have been Andrew Luck, but in reality, most picks carry some measure of risk. I mean you can go back to 1998 when plenty of people were not sure if the better pick was Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf.
The San Francisco 49ers have frequently been connected to Oregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead in mock drafts throughout the offseason. There has been some mention of other players, but Armstead has become a regular fixture. He is a very talented football player, but there enough question marks that I don't know many people who think of him as anything resembling a sure thing. And he is just one of a few such players.
SB Nation's Dan Kadar and ESPN's Mel Kiper each put together a look at some of the safer players in the draft. Dan's list included OT La'el Collins, DT Danny Shelton, ILB Eric Kendricks, TE Clive Walford and RB Tevin Coleman, Kiper's list included a list of the ten safest picks:
DT Leonard Williams
WR Amari Cooper
OLB Dante Fowler
OT Brandon Scherff
LB Shaq Thompson
CB Trae Waynes
C Cameron Erving
WR Phillip Dorsett
CB Byron Jones
RB Melvin Gordon
I'm sure there is plenty of disagreement about who of those players would be safe picks, but who do you view as a safe pick for the 49ers in the early part of the draft. It can be a first round option, but even though it would be later, a second round option can still be seen as a "safe" pick. Who are the guys you look at as safe in this year's draft?