The San Francisco 49ers will have a lot of options to consider with their first round draft pick next April. They are in good position to finish with the second pick of the draft, and while they probably will not be able to get pass rusher Myles Garrett, there are a lot of intriguing names.
One big name that will be mentioned is defensive lineman Jonathan Allen. The Alabama product has been included high in mock drafts, with some going so far as to send him to the Cleveland Browns. He is an immediate plug-and-play option, who seemingly can contribute as a three-down lineman with ease.
It is not all that surprising then that Allen won the Bronco Nagurski Award, which is an award for college football’s defensive player if the year.
Jonathan Allen wins the 2016 @NagurskiTrophy! https://t.co/qhPVlrO42G #RollTide pic.twitter.com/c2wufcFa6q
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) December 6, 2016
Allen might not be the first defensive player off the board next April, but odds are pretty good he is off the board in the first five picks. The 49ers could decide to go defensive line for a third straight year, or they could find a team willing to deal up.
The 49ers have significant needs on both sides of the ball, so best player available might just make sense. It raises some questions about where they will play everybody, but there are always other options. The most notable would be the team making a switch to 4-3. If they did that, they could conceivably start Jonathan Allen and DeForest Buckner in the two DT spots, and then Arik Armstead and Aaron Lynch on the outside. That still leaves Tank Carradine, Eli Harold, and maybe Ahmad Brooks looking for work, but it’s not like the first two have stood out all that much, and Brooks is not exactly a long-term option in Santa Clara.