The San Francisco 49ers have a tough decision ahead of them as they prepare to use the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. They badly need a long-term answer at quarterback, but with a QB class potentially weaker than in some recent years and the 49ers dealing with holes up and down the roster, they might consider other options.
ESPN’s Todd McShay released his latest big board, ranking out the top 32 players in this year’s class. His biggest change appears to be Alabama tight end O.J. Howard. He got a ton of praise during Senior Bowl week, and now ranks No. 12 on McShay’s big board.
The 49ers signed Garrett Celek and Vance McDonald to contract extensions over the past calendar year, and drafted Blake Bell in 2015. Normally that would mean tight end is pretty low on the priority list, but the addition of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch throws most of our pre-conceived notions out the window. They have cap space to release players they don’t like. Will we see a sizable churn, including at the tight end position?
McShay’s big board includes Mitch Trubisky as the highest ranking quarterback at No. 27. I have seen other big boards that list him higher, but my guess is they are inflating his ranking due to the position he plays. And I suspect teams will inflate his value, as well as that of DeShaun Watson and maybe DeShone Kizer come draft time.
Here is McShay’s top ten.
1. Myles Garrett, OLB, Texas A&M
2. Jonathan Allen, DT, Alabama
3. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
4. Jamal Adams, S, LSU
5. Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
6. Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
7. Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
8. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
9. Reuben Foster, ILB, Alabama
10. Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan