The wrap of the 2016 season brings with it more 2017 NFL mock drafts, and friend of the site Matt Miller has a strong seven-round mock draft to get the week going!
Miller has been focused on Mitch Trubisky as the quarterback the San Francisco 49ers will select. He stuck with it in this mock, even though he does not necessarily agree with it. As he put it, “This is not what I would do as general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, but this is the move I believe the team will make as the draft unfolds.” He sees Trubisky as a mid-first-round talent, and thinks a better move would be addressing the position with a potential trade or free agent pickup like Kirk Cousins or Jimmy Garoppolo. He sees potential in this year’s QB class, but a lot of question marks. Here’s what he said about the pick and other options:
Mitch Trubisky is a fine quarterback. He's strong-armed, a good athlete and is the best of the bunch among the 2017 class of signal-callers. But in terms of pure value, he's a mid-first-round talent. Reaching here for a quarterback is desperate, and I'm never a fan of picking based on need this early in the draft.
Linebacker Reuben Foster or running back Leonard Fournette are better values here, but for a team with zero quarterbacks signed through 2017, Trubisky would offer new head coach Kyle Shanahan a young passer to work with and give ownership the kind of hope they need to sell to fans.
Here is the full list of picks Miller made for the 49ers. The team has 11 picks including their comp pick. Free agency and trades could change things drastically, but it would not surprise me if the 49ers ended up spending more than one pick on a quarterback. We saw it back in 2012 when Washington selected Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins in the first and fourth rounds. Will Kyle Shanahan look to follow his father’s process?
As for the rest of the picks, we can argue all day about the specific players, but it hits on some positions that need a lot of work. The team desperately needs help at wide receiver and pass rusher. A running back to back up Carlos Hyde makes sense. I think the back-end of the defense is in decent shape, while the defensive line is fine for the time being. But what do you think?
1 (2). QB Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina
2 (34). WR John Ross, Washington
3 (66). EDGE Carroll Phillips, Illinois
4 (106). RB Elijah Hood, North Carolina
4 (139c). LB Kendell Beckwith, LSU
5 (147). WR KD Cannon, Baylor
5 (162). CB Cole Luke, Notre Dame
6 (188). EDGE Matt Milano, Boston College
6 (206). TE Pharaoh Brown, Oregon
7 (224). EDGE Deatrich Wise, Arkansas
7 (225). S Nathan Gerry, Nebraska