2017 NFL mock draft: Finding as many ‘useful football players’ as possible

The San Francisco 49ers have a lot of questions, which some think means they can go completely best player available in the 2017 NFL draft. They need quality players, and Kyle Shanahan has talked about how the best players can be scheme versatile.

Over the past few weeks, Rotoworld has been looking at each NFL team and providing some assessments. Evan Silva breaks down the top three needs, and Josh Norris then puts together a full seven-round mock draft. On Tuesday, they got to the 49ers, and did not hold back.

Silva listed out all three team needs as being the same: “Useful Football Players.” Silva likes his share of snark, but his general point is that the 49ers, “do not have a legitimate strength on either side of the ball.” He thinks both DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead are questionable fits in the new defense, and Carlos Hyde has limited pass-catching value. He sees this draft as a chance for the 49ers to stick to their big board, going as close to BPA as possible, and not feeling the need to reach for a position.

Norris in turn came up with this full seven-round mock draft for the 49ers. It does not include trades.

1 (2). Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
2 (34). DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
3 (66). ArDarius Stewart, WR, Alabama
4 (109). Marlon Mack, RB, South Florida
4 (143). Kendell Beckwith, LB, LSU
5 (146). Treston DeCoud, CB, Oregon State
5 (161). Stevie Tu’ikolovatu, DL, USC
6 (198). Aviante Collins, OT, TCU
6 (202). Elihah McGuire, RB, Louisiana-Lafayette
7 (219). Darius English, Edge, South Carolina

The biggest question in this would be waiting until the final round to draft an edge rusher. The 49ers could decide Aaron Lynch, Tank Carradine, Eli Harold, and others on the roster are enough for the time being. I am skeptical of that.

I’m not surprised we see a wait for the cornerback position. The 49ers need help there, but with the draft depth available at the position, it makes sense to wait it out. I think we could see the 49ers draft two cornerbacks, and I do think a day two cornerback makes sense, but this is not an entirely surprising outcome.

The quarterback position remains a tough one to figure out. John Lynch has had plenty of praise for DeShone Kizer, and the 49ers have had at least two meetings with him, one at the Combine and one at his Pro Day. Kizer’s stock has been falling of late, and more and more people think he slips to round two. If he was there at No. 34, would the 49ers jump on him?

What do you make of a draft class that results in this haul? We don’t have a look at what the full draft might look like, but that aside, if the 49ers walked away with this group of players, how would you assess it?