The San Francisco 49ers hold nine picks in the 2018 NFL Draft, and over $100 million in salary cap space heading into free agency. Even if they get Jimmy Garoppolo extended, the 49ers will still have considerable cap space to work with heading into free agency.
Given all that money, mock drafts are going to be out of date sooner rather than later. That being said, longer mock drafts are intriguing to consider for purposes of team needs. For example, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller put together a full seven-round mock draft following the Super Bowl. Here is the full seven-round class for the 49ers:
1 (9). Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech
2 (59). M.J. Stewart, CB, North Carolina
3 (70). Will Clapp, OG, LSU
3 (74). Mark Walton, RB, Miami
4 (124). Keke Coutee, WR, Texas Tech
5 (134). Austin Corbett, C, Nevada
6 (170). Jeremy Reaves, CB, South Alabama
7 (201). Joe Ostman, Edge, Central Michigan
7 (214). Garret Dooley, LB, Wisconsin
Edmunds has increasingly become a regular on the 49ers mock draft circuit. If the 49ers decided someone like him or Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith was the choice, I doubt free agency would have a big impact on that. Of course, if the 49ers were unable to land a big time cornerback in free agency, maybe that increases the cornerback need a bit? After that first round pick, they don’t pick again until late in the second round having acquired the New Orleans Saints second and dealt their own in the Jimmy Garoppolo trade.
This mock hits on all the areas of need, although it has them waiting on edge rusher. The 49ers could decide someone like Ezekiel Ansah is worth pursuing. If they don’t land a notable option in free agency, would they really wait into the seventh round to draft an edge rusher? That one’s a bit of ahead scratcher given the big need at the position. They don’t want to force something, but I find it hard to see them waiting until day three if they don’t land help in free agency.