The San Francisco 49ers were plenty busy during the first two rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft. On day one, they drafted offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey with the No. 9 overall pick, and then traded away right tackle Trent Brown. On day two, they traded up from pick No. 59 to pick No. 44 to acquire wide receiver Dante Pettis.
McGlinchey is looking like a core piece of the offensive line, and Pettis had a strong run late in the season before a season-ending injury cut it short. Both are looking like they could prove to be good draft picks, but with hindsight as our friend, it is easy to consider alternatives.
Earlier this week, ESPN put together a re-draft of the first two rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft. They removed the trades and simply had each team picking at its original position. For the 49ers, that resulted in drafting linebacker Darius Leonard at No. 9 and safety Justin Reid at No. 59. Here’s what Nick Wagoner had to say about both picks.
Leonard: “McGlinchey was good, and the Niners don’t regret taking him, but a re-draft offers the benefit of hindsight. Knowing what we know about Reuben Foster and the team’s need for star power on defense, Leonard was simply too good to pass up.”
Reid: “A bevy of injuries at safety meant the Niners finished the season with six safeties playing at least 300 snaps. Reid had a solid rookie season and would have offered some much-needed stability in the secondary.”
A lot of 49ers fans talk about the idea of taking James at No. 9, but obviously in this re-draft he went even higher. In this re-draft, James went No. 7 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. For the 49ers picks, McGlinchey slipped to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 15 and Pettis actually went a pick later than originally, going No. 45 to the Green Bay Packers.
With an entirely new draft board (not just who ended up going after the 49ers picks), how would you see last year’s first two rounds going for the 49ers? If the 49ers landed Leonard and Reid instead of McGlinchey and Pettis, how would you feel about it? The bigger context is having Leonard, Reid, and then likely Trent Brown still on the roster as well.