49ers go offensive lineman in CBS Sports mock draft

You know it’s a good season when I’m not doing posts on mock drafts in November. We have other things to talk about! Of course, things are starting to form as far as needs for the San Francisco 49ers, and even then, with this team, it’s hard to really look at what they desperately need. The 49ers are one of the more balanced teams in the league.

Well, we have a mock draft today from CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson, who has the 49ers taking Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey.

The 49ers’ interior O-line has been replacement level at best. Humphrey, who protected Kyler Murray last season and Jalen Hurts this season, is a technician who could step into a starting role on Day 1.

It’s not a sexy pick, but if there’s anything the 49ers could use, and can’t afford to lose, it’s offensive line help. That line has fallen apart at some inopportune times. While Mike Person and Laken Tomlinson have held down the fort, Humphrey could provide some serious options at center and guard should the above names or Weston Richburg go down. Daniel Brunskill has filled in admirably at tackle for Mike McGlinchey (and as of last week, Joe Staley) and I’m not ready to give up on Justin Skule just yet as he’s shown a lot of good along with the bad in his rookie season, Those two are fine for tackle depth (provided they can extend Brunskill past 2019). I have harped and harped about the offensive line and felt the 49ers are on some borrowed time shoring up the trenches with what they have.

The 49ers are also in a fortunate enough position that the line is where they should be looking. Provided they can get Emmanuel Sanders locked up for another two years along with Kendrick Bourne (who becomes a restricted free agent this year) those two with Deebo Samuel, Jalen Hurd, and (maybe?) Trent Taylor, they should have a decent wide receiver group not worth burning a high-round pick on (though some later flyers won’t hurt).

This is also assuming they can find a way to keep Arik Armstead and Jimmie Ward around in free agency, which is asking a lot. On the money note, the 49ers could make this a future addition in the fact that Humphrey is the first man off the bench and learns for a year or two (and with Kyle Shanahan’s difficult offense, that could be a huge benefit). If they cut center Weston Richburg in 2022 before the season starts, they’d save themselves $9 million. Now that’s a drastic move, but it’s definitely something to look ahead at when you have contracts with George Kittle and others coming up.

All that said, I really don’t see the 49ers making a pick in the first round of 2020. The good news with this mock is the 49ers are picking 32nd (meaning they win the Super Bowl). At 32, they could easily trade with a team eager to get back into the first round and get a couple picks since they have no second or third-round picks in 2020. They have done an excellent job drafting the last few years (Solomon Thomas, Reuben Foster, and Joe Williams excluded), and they will need to continue that trend with the mass amounts of contracts coming up. Jay Hurley outlined how they can sign and keep everyone, but there’s a lot of players that are going to look to get paid in the next couple of years if they keep playing lights out. The 49ers need to keep a bird’s-eye view of these contracts in the draft if they want to sustain what I call Episode VI: Return of the Dynasty.