More and more mock drafts have the San Francisco 49ers trading out of the first round. That’s made the process a lot more fun, instead of reading about the same wide receivers, cornerbacks, and safeties. Mark Schofield was on the ground for us representing SB Nation at the combine, and he is the one who put out this mock draft you’re about to read.
The best-case scenario is that a quarterback falls in the draft, and a desperate team calls John Lynch, and he can take advantage of that team and maximize the 49ers draft capital. In Schofield’s mock draft, that scenario plays out. The Niners traded with the Indianapolis Colts, who moved up to draft quarterback Jordan Love. As far as the trade value goes, the Colts have a pair of second-round picks. If you use the DraftTek trade value chart, the 49ers could move back to pick Noo. 44, while also acquiring the Colts third-round pick in exchange for picks No. 31 and the 49ers fifth-rounder.
Schofield’s mock is only one round, so I used a mock draft simulator to come up with the second and third-round picks for the 49ers. Here is what I came up with.
Pick No. 44- Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
I know many think he won’t last this long, but you’re going to be surprised at the talent that gets pushed down in this upcoming draft. The NFL loves Henry Ruggs from Alabama. Justin Jefferson running as fast as he did likely makes him a lock to be drafted in the top-40. In this mock draft simulation, Ceedee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy, Ruggs, Jefferson, Laviska Shenault, and Tee Higgins all went in the first round. That’s how we got Mims in this scenario.
Mims was a no-brainer for me. I wrote about him last week. Mims is very, very good. Maybe I’m watching players and judging them how they’d fit with the 49ers. That could be why I’m higher on Mims than the general public. He’d be the start “iso receiver” that Kyle Shanahan is lacking.
Pick No. 75- Netane Muti, OG, Fresno State
Taking Mims took me out of the cornerback market. There wasn’t a name available that I was comfortable taking. Instead of drafting for need, I took the best player available. Muti allowed 14 pressures his entire college career, both at tackle and guard. Muti is a big, powerful human, but he’s not slow. Muti benched 225 pounds 44 times, which is the fourth-most in combine history. He also eats ten patties at In-N-Out. I don’t know what other analysis you need to sell you on him besides that. Muti has a mean streak to him, and he showed that as a freshman against Alabama and has kept it up since then. There are clips of him going against top guys, like Ed Oliver, when he was a sophomore and holding his own.
Muti’s athleticism and aggressiveness were too much for me to pass on. I’m intrigued by the idea of Daniel Brunskill starting, but that’s not going to prevent me from upgrading. In this scenario, I’m rolling with Emmanuel Moseley and Tarvius Moore in the secondary, but I now have a formidable offensive line and a potential star at wide receiver. I’m betting on the 49ers pass rush to continue their dominance, and Moseley and Moore to take the next steps. Draft talent, not need.