Former 49ers TE Brent Jones: I wouldn’t mind moving up in the draft to take Jeudy

Former San Francisco 49ers tight end and three-time Super Bowl champion Brent Jones joined NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco on his podcast to discuss what the team should do during next week’s NFL Draft. They started with talking about bold predictions, which Maiocco prefaced by saying they should be bold predictions that have a chance of happening based on what he’s heard. Here are Matt’s five bold predictions he touched on:

• A receiver is worth the wait- This wide receiver class is so strong, and there are so many wide receivers, so the value in this class isn’t taking one at No. 13, but later on in the draft.
• Draft Joe Staley’s heir apparent at 13- Maiocco mentions there are four offensive tackles in this draft that are worthy of the 13th pick: Louisville’s Mehki Becton, Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, Alabama’s Jedrick Wills, and Andrew Thomas from Georgia. Matt also said these four are considered better prospects than Mike McGlinchey coming out of college.
• Trading Matt Breida - This could happen as soon as this week as the deadline to sign with another team is this Friday.
• Drafting a running back earlier than you expect
• The 49ers will finish the draft with fewer than seven selections. Quality>quantity

Jones weighed in on what he believes the 49ers should do in the first round:

I think it’s a really deep draft and there’s some great talent at wide receiver. I just think now is the time to take that big-named wide receiver. I think we hit the lottery last year by taking Deebo Samuel. I think he was a little under the radar. I think this year there’s some high profile guys and maybe some more speed guys that can stretch the field that could be worthwhile taking. I’m rooting for that. What you try and figure out is, are all the top three and four guys similar, or do one of these guys separate themselves?

I’m starting to hear that Jeudy might be the guy. If I had a choice, he’d be my guy. Of course, I’m not a GM, but I’m not sure he’s going to be there at 13 now because I think a few more people are starting to rumble about him. If the separation between those three guys (Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, and Henry Ruggs) isn’t that great, then maybe sitting and waiting at 13 and taking whoever is there is fine. I wouldn’t mind packaging our 13 and maybe a pick in the future to maybe move up four or five spots to make sure he’s there. We’re going to have three QBs taken in the first five picks for sure, and I think after that, there are a couple of DBs that are great. Offensive lineman, a d-lineman here or there. Maybe I’m selfish, but I’m rooting for a wide receiver.

Hello. Brent sounds like he’s all-in on Jeudy. The closer we get to the draft, the easier it is to talk yourself into somebody else. I’ve seen fans say they prefer Lamb or Ruggs, but I’m not budging. Jeudy takes the 49ers offense to a level of consistency that no other receiver can. Kyle Shanahan can scheme open big plays. What he can’t do is scheme you open on every third down. Jeudy gives the 49ers a premier route runner from day one. Trading up for Jeudy is an entirely different story, though. Going back to the value argument, I can’t get on board with trading up for a receiver in this class if it means I have to part ways with a premium pick.

Matt finishes off the podcast by saying the 49ers have been missing a running back that can run routes out of the backfield. The team brought back Jerick McKinnon, but he has to stay healthy. Maiocco’s final bold prediction was the 49ers taking Wisconsin’s Johnathan Taylor. He referenced how good of an option Taylor would be out of the backfield. Don’t look too much into Taylor’s stats. That doesn’t tell the story on if a running back is a legitimate receiving threat. Maiocco said that it’s not as far-fetched to take Taylor as it was a couple of weeks ago, which means he hears something from those inside of the organization. Maiocco also mentioned San Francisco’s running back coach Bobby Turner has been talking to Taylor a lot.

Drafting a running back early would set this place on fire, especially of a season where Raheem Mostert showed the value of an undrafted running back. Breida averaged was undrafted, and he’s averaged five yards per carry during his career. Don’t do it, John.