49ers: Ranking Top-5 NFL Draft Needs Four Weeks into 2016

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Oct 2, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) throws a pass against the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

Four weeks of NFL action is usually a pretty good gauge of what to expect out of any given team. For the San Francisco 49ers, now sitting at 1-3, it’s safe to assume the 2017 NFL Draft will provide yet another early draft pick.

Head coach Chip Kelly’s squad has plenty of needs entering this offseason. His defense currently ranks dead last against the run (averaging 140.5 yards against per game), there is zero pass rush and the team lost All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman (Achilles) for the season.

And the offense? Well, outside of an improved offensive line and running back Carlos Hyde, there aren’t too many answers.

We can speculate all day whether or not general manager Trent Baalke will survive the offseason. He’s largely responsible for the state of things in Santa Clara right now.

But this slideshow isn’t about that. Instead, let’s look at the top-five needs San Francisco has in the upcoming NFL Draft. We’ll rank them in reverse order and try to explain why each subsequent need trumps the other.

Keep in mind, the 49ers are going to have a lot of cap space in 2017. So some of these needs may not be addressed entirely in the draft.

2017 NFL Draft: Ranking the 49ers 5 Biggest Needs Four Weeks into Season

By Peter Panacy | Oct 5, 2016

The 2017 NFL Draft is a long, long way away, but we can get a pretty good idea what the San Francisco 49ers need to do when their name is called. Niner Noise provides an early rank of San Francisco’s draft needs next season.