49ers NFL Draft: Day 2 Offensive Weapons for San Francisco
By Jonah Burros
After a fantastic first day of the NFL Draft, that netted the San Francisco 49ers two impact defenders, the Niners are poised to look at some offensive weapons. Today Niner Noise is going to take an in-depth look at the day two candidates at offensive skill positions.
After Round 1 of the 2017 NFL Draft, all the hard work and months of scouting from the personnel departments and front offices from around the league becomes relevant and utilized.
The San Francisco 49ers had 10 draft picks at the start, and the second overall at their disposal, to move around in this draft.
Day two could be a focal point in gaining picks to help bolster the roster.
San Francisco 49ers
It’s also worth pointing out the Niners no longer have a second-round pick, after trading back up into Round 1 to take Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster at No. 31. This doesn’t rule out a trade-up back into Round 2 though.
The current roster and free agency acquisitions provide some idea of the areas of interest for the 49ers in each position group. We are going to look at players that are projected to go on day two of the draft, not surprise falls.
First, we will look at the big skill positions on the offense — quarterback, wide receiver and running back.
After Round 1, it is highly likely these positions have not been addressed yet.
Quarterbacks
In this year’s draft, the quarterback position is the hardest to project. None of the top-five prospects are considered to be a standout game changer. Instead, we have a conglomerate of QBs all perceived as developmental.
At the same time, the NFL is rife with clubs in desperate need of a signal-caller they needed to start yesterday. With all the QB prospects being initially graded as Round 2 or, at best, late Round 1 guys, everything is a potential reach on the first day.
Nevertheless, three quarterbacks — Mitchell Trubisky (Browns), Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) and Deshaun Watson (Texans) all came off the boards on day one.
The only prospect I believe has a chance to make it to the second round and garner enough interest from the 49ers to use such a valuable pick on is Notre Dame QB DeShone Kizer.
Kizer could be of interest to the 49ers since Mahomes is no longer an option.
He has an excellent arm with a potentially high ceiling and could also benefit greatly from a year on the bench with head coach Kyle Shanahan’s tutelage.
After watching ESPN’s Jon Gruden quarterback camp with Kizer, he comes across as very quick and knowledgeable in the classroom. The knock on him is how it translates to the field and his lack of wins and overall production at Notre Dame.
Personally, I don’t think of him as a 49er. But Shanahan could see something that he really likes and pull the trigger.