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2016 NFL Draft: Breaking Down San Francisco 49ers’ Biggest Needs

By Peter Panacy

Jan 15, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers manager Trent Baalke poses for a photo in the locker room after a press conference for the introduction of Jim Tomsula (not pictured) as the head coach at Levi's Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 15, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers manager Trent Baalke poses for a photo in the locker room after a press conference for the introduction of Jim Tomsula (not pictured) as the head coach at Levi's Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 18, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke speaks at a press conference during the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke speaks at a press conference during the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

The 2016 NFL draft will be of utmost importance for the San Francisco 49ers coming off a last-place divisional finish and an underwhelming season. What are some of the biggest needs the Niners will need to address via the draft?

Pick any position on the San Francisco 49ers’ 53-man roster from 2015 and, chances are, the team could use an upgrade there.

That’s the situation the Niners face as they head towards the 2016 NFL draft. Coming off a 5-11 record last season, San Francisco is in dire need of some significant upgrades across the board. The 49ers have relatively few positions of strength or adequate depth.

So the onus will be on general manager Trent Baalke and the 49ers scouting department to ensure the upcoming draft nets a good amount of noteworthy talent to help turn around an underachieving roster.

Fortunately, the Niners are in considerably good position to make this happen.

Per David Fucillo of Niners Nation, San Francisco will be armed with 12 picks for the draft — four of which are compensatory.

The 49ers have ammunition for the draft. And they have plenty of needs.

Baalke may have to cash in on a better success rate that what may be expected in a typical draft. Even determining what an adequate success rate is can be difficult. A 40 percent favorable return? Fifty percent? It’s hard to say.

Yet with so many positions of need, Baalke and the Niners can’t afford too many misses.

Let’s dive into each one of those needs position by position and try to determine the extent and necessity of help via the draft.

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