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2016 NFL Draft: 5 Bad Picks for the 49ers

By Bryan Knowles

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The San Francisco 49ers have enough needs to make a variety of picks viable in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft.  Not all picks would be great, however…

Jan 30, 2016; Mobile, AL, USA; South squad outside linebacker Reggie Ragland of Alabama (19) runs onto the field during player introductions before the Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2016; Mobile, AL, USA; South squad outside linebacker Reggie Ragland of Alabama (19) runs onto the field during player introductions before the Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /

The San Francisco 49ers have enough holes on the roster that almost any reasonable pick in the first round could be justified. As long as they don’t truly go off the deep end with an A.J. Jenkins-esque reach, nearly any selection could be justified—a future franchise quarterback, a stud offensive lineman, a pass-rushing dynamo, a shutdown cornerback, and so on and so forth.

That being said, some selections would naturally be better than others. As it stands at the time of this writing, there are eight players who I think the 49ers could make a strong argument for taking with their first-round selection. In no particular order, they are:

  • Offensive tackles Laremy Tunsil of Mississippi and Ronnie Stanley of Notre Dame
  • Quarterbacks Carson Wentz of North Dakota State and Jared Goff of California
  • Edge rusher Joey Bosa of Ohio State
  • Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell of Mississippi
  • Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner of Oregon
  • A trade-down, getting Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch and an extra second-round draft pick.  

Not all of these eight players will be available at pick number seven, but at least two of them will, and the 49ers will likely have the choice of three or four, allowing them to plot the rest of their draft strategy accordingly.

That means if they pick someone else with their first-round selection, they’ve opted to pass on one of these eight players. While not all of those selections would be “bad”, per se, I feel they would not be the best selection possible at the time.

That certainly hasn’t kept other names from appearing on mock drafts. There are a number of talented prospects with potential bright futures who have been mocked to the 49ers around the internet who don’t appear on my personal list above. The following slides will look at some of these players, explain why the 49ers might be considering them, and why I feel they would not be the best choice.

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