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2016 NFL Draft: 6 Simple Steps for a Successful 49ers Class

By Bryan Knowles

May 8, 2014; New York, NY, USA; A general view of the stage and podium before the start of the 2014 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
May 8, 2014; New York, NY, USA; A general view of the stage and podium before the start of the 2014 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 19, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley (78) prepares to block Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets linebacker Tyler Marcordes (35) at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 19, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley (78) prepares to block Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets linebacker Tyler Marcordes (35) at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports /

Hit the Offensive Line Often

The 49ers gave up 53 sacks in 2015. They gave up 52 in 2014. At a certain point, it doesn’t matter who the 49ers have behind center if they can’t actually block anyone ahead of them. The 49ers currently have 12 picks in the 2016 draft; they had best be prepared to use at least a quarter of them on linemen to try to shore up the leaky sieve that they’ve trotted out there.

This doesn’t necessarily mean they need to use early picks on offensive linemen, as the draft is somewhat deep at the position. While Laremy Tunsil, Ronnie Stanley and even Jack Conklin would all be tolerable first-round picks to shore up the tackle position, there’s a perfectly solid and defensible strategy that picks impact defenders and skill position players on days one and two, and then uses San Francisco’s nine third-day picks to hammer down the line. You can find starting-quality linemen on day three and later; Josh Sitton and Jahri Evans are two of the top linemen in the game; both were fourth-round picks. Players like Zach Strief, David Bakhtiari, T.J. Lang, J.R. Sweezy, Manny Ramirez and Clint Boling have also had significant success over the past few years despite having been drafted late.

So, maybe the 49ers use their fourth-round selection on interior lineman Matt Tuerk out of USC. Maybe they use their sixth-round pick on tackle Alex Lewis from Nebraska. Maybe they use the pick they got from the Vernon Davis trade on guard Landon Turner from North Carolina.

Pair a trio like that with last year’s draft choices and emerging players like Trent Brown and Andrew Tiller, the return of Daniel Kilgore from injury and Zane Beadles coming in as a free agent, and you have a nice little competition for starting spots there. Add in Joe Staley and two of Brandon Thomas, Marcus Martin, Ian Silberman and Erik Pears, and you have a solid nucleus there to work with. As it stands, however, they need to add warm bodies to the position, and need to back to the well multiple times.

Next: Looking Far and Wide