2016 NFL Draft: Latest News, Rumors & Reports

The 2016 NFL Draft is just days away and, at least considering the San Francisco 49ers, the media is rather mum. Niner Noise looks at the latest news and rumors surrounding the team just days from its first selection.

The 2016 NFL Draft begins Thursday night and the San Francisco 49ers won’t be waiting long to make their first pick. With the seventh overall pick, the 49ers will have their choice of the top prospects in this draft.

Rumors are abound right now but let’s look at what is being said about the 49ers and what fans can expect from the team come Thursday night.

The Tennessee Titans traded the first-overall pick to the Los Angeles Rams and the Cleveland Browns traded the second-overall pick to the Philadelphia Eagles. Both the Rams and the Eagles are expected to select a quarterback.

Quite frankly, you don’t spend what it takes to move up that high without selecting a quarterback. It is the most important position in the NFL, and selecting high guarantees that the two teams will land Cal quarterback Jared Goff and North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz.

As the draft approaches, the discussion of which quarterback will go first should quiet down. In fact, Bleacher Report’s Lead NFL Draft Writer and Analyst Matt Miller seems confident that the Rams have already made their decision.

With Goff and Wentz presumably going one and two overall, the 49ers will watch one of the elite prospects land in their lap at seventh overall. The 49ers will have an immediate starter to grab with their first pick.

Draft Buzz Around the League

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The prospects that they’ll chose from will be UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey, Oregon defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, Ohio State defensive lineman Joey Bosa and Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil.

At seven overall, at least one of these prospects will make their way to the 49ers. However, they might not be looking at the one that is available at seven.

Miller is tuned in with the majority of the teams in the league and Ronnie Stanley’s name has been hot on his timeline in regards to 49ers talk. Stanley is arguably the second-best offensive tackle in this draft and he would immediately be the starting right tackle for the 49ers in 2016. Keep an eye on his name during the first round.

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Another intriguing name to pay attention to is Ohio State running back Zeke Elliot. Elliot is the best skill position player in the draft and could go as early as fourth overall to the Dallas Cowboys. Elliot is a dynamic runner, an impressive receiver out of the backfield and a hard-nosed pass-protector when asked to help out.

As far as running back prospects go, Elliot is about as sure as it gets over the last few years.

Chris Biderman of USA Today and The Niners Wire wrote a piece about how Elliot might be a realistic option for the 49ers in the first round. At first glance, the 49ers might not need a running back that would deserve the number of touches Elliot should get. But Biderman does an excellent job of highlighting how the 49ers could benefit from Elliot’s play.

Injury Worse Than Expected?

The 49ers may have one of the most dynamic playmakers in the entire 2016 NFL Draft fall to them at seven and the issues surrounding the prospect are getting stranger by the minute.

UCLA linebacker Myles Jack is athletic beyond belief. He can rush the passer, attack ball carriers and cover slot receivers. There are very few flaws in his game. And yet, an injury may force him out of the top-10.

Les Bowen is a reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News and, although the Eagles probably aren’t picking Myles Jack at number two overall, Bowen’s information has been reiterated by NFL Network national reporter Albert Breer

The 49ers may have an incredibly difficult decision to make on Thursday night. Should they draft Jack, knowing his injury may become a long-term issue? Or should they avoid the potential of another early retirement and instead draft a completely healthy player that may not be the caliber of Jack?

The questions surrounding Jack may not leave him available for the 49ers at pick seven in the NFL Draft but he certainly will give teams pause. Smokescreens of information are rampant this time of year but the issues with Jack seem to be well-informed. He may turn out to be a fantastic player but he certainly poses a risk.

League News Before the Draft

The 49ers Don’t Need That QB

The Philadelphia Eagles will be picking second on Thursday night. All signs point to them taking a quarterback. But they already have quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel on the roster.

Many people assume that the Eagles will be looking to unload one of their quarterbacks and that Sam Bradford–and his incredibly large contract–would be the most-likely candidate. In fact, Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole suggested Bradford himself may ask to be traded.

The 49ers, having now likely missed out on quarterbacks Goff and Wentz in the NFL Draft, have been mentioned casually as a possible place for Bradford. Last year, as the quarterback in Chip Kelly’s offense, Bradford had impressive numbers.

Fortunately for 49ers fans that are leery of Bradford’s durability, Benjamin Allbright of CBS Sports reported recently that Bradford won’t be traded. Allbright has routinely been correct in his covering of the Philadelphia Eagles and, at least on this one, he seems like the wise bet to trust.

Nonetheless, fans are subjected to sifting through conflicting rumors as the 2016 NFL Draft approaches. The 49ers will likely come up at least once or twice throughout the week and having a good feel of the narratives will help in navigating through the mess.

Josh Norman Got Paid

The San Francisco 49ers need a shutdown cornerback. They do not have one on the roster currently. Well, they might. But Dontae Johnson isn’t getting a ton of reps and it’s hard to imagine the team not looking for at least one more serviceable player.

They were rumored to be knee-deep in the market for one of the very best in the league.

San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke rarely pays that kind of money for cornerbacks and it was hard to see how the team would justify bringing Norman in. The guy had one incredibly productive year but he’d join the team as the highest-paid player during a rebuild. That doesn’t exactly sit right.

Luckily, the rumor mill stopped churning and the anticipation of the 49ers signing Norman came to a screeching halt.

Losing out on Norman–or winning out if you believe that paying that price would’ve been reckless and silly–means that the 49ers are likely turning their search for valuable cornerbacks to the 2016 NFL Draft. Baalke has a habit of taking cornerbacks late and, with 12 picks including seven picks in rounds five and six, this year seems no different.

With Baalke’s tendency in mind, I was sure to send a cornerback to the 49ers late in my revamped mock draft that was published last week.

If you’re looking for a small-school cornerback that Baalke might take a little later, look no further than Missouri Western’s Michael Jordan. He immediately flashes the size that Baalke will covet in the NFC West. Jordan is just over 6’1″ and ran an explosive short shuttle at 4.26 seconds.

Jordan will have to convince teams that he can play with NFL-level competition, particularly by showing game speed that is faster than his tested speed–Jordan ran his 40-yard dash in 4.63 seconds.

He may take some time to develop but don’t be surprised to see Jordan starting for some team on Sundays. The 49ers may be interested in the size and playmaking skills that Jordan offers.

That’s where the 49ers stand now entering the week of the 2016 NFL Draft. The rumors are swirling but few are of much substance. At this time of year, it is hard to know what is truth and what is posturing from teams to select the prospect they’d prefer.

The 49ers will be able to select an impressive prospect with the seventh overall selection. General manager Trent Baalke should have a choice of an elite prospect after trades nearly ensuring that quarterbacks go first and second. The team may target an offensive lineman early or they could select talented linebacker Myles Jack, despite his injury.

Be sure to follow Niner Noise throughout the draft. We’ll have up-to-the-minute breakdowns and analysis of every 49ers pick. Check in often to see the 49ers most-recent selections and how Baalke plans on filling out the 49ers roster for 2016.

Next: Why Connor Cook is Overrated

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN Statistics unless otherwise indicated.