2016 NFL Draft: Day 2 Needs for the San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers capped off Round 1 of the 2016 NFL Draft with two picks — selecting Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner and Stanford guard Joshua Garnett. These alleviate some needs, but what remaining areas of concern do the Niners have on day two of the draft?

The San Francisco 49ers can cross off two important items from their 2016 NFL Draft wish list: defensive end and offensive guard.

Yes, the Niners ended up with two first-round picks to kick off the draft and landed Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner and Stanford guard Joshua Garnett, whom the 49ers selected after trading back into Round 1.

Adding a prominent pass-rusher and bona fide defensive line presence was a major need for San Francisco this draft. And general manager Trent Baalke can feel a bit better about reinforcing what was a very permeable offensive line, now that Garnett will join the ranks.

But this is a 49ers team still in plenty of need. And with zero picks currently in Round 2, what are the remaining needs for San Francisco on day two of the draft?

Barring a trade, the Niners’ next pick comes with the fifth selection in Round 3 (No. 68 overall). Defensively, this year’s draft class is viewed as being pretty deep. There are also some offensive skill positions with some decent depth as well.

Here’s the list of remaining 49ers picks, courtesy of David Fucillo of Niners Nation:

3. Third round: Own pick – No. 5 (68)
4. Fourth round: Comp pick – No. 35 (133)
5. Fifth round: San Diego Chargers (2015 draft-day trade) – No. 3 (142)
6. Fifth round: Own pick – No. 6 (145)
7. Fifth round: Comp pick – No. 37 (174)
8. Sixth round: Denver Broncos (Vernon Davis trade) – No. 32 (207)
9. Sixth round: Comp pick – No. 36 (211)
10. Sixth round: Comp pick – No. 38 (213)
11. Seventh: Kansas City Chiefs (2016 draft-day trade) – No. 28 (249)

If the 49ers stay put on day two, the remaining picks don’t matter (aside from addressing needs not handled in Round 3).

But Baalke has shown a willingness to move around during the draft — getting back into Round 1 is a perfect example — so it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Niners find their way back into the second round if there’s a prospect San Francisco feels is a must-have player who may not slip.

So what about the remaining needs? Let’s take a closer look:

EDGE/Outside Linebacker

Buckner’s addition, paired with defensive end Arik Armstead, should help free up the Niners’ top pass-rusher in linebacker Aaron Lynch. But the NFL is a league in which teams can never have too many pass-rushers.

Fortunately, this year’s crop is pretty deep. And there are plenty of good pass-rushing candidates who could be had on the second, or even the third day. And this justifies the Niners’ selection of Garnett, especially in the mind of Ryan Sakamoto of NinerFans.com:

The transition of defensive end Tank Carradine to a more traditional edge-rushing role might alleviate this need to an extent. We’ll have to revisit this experiment after 2016.

Inside Linebacker

UCLA’s Myles Jack continues to slip due to his knee concerns, but it’s doubtful he’ll make it to No. 68 overall. Still, the 49ers would like to pair a promising inside linebacker prospect alongside perennial All-Pro NaVorro Bowman and make the defense strong up the middle once again.

Missouri’s Kentrell Brothers could slip into the early phases of Round 3 — Alabama’s Reggie Ragland, considered the best ILB and a first-round prospect will go on day two — or the 49ers might want to wait on a player like Temple’s Tyler Matakevich or Arizona’s Scooby Wright III, who will probably be Round 4 picks.

Offensive Tackle

Reinforcing the trenches was a major part of the 49ers’ MO on day one, and that’s just fine. But there’s still work to be done here. Right tackle is still a pressing need, even though Trent Brown could be seen as the team’s starter this season.

As Baalke noted, via Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area, retired right tackle Anthony Davis is still, well, “retired.”

Davis’ last rant of cryptic tweets also suggest there isn’t any foreseeable conclusion on his return to the team either:

San Francisco didn’t draft a tackle at No. 7. But that doesn’t mean the team won’t later on. Yet the value on tackles doesn’t really pick up until the third day of the draft, so it’s possible San Francisco doesn’t make a move until Round 4 at the earliest.

Wide Receiver

Unless the 49ers bring back veteran wideout Anquan Boldin, who remains a free agent, the only proven commodity at this position is Torrey Smith.

San Francisco would love to land a complementary piece and someone who could provide an upgrade over depth receivers like Bruce Ellington and Quinton Patton.

While not as deep as previous years’ draft classes, there is some good value at wide receiver in Rounds 2 through 4. One name to keep an eye on is Rutgers wide receiver Leonte Carroo, in whom the 49ers expressed interest, per CSN Bay Area.

Quarterback

San Francisco trading back into Round 1, and likely removing a possibility of a second-round prospect, would point to quarterback Colin Kaepernick being on the team for Week 1. Developments can change quickly, but one would believe the 49ers are comfortable rolling with the signal-callers they have on the current roster.

Along with Blaine Gabbert, the Niners have two NFL-starting caliber quarterbacks to compete for the No. 1 job. OK, so Kaepernick may be disgruntled. Or he may have found a bit of a rapport with head coach Chip Kelly.

Barring some blockbuster trade, the 49ers won’t be tabbing a quarterback prospect on day two. There may be a developmental prospect picked up down the line, but it won’t happen in Rounds 2 or 3.

Other Needs

The 49ers could use some help at cornerback. Tramaine Brock has all but secured the No. 1 slot here, and he’s got some depth to fill out the roster behind him. But there isn’t any guarantee who gets the No. 2 starting job.

Similar to cornerback, the 49ers have a lot of depth at tight end but no one true standout talent. Could Garrett Celek or Blake Bell finally get a chance to shine? Will Vance McDonald finally break out? It’s a need, but not exactly a pressing one.

And then there’s running back. Again, there’s depth here. But who occupies the primary backup spot behind No. 1 tailback Carlos Hyde?

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Fortunately, the 49ers seem to be in a position where they can simply take the best player available based on team needs. The BPA argument works for San Francisco because, in all reality, the plethora of needs the Niners have will allow them to take whichever player is atop their big board when the team’s number is called.

Out of the above crop of needs, wide receiver may be the most pressing. Kelly loves his receiving options, and the 49ers don’t exactly have many proven ones. But whether or not this is how the Niners will go is up for debate.

We’ll have to wait and see what San Francisco does on day two of the NFL Draft. Round 2 kicks off at 7 p.m. ET, which will be followed by Round 3 to wrap up the second day of the draft.

Next: NFL Draft: What to Expect for 49ers on Day 2

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