2016 NFL Draft: Day 3 Needs for the San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers added an injured cornerback on day two of the 2016 NFL Draft. With the bulk of the team’s picks falling between Rounds 4 through 7, what are the Niners’ remaining needs on day three?

San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke stayed true to his ongoing trend of taking injured players in the NFL Draft.

The Niners were armed with just one pick between Rounds 2 and 3 — following the trade, which gave San Francisco two first-round picks — and Baalke elected to tab Mississippi State defensive back Will Redmond with the 68th overall pick.

Redmond, a 5’11”, 182-pound corner, suffered a torn ACL last October and has just seven starts under his belt. Prior to the injury, some draft boards had Redmond being a late first- or early second-round selection. Despite the lowly start numbers, Redmond does appear to have some really likable traits and instincts, which show up on film. But the only worry is, well, how yet another member of Baalke’s “All ACL” team will pan out.

Few of this crop have worked out well thus far.

Coming into the NFL Draft, the cornerback position was a need, if not necessarily the most pressing one for the 49ers. San Francisco has veteran corner Tramaine Brock likely cemented in as the team’s No. 1 player here. But the No. 2 job is up for grabs. Players like Kenneth Acker, Keith Reaser, Dontae Johnson, Marcus Cromartie and, possibly, Redmond will be competing for this role in camp.

Baalke noted, via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News, that he expected Redmond to be ready to go in training camp and would likely work his way into the nickel role, which would move current slot corner Jimmie Ward to his natural position — safety.

Did the 49ers reach a bit for yet another injured corner? Perhaps they did. At any rate, the selection pushes cornerback off the list of Niner needs to a great extent.

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

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)

The team can now focus its attention elsewhere on other positions of need.

Let’s take a look at the remaining ones.

EDGE/Outside Linebacker

On the positive side of things, this year’s NFL Draft class is still very deep at outside linebacker, and there are a good amount of edge-rushers who could line up in an OLB role in San Francisco’s base defense.

The 49ers could still pin their hopes on defensive ends DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead wreaking havoc on opponents’ offensive lines, which should open things up for incumbent outside linebackers Aaron Lynch and Ahmad Brooks. The latter two need the free-up help, and the former University of Oregon teammates can provide that.

Still, teams can never have too many pass-rushers at the NFL level.

Offensive Tackle

The talent depth at offensive tackle thinned out quite a bit after Rounds 1 and 2, which means the 49ers could be pinning their hopes on second-year pro Trent Brown in line to earn the starting job at right tackle. Brown has plenty of upside and proved himself amicably in limited action towards the tail end of 2015.

But adding some competition — and depth — might be worth a 49ers’ move in the remaining rounds.

And fans shouldn’t bank on retired right tackle Anthony Davis returning to the squad anytime soon. If at all.

Wide Receiver

San Francisco could have targeted a wide receiver in Round 3 like Ohio State’s raw-but-talented Braxton Miller or Rutgers’ sure-handed Leonte Carroo — both players going off the board after the Niners picked fifth in the round.

There are a number of receivers who could be of interest to head coach Chip Kelly’s big-bodied theory of offensive attack. Clemson’s Charone Peake (6’2″, 209 pounds) could slip late into Round 4. Stanford’s Devon Cajuste (6’4″, 234 pounds) could be more of an H-back experiment and threat in the red zone. Cincinnati’s Chris Moore (6’1″, 206 pounds) is another late-round prospect the Niners may target.

But if Kelly and Baalke don’t mind getting smaller, South Carolina’s Pharoh Cooper (5’11”, 203 pounds) might be target.

Or the 49ers could go the safe route and re-sign aging veteran Anquan Boldin, who will turn 36 years old in October.

Inside Linebacker

The selection of Redmond will move Ward to a traditional safety role, which could shift second-year safety Jaquiski Tartt into a inside linebacker in sub packages — a move similar to what the Arizona Cardinals have done with safety Deone Bucannon.

If this is the case, inside linebacker doesn’t become as pressing a need as initially thought. The 49ers may still like to add some reinforcements here though, so keep an eye on a player like Stanford’s Blake Martinez.

Quarterback

Michigan State’s Connor Cook managed to slip all the way through Round 3, and the 49ers were reported as having interest in his services, according to Inman. San Francisco doesn’t draft until fairly late in Round 4 — 35th in the round — so it’s hard to project Cook dropping that far. But considering many felt Cook could be a first-round pick, and he’s fallen this far, anything could be possible.

The latest buzz surrounding 49ers camp seems to indicate incumbent quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert will be competing for the starting job in 2016. San Francisco also has QBs Thad Lewis and Dylan Thompson on the roster here.

A quarterback may still be on the Niners’ watch list, and Cook could be the guy. Or San Francisco could not pay attention to this need at all. The team does, after all, have two starting-caliber signal-callers already on the roster.

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San Francisco may have some decent options in Round 4, and it’s a good possibility some solid players end up falling into Round 5 or later. And there are steals down in these rounds — see the 49ers’ 2014 fifth-round selection of Lynch as a perfect example.

But the majority of players selected in these latter rounds will be to add depth and fill out the roster. And the 49ers need that help too.

Hey, at least the 49ers didn’t select a kicker on day two. Thank you, Tampa Bay Buccaneers for making last year’s selection of punter Bradley Pinion not look so bad.

Next: 49ers NFL Draft Picks, Grades & Analysis

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