2017 NFL Draft: Complete 7-Round Mock for the San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the first of 10 selections. Niner Noise breaks down who general manager John Lynch should select in this pick-by-pick assessment.

I forget how many mock drafts I’ve done for the San Francisco 49ers this offseason.

Four, five, six or maybe more?

And those don’t include mocks put together for other sites and sports outlets.

San Francisco 49ers

So let’s call this latest mock for the 2017 NFL Draft version 4.5.2, or something along those lines.

Mock drafts are funny things. We both love and hate them.

Mocks are meant to be scrutinized and over-evaluated. Never are they actuality.

But we read and adore them nonetheless.

OK, enough with feelings on mocks.

The Niners have no shortage of needs in the upcoming draft.

But we can deduce general manager John Lynch will spend a good deal of 10 total picks on defense, especially after the majority of free-agent signings upgraded various offensive positions.

Here’s the list of picks the 49ers have, courtesy of Joe Fann of 49ers.com:

Fann’s breakdown does not include the offseason Round 6 pick swap — the one in which center Jeremy Zuttah was acquired — with the Baltimore Ravens, which now gives San Francisco pick No. 198 overall.

So let’s kick things off, starting with the Niners’ first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

I’ve been going back and forth with the 49ers’ first-round draft choice for some time now.

Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster has been a major focus, and Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas has earned some consideration.

But the more and more I think about it, Ohio State free safety Malik Hooker is the best fit here.

Hooker is a rangy center-field-type safety, who would be a seamless fit in a Cover 3 defense. This scheme, in the mold of what the Seattle Seahawks operate, requires someone to serve as an Earl Thomas-like safety atop the defense.

And Hooker can do this. Just ask Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson:

A Cover 3 requires the free safety to be high, as a strong safety typically drops down in the box. Assuming few other changes take place within the secondary, safety Eric Reid holds down the free safety position. Defensive back Jimmie Ward stays at cornerback.

And the Niners land a game-changing player in Hooker.

The arrest and subsequent release of veteran cornerback Tramaine Brock bumps an already critical need the 49ers have at the position to the very top of San Francisco’s NFL Draft wishlist.

As I eluded to on the previous slide, the Niners will need good coverage guys who can operate on an island in coordinator Robert Saleh’s new defense. Saleh will frequently operate with eight men in the box, which means cornerbacks have to cover in one-on-one coverage without getting burned.

If Jimmie Ward stays at corner, this is alleviated to a point. The 49ers have only one other corner with any promise, second-year pro Rashard Robinson.

Yet LSU’s Tre’Davious White is equally as promising in man-on-man coverage and doesn’t have any problem sticking with receivers. That’s the need and fit here.

White would have to slip into Round 2, but that’s not much of a reach either. CBS Sports already has him listed as a fringe first- or early second-round pick, which could mean the 49ers easily grab him at No. 34 overall.

San Francisco’s first two picks addressed the secondary, which is a pressing need. But the defense still needs help within its front seven.

The 49ers missed out on some of the elite-level edge rushers available in the draft. Fortunately, this class is relatively deep, which affords general manager John Lynch the luxury of finding a mid-round gem in subsequent rounds.

Kansas State’s Jordan Willis is a good fit here in Round 3. Ranked as the 64th overall prospect by CBS Sports, Willis should be someone capable of targeting after the Niners make their first two picks.

He registered a very fast 40-yard dash time at the NFL Scouting Combine (4.53), and he certainly looked comfortable in all the defensive line drills over the course of the event.

And his 11.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for a loss during his senior year at Kansas State should catch the eye of San Francisco’s scouting staff.

Apparently it did, with the Niners hosting Willis for a pre-draft visit, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.

Willis would be a front-runner for San Francisco’s right defensive end, or LEO, position in this new 4-3 alignment. Aaron Lynch is the incumbent here, but the former fifth-round pick has failed to meet expectations the last two years.

Plus, it would be great to have another Willis in a Niners uniform again. We still miss you, Patrick.

Not all of general manager John Lynch’s selections can be used on just defense, right?

San Francisco made some additions at wide receiver via free agency, namely Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin. These two will help. But Garcon is aging, and it’s hard to truly gauge how much a threat Goodwin will be in a rebuilding 49ers offense.

Enter Virginia Tech’s Isaiah Ford.

I was particularly impressed with Ford’s upside, even considering him a third-round target for San Francisco earlier this offseason.

Related Story: 49ers Should Consider WR Isaiah Ford in Round 3

Ford’s draft stock might have slipped a bit into Round 4, but that only means better value for the 49ers.

One of the major attributes Ford offers is speed — something which head coach Kyle Shanahan covets. Ford ran a 4.61 40-yard time at the NFL Scouting Combine, which likely hurt his draft stock. Yet his game film surely illustrates the ability to create separation and get open.

At 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, Ford has the potential to be a red-zone threat as well — another area of need for Shanahan’s offense.

And while the Niners will look to their veteran receivers to get the job done this season, Ford will be a nice prospect to develop for subsequent seasons.

The 49ers’ 2016 offensive line was vastly improved over what was seen the previous year, but it’s a unit far from perfect.

Left tackle Joe Staley is aging, and right tackle Trent Brown isn’t exactly a fit for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s outside-zone scheme. As for the interior O-line positions, things are pretty much set. At least for now.

But San Francisco needs to find a swing tackle to replace John Theus and, at best, someone who might emerge as a starting option when Staley eventually retires.

Florida’s David Sharpe may never develop into a full-time starter. But he has the prowess to be a backup left tackle — he played LT at Florida — as well as hold onto a right tackle position.

At 6-foot-6 and 343 pounds, Sharpe isn’t quite as nimble and might have some schematic difficulties of his own. But he’s solid enough in run support to at least help the Niners improve in this problematic area.

The late Bill Walsh used to stress drafting a quarterback each year simply because it was so important a position.

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Right now, the 49ers have Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley penciled in as the Nos. 1 and 2 QBs on the roster heading into 2017. It will probably stay that way, although one should expect a third body to be added to the mix.

And Round 5 might be as early as the Niners go, when it comes to taking a signal-caller.

Why? Well, this year’s quarterbacking class isn’t particularly great, and I’m not convinced any of the top QB options are worth a first-round pick. Especially No. 2 overall.

But as a developmental prospect, Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs would be a nice find in the fifth round.

Sure, he’s not a pro-style quarterback. Few are these days. And there are some mechanical issues that need fine tuning as well. Remember though, the 49ers aren’t looking for a day-one starter here.

Pick up Dobbs in Round 5 and let him compete with Barkley as the primary backup.

I’m going to bank on West Virginia cornerback Rasul Douglas slipping a bit into Round 5 here.

And this is primarily due to him being a mere one-year starter, which is where he generated most of his stats.

But remember what was mentioned about the 49ers and their need for solid coverage help in the secondary. Tack on the need for ballhawking defensive backs too, as the Niners were among the worst in cornerback takeaways last season.

This isn’t something to worry about with Douglas, who amassed eight interceptions last season.

Sure, his 6-foot-2 and 209-pound frame is enticing. But his lean lower body, per CBS Sports’ Dane Brugler, is enough to cause some concern.

Still, as a press-man corner, Douglas would be a nice find for San Francisco in the later rounds.

Here’s one thing about pass-rushers — teams can never have too many of them.

San Francisco addressed an EDGE need earlier in the draft, with Kansas State’s Jordan Willis fitting the bill. But in Round 6, the Niners add some depth with TCU EDGE Josh Carraway.

Carraway had eight sacks and 11 tackles for a loss last season, which is good enough production to warrant a late-round pick.

The 6-foot-3, 242-pound prospect could fit the bill as a backup LEO behind either Willis or Aaron Lynch in San Francisco’s 4-3 base. And Carraway could also be a decent pass-rushing option in obvious passing downs.

His run defense isn’t particularly great, but the Niners could look to simply let him play in situations that suit his skill set.

With each passing season, fans are just waiting for No. 1 Niners tailback Carlos Hyde to finally have his “breakout” year.

And it has yet to happen.

Hyde missed the 1,000-yard plateau by 12 yards in 2016. Injuries have been a major factor here, as Hyde has yet to prove he can stay healthy over the course of 16 games.

With head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense likely to rely heavily on the ground game, Hyde will need some help. Thankfully, this year’s running back class is both deep and talented.

In most other years, Michigan’s De’Veon Smith might be considered a mid-round pick. But he’s fallen into the fringes of the late rounds, likely due to his less-than-impressive game speed.

But Smith is a bruiser and someone capable of providing adequate depth behind Hyde and the remaining crop of runners San Francisco has on it’s roster.

At this point in the NFL Draft, if we haven’t gotten there already, picks are all about late-round finds or developmental prospects capable of being sleepers.

So we might as well take someone with a raw upside.

That describes North Carolina wideout Mack Hollins.

As a pure No. 1 receiving threat, Hollins is not. His senior year, Hollins registered just 16 grabs for 309 yards and four touchdowns. But it’s hard to overlook his 6-foot-4, 221-pound frame as a possible red-zone threat for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

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Hollins also ran a respectable 4.54 40-yard time at the NFL Scouting Combine, so there’s good enough speed to go with his size.

The North Carolina product could go as early as Round 5, based off his size alone. But I’m guessing the lack of production his senior year forces Hollins’ draft stock to fall into the later rounds.

Next: Ranking the 49ers' Positional Priorities in the 2017 NFL Draft

And with San Francisco’s receiving corps already going through a complete overhaul, why not add Hollins to the mix and see if he can offer something useful?