The San Francisco 49ers will own the ninth or 10th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and Niner Noise explores five prospects general manager John Lynch should target with the selection.
The San Francisco 49ers are fortunate enough to finish with a top-10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft despite ending 2017 on a five-game winning streak.
It’s a win-win situation, as the Niners concluded last year with some valuable momentum yet still have a chance to land some top-tier talent early in Round 1.
General manager John Lynch will be armed with either the ninth or 10th overall pick in the draft — the order to be determined by a coin flip with the Oakland Raiders during the NFL Scouting Combine between now and draft day.
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And depending on what happens with on-roster decisions and free agency, Lynch will have one of a number of choices with that selection on day one of the NFL Draft.
The 49ers’ needs aren’t short despite the end-of-season success. A starting cornerback is high on the list. So is interior help along the offensive line. One can look at skill positions, like wide receiver and running back. And San Francisco shouldn’t avoid pass-rushing needs either.
In this slideshow, we’ll break down five specific prospect targets Lynch and the Niners may consider with their first pick. We should also mention San Francisco will benefit from a number of teams on the market for a quarterback, likely pushing some top-five players down the list.
If that’s the case, who winds up going to the 49ers in Round 1?
Let’s take a look at some names.
All scouting reports those of Niner Noise unless otherwise indicated.
No. 5: Linebacker Roquan Smith, Georgia
6-foot-1, 225 pounds, Junior
It’s possible, perhaps likely, the 49ers use yet another first-round pick in the NFL Draft on defense.
And again to address needs within the front seven.
Linebacker isn’t exactly a pressing need for San Francisco, per se, but it’s almost impossible to pass up on Georgia inside linebacker Roquan Smith, who recently announced he’d forego his senior year and enter the draft.
A top-10 talent, for sure, Smith’s sideline-to-sideline capabilities are on par with those of current Niners linebacker Reuben Foster. And with Foster’s injury history and off-field concerns, adding Smith would give San Francisco a nice Plan B option should Foster wind up being more of a liability than a benefit. It’s too early to speculate such, but it’s not out of mind.
Pairing Smith and Foster together, though, is even more enticing a possibility. And if we consider Fourth and Nine’s Dylan DeSimone’s sentiments, San Francisco’s defense only gets stronger as a result:
Smith is a tackling machine, evidenced by his 137 takedowns last season. His nose for the ball makes him a valuable commodity — the kind any NFL defense hopes to have at this level.
The 49ers better hope, however, they beat out the Raiders for that ninth pick, as Oakland would surely swipe Smith up if he’s available.
No. 4: Defensive Back Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
6-foot-1, 202 pounds, Junior
While linebacker might not be a pressing need, the secondary certainly is in the NFL Draft.
Especially at cornerback, where the 49ers are likely going to let No. 2 corner Dontae Johnson walk, as he hits free agency. Pro Football Focus ranked Johnson the No. 119 cornerback out of 122 qualifiers, so there isn’t much of a reason to bring him back aside from depth.
The Niners have developed one true starting corner, Ahkello Witherspoon, who’ll assume a same role next year. But another is needed.
Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick is a player to watch here. At 6-foot-1 and 202 pounds, Fitzpatrick emerged from the Crimson Tide’s NCAA championship season as one of the best defensive backs in the nation. While playing a lot of safety in college, his natural skill set translates well over to cornerback. He has solid one-on-one skills, tailor made for man-to-man coverages implemented by defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
In his first mock NFL Draft of the season, ESPN’s Todd McShay ended up giving the 49ers Fitzpatrick with the team’s first pick. That selection was at No. 4, where the Niners were then projected to draft. But with a number of teams now ahead of San Francisco in draft order likely looking at quarterback, Fitzpatrick to the Niners remains a serious possibility.
It would be a smart move too. Fitzpatrick is about as close a plug-and-play starter there is for a secondary in this year’s draft class.
No. 3: Wide Receiver Courtland Sutton, Southern Methodist
6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Junior
The 49ers made the move to grab quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots last year. Now comes the responsibility of providing him with weapons.
Granted, there’s an argument head coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t need a top-flight wide receiver. After all, Shanahan and Garoppolo helped engineer success with players like Marquise Goodwin, Trent Taylor and Kendrick Bourne. That doesn’t even include a healthy return of the veteran, Pierre Garçon, who’ll be back from a season-ending neck injury.
Still, the Niners receiving crop lacks size. So targeting a big-bodied wideout capable of making impact plays at all portions of the field shouldn’t be out of the question.
Enter Southern Methodist’s Courtland Sutton.
Sutton’s 6-foot-4 frame would automatically make him a top red-zone threat. And Sutton also benefits from what our friend, Michael Johnson, over at NFL Spin Zone regards as “good lateral quickness for a big-bodied receiver and doesn’t always look to run through tackles, which aids in his ability to rack those yards after the catch.”
Simply put, Sutton is a versatile weapon not just known for his strength and size.
Those are plusses, yes, but there is so much more about Sutton’s game to like.
And if San Francisco grabs him in the NFL Draft, the offense will only be that much better.
No. 2: EDGE Harold Landry, Boston College
6-foot-3, 250 pounds, Senior
Yes, going this route would mean the 49ers spent their last three first-overall picks in the NFL Draft on defensive linemen.
But as Niners Wire’s Rob Lowder pointed out, taking a player like Harold Landry in Round 1 wouldn’t exactly be wasteful of San Francisco’s previous selections:
I can understand the frustration, but all “defensive ends” coming out of college aren’t created equal.
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) December 1, 2017
Armstead: 3T/5T
Buckner: 3T
Thomas: 5T
Landry: LEO (mock)
There’s zero question the #49ers need a pure pass rusher. https://t.co/DfB8xwX9uM
Landry is, especially according to Draft Wire’s November mock, a prototypical edge-bending pass-rusher designed for a fit along a 4-3 Under scheme. The production is there, evidenced by Landry’s 25 sacks over three starting seasons. And his frame gives Landry a bit more of the traditional speed needed off the edge.
Keep in mind, San Francisco finished 2017 ranked 26th in sacks (30) and can’t solely rely on the veteran, Elvis Dumervil, to provide everything in the pass rush.
No, a younger commodity is needed here. And like quarterbacks, the elite pass-rushers are rare and hard to come by.
No. 1: Offensive Guard Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame
6-foot-5, 330 pounds, Senior
Equally important as providing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo with weapons is ensuring he’s protected up front.
Despite a nice turnaround late last year — which Niner Noise illustrated as to why the offensive line may not be a top priority in the NFL Draft — there are more than a few questions along the interior O-line positions this offseason.
Center Daniel Kilgore and right guard Brandon Fusco are unsigned for 2018. Left guard Laken Tomlinson is probably best suited for backup duties, and who knows what the regime sees in third-year pro Joshua Garnett.
If the offensive trenches end up being priority No. 1 for general manager John Lynch, the team could do much, much worse than target Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson.
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Nelson is, perhaps, the best O-linemen in this year’s draft class. Some may argue he’s the best interior blocking prospect we’ve seen the past few years. So it makes sense he’s listed at No. 1 on Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller’s big board for this position.
One of the best monikers I’ve heard assigned to Nelson is “road grader.” Watching the film, it’s not hard to see why. He’s excellent in run support, holds up exceptionally well in pass protection and also has the physical tools to work well within head coach Kyle Shanahan’s outside-zone blocking scheme.
Again, a lot of what happens here depends on the 49ers’ actions in free agency. Re-signing some of their own pending free agents might negate this need to a point. So could bringing in a high-profile free agent, like the Carolina Panthers’ Andrew Norwell.
Next: Mocking out all 7 rounds for 49ers in the 2018 NFL Draft
Either way, landing Nelson in Round 1 of the NFL Draft would still go a long way in ensuring San Francisco’s O-line establishes dominance for years to come.