Niner Noise
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2018 NFL Draft: 5 scenario predictions for the 49ers in Round 1

By Peter Panacy

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 27: Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell speaks during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 27: Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell speaks during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 02: Roquan Smith #3 of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts to winning the game MVP trophy after beating the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 02: Roquan Smith #3 of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts to winning the game MVP trophy after beating the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

No. 1: 49ers Win the Coin Toss and Pick at No. 9

OK, all the scenarios mentioned on the previous slide ring true. A number of quarterbacks go, and there’s a small run on defenders. Courtland Sutton is gone (possibly to the receiver-needy Chicago Bears), but the Niners hold the No. 9 overall pick after winning the coin toss with the Raiders.

Yay! San Francisco’s first “win” of 2018!

It’s time for another NFL Draft crush. One can see how San Francisco’s offense started to click with Jimmy Garoppolo under center. There are questions, for sure, but there are more needs on defense.

Linebacker isn’t one of them, per se, but why skip a chance to get even stronger at a position of strength?

You guessed it. Georgia’s Roquan Smith.

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Smith won’t fall past the Raiders, for sure, meaning he’d last as deep as the 49ers’ pick at No. 9. The Niners have both injury and off-the-field concerns with one-year pro Reuben Foster, and veteran linebacker Malcolm Smith missed all of 2017 with a pectoral injury.

On the field, Foster is a top-five NFL linebacker. Adding Smith to this equation would remind Niners fans of the days when Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman patrolled the second level of the defense.

And the move would give plenty of insurance to any Foster or Smith worries.

Next: 5 prospects the 49ers can target in Round 1 of the NFL Draft

John Lynch’s Reaction: If Smith falls to No. 9, John Lynch grabs arguably a top-three player from this year’s NFL Draft class, adding to a young and blossoming defensive front seven.