Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: 2019 NFL Draft expert mock roundup

By Peter Panacy

"THE PICK IS IN" for the San Francisco 49ers during the 2018 NFL Draft (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
"THE PICK IS IN" for the San Francisco 49ers during the 2018 NFL Draft (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 8: Ed Oliver #10 of the Houston Cougars warms up before playing against the Arizona Wildcats at TDECU Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 8: Ed Oliver #10 of the Houston Cougars warms up before playing against the Arizona Wildcats at TDECU Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images) /

Niner Noise takes a look around the league to see who the experts are picking in recent mocks to the San Francisco 49ers in the 2019 NFL Draft.

The 2019 NFL Draft is a long ways away, and yet the 1-4 San Francisco 49ers‘ disappointing start to 2018 has now prompted talk about how general manager John Lynch and Co. can go about improving the team this upcoming offseason.

That’s the reality of being a bad team.

According to Football Outsiders, the Niners are now favorites to land the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 draft. The Arizona Cardinals, to whom San Francisco lost 28-18 in Week 5, still hold the best chances to secure the top pick. But the margin of difference right now is just one percent.

There’s a long way to go, but there’s also a great chance the 49ers wind up with a top five pick yet again, possibly finishing with no better than a four-win season after devastating season-ending ACL injuries to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and running back Jerick McKinnon.

So who are the Niners tabbed to get in the 2019 draft?

In this slideshow, Niner Noise looks around the league and breaks down experts’ picks for San Francisco in Round 1 of the 2019 NFL Draft. But we’ll go a bit further, describing why each selection makes sense for the 49ers and why it might not.

Kicking things off with USA Today’s Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling.

Luke Easterling, The Draft Wire — DL Ed Oliver, Houston

Easterling’s selection of Houston defensive lineman Ed Oliver is a bit intriguing. On one hand, the 49ers have spent three of their last five first-round NFL Draft picks on D-linemen. But only one of them, DeForest Buckner, has truly panned out to desired expectations.

Oliver, 6-foot-3 and 292 pounds, is capable of lining up off the edge but will have a bigger impact on the inside. If you consider what San Francisco once had with former defensive end Justin Smith, that’s the kind of ceiling Oliver has right now.

And it isn’t as if he lacks pass-rush potential, which the Niners need. He has 10.5 sacks over 29 collegiate games.

Oliver would negate the need for the 49ers to retain defensive tackle Arik Armstead, who just hasn’t reached that level the Niners hoped he’d get to when drafted back in 2015.