Niner Noise
FanSided

5 outcomes for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2019 NFL Draft

By Timothy L. Miller

"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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CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 28: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell annonces DeForest Buckner of Oregon as the #7 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 28: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell annonces DeForest Buckner of Oregon as the #7 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /

The 2019 NFL Draft is approaching, and The San Francisco 49ers are perfectly poised to make the most of it. Let’s look at some possible outcomes for the team in Round 1.

The San Francisco 49ers have officially entered the player-scouting and 2019 NFL Draft preparation portion of the offseason. The scouts, coaches and front office executives are molding their big board based on the information at hand. An eye always on the future knowing only the first few chapters have been written in each prospects book.

With every passing day there is more clarity around the draft. Teams earn their selections at the back end of the draft as they lose playoff games. Underclassmen declare their intentions to make themselves available. The review process begins.

This year, the Niners have a major advantage over virtually all other NFL teams. Head coach Kyle Shanahan and his entire coaching staff, along with that of Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders, have been chosen to coach opposing teams in this year’s Senior Bowl.

This gathering of the best senior-class collegiate football players takes place Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019, in Mobile, Alabama.

The value of spending seven straight days in the film room, on the practice field, and in the locker room with these players cannot be understated. Moving into the 2019 offseason, the 49ers could hardly be better set up to succeed.

Between now and draft day, the question is what options will present themselves. With the recent decision of Ohio State junior quarterback Dwayne Haskins and the expected decision of Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray to enter the draft, the value of the Niners’ second overall selection is rapidly increasing. Nothing opens the doors of opportunity for the 49ers wider than a draft class with good quarterback talent.

Of the teams selecting within the top 10 of the NFL Draft, it can be said without question that two teams have the quarterback position as their top priority: the New York Giants and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Two other teams should probably take a quarterback but may not be terribly aggressive. Both could go into the 2019 season with the players they currently have. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Denver Broncos. Then there is the Oakland Raiders and the Arizona Cardinals. You would expect neither to go after a quarterback in the first round. But the Raiders are completely unpredictable, and the new management’s long term plan may not include quarterback Derek Carr.

The Cardinals just hired new head coach Kliff Kingsbury. While the team spent last year’s first-round pick on UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen, Kingsbury is quoted as saying, if Murray made himself draft eligible, he would take him with the first overall selection.

There are only two true outcomes of a draft selection. The selection can be used to pick a player or it can be traded. The true outcome of any given pick then has a butterfly effect on the rest of the draft.

Admittedly an attempt in futility, here are hypothetical outcomes for the 49ers at No. 2 and how it impacts the top 10 selections of the draft.