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5 players the 49ers should avoid in Round 2 of the 2019 NFL Draft

By Peter Panacy

STARKVILLE, MS - SEPTEMBER 29: Jachai Polite #99 of the Florida Gators celebrates a sack during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - SEPTEMBER 29: Jachai Polite #99 of the Florida Gators celebrates a sack during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 02: Taylor Rapp #21 of the Washington Huskies runs back an interception during their game against the Colorado Buffaloes in the Pac-12 Championship game at Levi’s Stadium on December 2, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 02: Taylor Rapp #21 of the Washington Huskies runs back an interception during their game against the Colorado Buffaloes in the Pac-12 Championship game at Levi’s Stadium on December 2, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images) /

With the 36th overall pick, the San Francisco 49ers will have a number of choices in Round 2 of the 2019 NFL Draft. Here are five players they would be wise to avoid.

While the majority of focus is on the San Francisco 49ers‘ top selection in the 2019 NFL Draft at No. 2 overall, general manager John Lynch will also need to hit a home run with his second pick.

At pick No. 36 overall, fourth in Round 2, Lynch will likely get some targets who have fallen out of the first round. That’s good, especially considering the Niners have more than a few needs aside from what they’ll get with their first pick.

Equally important, though, is Lynch not reaching on a player or grabbing the wrong guy.

Granted, at No. 36, Lynch is likely to target someone who falls out of the first round. But there’s always a chance he trades out of that spot and looks to acquire some additional draft capital while getting a mid rounder at better value.

For whatever the reasons, here are five players Lynch and the 49ers would be wise to avoid at the start of day two of the NFL Draft.

This isn’t to say Washington safety Taylor Rapp is a bad player. Quite on the contrary.

The 6-foot-0, 208-pound defensive back comes into the NFL with a strong pedigree, picking up seven interceptions over his three-year collegiate career, while also recording an impressive four sacks in 2018 blitzing out of the backfield.

Yet the problem with Rapp for San Francisco is he doesn’t field a need. Yes, the Niners need safety help after starting seven different players here a season ago. But the primary need is at free safety, and not down in the box where Rapp is built to play.

The 49ers already have two starting-caliber players capable of starting here in 2019, Jaquiski Tartt and Marcell Harris.

True, Rapp could be an upgrade over both. Yet the Niners would be wise to focus their draft efforts elsewhere, letting Rapp go somewhere else.

Plus, Rapp’s sideline-to-sideline abilities aren’t overly terrific, which would likely eliminate his fit in a single-high safety scheme. So one shouldn’t expect San Francisco to consider moving him to the back end of the field.