49ers 2019 NFL Draft: 5 possible Round 2 targets for San Francisco
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers also shouldn’t ignore their offensive line on days two and three of the NFL Draft, and there are still plenty of likable options who could have gone in Round 1.
Case in point, Florida’s Jawaan Taylor is still available, as is Texas A&M’s Erik McCoy.
But one of the players the Niners should strongly consider at No. 36 overall is Kansas State’s Dalton Risner, who was commonly seen as a first rounder on many a mock draft and big-board projection.
Risner, 6-foot-5 and 312 pounds, played both interior and outside positions at the college level. And while he might need a bit of development at the pro level before moving full time to offensive tackle, there’s easily a place for him along the inside for San Francisco right now.
Left guard Laken Tomlinson and center Weston Richburg are both coming off knee injuries suffered in 2018. On top of that, left tackle Joe Staley will turn 35 years old before the regular season begins. The 49ers have to think about replacing him at some point sooner than later.
Risner has good lateral movement for a player of his size — a necessary trait in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s outside-zone blocking scheme.
Starting off as a camp-competition piece and, at worst, depth addition wouldn’t be bad in year one at all for Risner and the Niners. And there’s the upside of him possibly securing a starting job right away, too.