What Super Bowl 54 loss means for 49ers 2020 offseason plans

No. 2: 2020 NFL Draft

If you thought the 49ers free-agent situation doesn’t look great for the 2020 offseason, then buckle yourself in, because the draft outlook looks even bleaker.

The Niners are without second-, third- and fourth-round draft picks due to trades for Emmanuel Sanders and edge rusher Dee Ford.

This makes the 49ers’ first-round pick, No. 31 overall, extremely important.

Many mock drafts have San Francisco taking a cornerback or safety with this pick, but as mentioned before, this might be a position better addressed in free agency.

Expect the team to address the offensive line with their first-round pick, especially if a talented tackle like USC’s Austin Jackson falls. Jackson could step in and play with the interior of the line until he is fully groomed. Then he could possibly take over for left tackle Joe Staley when he decides to retire.

There is one wild card that could demand the 49ers to capitalize if he falls. That is Clemson’s wide receiver Tee Higgins. Chances are Higgins will be taken before the Niners are on the clock, but this year’s draft is insanely deep at the wide receiver position. This could cause Higgins to fall as teams will think they can get a receiver in the later rounds of the draft.

Higgins is a big 6-foot-4 and has the potential to be a future No. 1 receiver in the NFL. He had the most receiving touchdowns in Clemson football history, passing guys like the Chiefs’ Sammy Watkins and the Houston Texans’ DeAndre Hopkins.

A future receiving corps of Deebo Samuel and Higgins would be too good to pass up if the Clemson receiver did indeed fall to the No. 31 pick.