Niner Noise
FanSided

2020 NFL Draft: 32-pick Round 1 mock with 49ers selecting twice

By Peter Panacy

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces a draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces a draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Bryce Love #20 of the Stanford Cardinal runs by Ross Blacklock #90 of the TCU Horned Frogs (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Bryce Love #20 of the Stanford Cardinal runs by Ross Blacklock #90 of the TCU Horned Frogs (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

23. player. 872. . Defensive Tackle. Horned Frogs . Ross Blacklock

It’s going to be weird watching the New England Patriots play without Tom Brady under center, but that’s the reality from this point onward.

Head coach Bill Belichick’s first pick in the NFL Draft screams finding Brady’s inevitable replacement. And if it’s not that, the pick will likely be used to find another wide receiver to help Julian Edelman and take the pressure off second-year pro N’Keal Harry, who underwhelmed his rookie season.

So these are precisely the reasons why Belichick goes in an entirely different direction than anticipated.

Belichick and the Pats seem happy enough to give second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham the starting job in 2020. And while this could be little more than a holdover move for this season, one of the reasons why New England was so successful last year was its defense.

That defense needs pass-rushing help and a replacement for defensive tackle Danny Shelton, who left for the Detroit Lions.

To fill this void, Belichick lands TCU defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, who is one of the better interior pass-rushers in this class. Depth along the defensive line isn’t good this year, and Blacklock could free up Belichick from having to rely heavily on blitzes and schemes to create pressure.