49ers: 2020 NFL Draft 7-round mock going all offense

rn With the 2020 NFL Draft approaching, San Francisco 49ers mock drafts are all the rage. With that in mind, let's take a look at what the draft could look like for the Niners if all the picks had to be players on the offensive side of the football. rnThere's little doubt the main cog of the San Francisco 49ers ' Super Bowl run last season was their defense, which was one of the top units in the NFL in 2019. But seeing as defensive performance is more volatile and less predictable from year to year, and given the turnover the team will see on that side of the ball heading into 2020, it feels like the offense may need to step up its game next season.rnrnHaving lost wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to the New Orleans Saints in free agency and trading out starting right guard Mike Person for either Daniel Brunskill or Tom Compton , the 49ers already know the offense won't look the same in 2020 either. And given the team's current cap situation , there's a lot of reason to think the draft was going to be pretty offense-heavy anyway.rnrnBut just for fun, let's pretend general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan completely ignore the defensive side of the ball and focus solely on offensive players during the 2020 NFL Draft.rnrnObviously, there are plenty of unknowns when it comes to predicting draft slots for players outside of the top picks in the draft, so I've used player evaluations from The Draft Network, NFL.com and CBS Sports in order to help figure out where players in those rounds might fall.rnrnOne final thing is that I have allowed myself a single trade in this scenario, although I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Lynch "wheeling and dealing" several times throughout draft weekend, as he has shown a propensity for doing so during his tenure so far.rnrnWith all that in mind, let's take on this offense-only, seven-round mock draft for San Francisco, starting, of course, with their shiny new first-round draft pick, No. 13 overall, acquired from the Indianapolis Colts in the DeForest Buckner trade.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Round%201%2C%20Pick%20No.%2013%20Overall%20(from%20Colts)" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_103788" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Jerry Jeudy #4 Alabama Crimson Tide (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)[/caption]rnrn[mockdraft order="13" firstname="Jerry" lastname="Jeudy" position="Wide Receiver" league="5" division="78" team="829" /]rnrnA few weeks ago, it was a wild thought the 49ers might be in play for some of the top wide receivers this year. It wasn't too bad of a thought, since this is considered one of the deepest receiver classes in a long time, and even with a dearth of draft picks, it looked like the Niners would have a chance to grab a top option, even at No. 31 overall.rnrnThe DeForest Buckner trade altered that entire line of thinking, and it immediately became clear the 49ers could be in play for some of the names considered among the best in that deep class, namely Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb, and Alabama's Henry Ruggs III and Jerry Jeudy.rnrnAnd while there is some debate over which of the three is the best in the class, that conversation isn't really relevant here, since the pick may come down to who teams in front of the Niners might want and who Kyle Shanahan prefers among the three.rnrnJeudy, however, is likely the closest to a finished product among the three, and it's hard to argue with his production during his sophomore and junior seasons at Alabama. Over the course of those two seasons, Jeudy racked up 145 catches for 2,478 yards and 24 touchdowns in 28 games.rnrn Pro Football Focus also has Jeudy ranked as its top receiver in the class , ahead of Lamb, Colorado's Laviska Shenault, Ruggs and Clemson's Tee Higgins.rnrnMost importantly, though, is Jeudy's skill that might mean Shanahan will fall in love with him: route running and the ability to create separation. NBC Sports' Chris Simms explains Jeudy's work here .rnrnTo be sure, if Jeudy isn't available at No. 13, grabbing Lamb or Ruggs or even a top tackle option to take over for Joe Staley in the long term wouldn't be bad options. But there's no doubt in my mind Jeudy would have an impact on the 49ers offense fairly quickly.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Round%201%2C%20Pick%20No.%2031%20Overall" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_102665" align="aligncenter" width="3200"] General Manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)[/caption]rnrn[trade league="6" division_team_1="31" team_1="42" team_1_gets_first="2020 No. 34 Overall" team_1_gets_second="2020 No. 122 Overall" division_team_2="12" team_2="46" team_2_gets_first="2020 No. 31 Overall" /]rnrnIn an attempt to gather a few draft picks in the middle rounds, the Niners return to a team they previously traded with in the Indianapolis Colts.rnrnThe Niners get a second- and a fourth-round pick in exchange for their second first-round pick, allowing the Colts to get a pick in the first after trading a top-15 selection away for DeForest Buckner.rnrnAccording to the Jimmy Johnson draft trade value chart , the Niners come out a little on top in this trade (No. 31 is worth 600, No. 34 plus No. 122 is worth 610), but it isn't a landslide in either direction.rnrnThat means the 49ers now have the following draft picks:rnrnRound 2, Pick No. 34 (from Colts)rnrnRound 4, Pick No. 122 (from Colts)rnrnRound 5, Pick No. 156 (from Broncos)rnrnRound 6, Pick No. 176rnrnRound 7, Pick No. 210rnrnRound 7, Pick No. 217 (from Lions)rnrn[nextslide teaser="Round%202%2C%20Pick%20No.%2034%20Overall%20(from%20Colts)" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_103789" align="aligncenter" width="3200"] Offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz #51 Michigan Wolverines (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)[/caption]rnrn[mockdraft order="34" firstname="Cesar" lastname="Ruiz" position="Interior Offensive Line" league="5" division="71" team="811" /]rnrnIt should be of little surprise the 49ers would look to bolster the interior of their offensive line with their second pick of this draft. That they got a solid, versatile player out of the selection makes it even that much better.rnrnFormer Michigan offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz was a top prospect coming out of high school and ended up starting 26 games in his last two seasons in Ann Arbor, along with five starts and 10 overall appearances as a freshman.rnrnRuiz played right guard and center while at Michigan, which means he could immediately push Daniel Brunskill and Tom Compton to start in between center Weston Richburg and right tackle Mike McGlinchey in 2020. He might also be a long-term answer anchoring the 49ers offensive line if Richburg continues to struggle to stay healthy.rnrnPlaying in former 49er and now-Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh's system for the Wolverines gave Ruiz and opportunity to show good movement skills and athleticism, something that would be asked of him a lot in Kyle Shanahan's scheme.rnrnIf he can add some strength without losing quickness, the 49ers might have found themselves a longtime starter for the interior of the offensive line who is capable of playing like this .rnrnAs of one of the top interior line options in this year's draft, there may be some handwringing and hoping Ruiz gets out of the top of the first round without being taken.rnrnBut if he does, the 49ers should snatch up him.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Round%204%2C%20Pick%20No.%20122%20Overall%20(from%20Colts)" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_103790" align="aligncenter" width="3200"] Tight end Thaddeus Moss #81 LSU Tigers (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)[/caption]rnrn[mockdraft order="122" firstname="Thaddeus" lastname="Moss" position="Tight end" league="5" division="78" team="817" /]rnrnBefore getting into the specifics of this selection, I'll note I think there's a solid chance John Lynch attempts to move around a little bit because of the 88-pick gap between selections received from the Colts.rnrnBut for now, let's assume there's no further movement and the Niners stand pat from pick Nos. 35 through 121, leaving them here at No. 122 looking for another offensive puzzle piece.rnrnGiven the team's reported interest in now-Cleveland tight end Austin Hooper during free agency, it should come as no surprise Kyle Shanahan is interested in improving his tight end depth behind All-Pro George Kittle .rnrn Levine Toilolo is now a New York Giant (although he was more of a blocker than a receiver) and Ross Dwelley is fine for depth, but maybe not the dangerous weapon the team would like to pair with Kittle.rnrnThat leaves the second tight end role wide open heading into the 2020 season.rnrnEnter former LSU tight end Thaddeus Moss, son of former Vikings, Raiders, Patriots, Titans and 49ers wide receiver Randy Moss.rnrnAfter starting out his career at North Carolina State with an unspectacular freshman year (six receptions in five games for 49 yards and one touchdown), before transferring to LSU and sitting out the 2017 season. A foot injury led him to miss the entirety of 2018 as well.rnrnMoss returned to football in 2019 with a solid season as part of an electric LSU offense led by the expected No. 1 overall selection, quarterback Joe Burrow. The tight end caught 47 passes for 570 yards and four touchdowns, including two in the National Championship Game victory over Clemson.rnrnTo be clear, Moss is not his father, so nobody should expect to be getting Randy Moss 2.0 at this point in the fourth round, as the younger Moss is still very much a work in progress. But he's a willing and able blocker who could use the tutelage of Shanahan and his coaches to become a better route runner.rnrnHe'd have to fight for a roster spot, but there is upside and potential still hidden underneath his lack of college tape. And the 49ers might offer him a great opportunity to improve.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Round%205%2C%20Pick%20No.%20156%20Overall%20(from%20Broncos)" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_103791" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Charlie Heck #67 North Carolina Tar Heels (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)[/caption]rnrn[mockdraft order="156" firstname="Charlie" lastname="Heck" position="Offensive Tackle" league="5" division="67" team="838" /]rnrnUnfortunately for the 49ers, Joe Staley isn't going to play football forever.rnrnThe former first-round pick out of Central Michigan will be 36 when the season starts, and currently has two more seasons left on his contract , including the upcoming year, although the team could move on from him after 2020 with minimal cap repercussions.rnrnThe Niners made a small move toward their Staley-less future last season, drafting former Vanderbilt tackle Justin Skule with a sixth-round draft pick last season. Skule, who started eight games in 2019 in Staley's absence via injury, will be fighting with newly re-signed tackle Shon Coleman for the 49ers swing tackle spot in 2020.rnrnBut that doesn't mean the team is set at tackle moving forward and could be looking to add both competition or a young replacement for Coleman in this draft. If they don't use a first-round selection to surprise people and take one of the top tackle prospects, it's likely they'll use another late-round slot to bolster the unit.rnrnOne option could be former North Carolina tackle Charlie Heck, who's father Andy , now an NFL offensive line coach in Kansas City, was a first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks out of Notre Dame in 1989, and went on to play 12 seasons in the NFL for Seattle, Chicago and Washington.rnrnThe younger Heck was a three-year starter at UNC, starting a right tackle as a sophomore and a junior, before moving to left tackle as a senior. He also played in eight games at right guard as a freshman.rnrnHeck is a giant, standing at 6-foot-8 and weighing in a 311 pounds, but possesses pretty decent speed and athleticism for his size. That size often comes with a difficulty to get his pad level down, and Heck is no exception to this rule.rnrnBut the good news is the 49ers wouldn't be asking him to come in a start right away. And depending on how the offseason went, he could even spend 2020 on the practice squad honing his skills.rnrnEither way, it's past time for the 49ers to be thinking about the future at left tackle. Maybe this former Tar Heel could be a heck of an option for San Francisco moving forward.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Round%206%2C%20Pick%20No.%20176%20Overall" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_103798" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Lawrence Cager #15 of the Georgia Bulldogs (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)[/caption]rnrn[mockdraft order="176" firstname="Lawrence " lastname="Cager" position="Wide Receiver" league="5" division="78" team="814" /]rn The current state of the 49ers receiving room has been under a great deal of scrutiny throughout the offseason , especially once Emmanuel Sanders was officially announced as a member of the Saints.

rnBecause of that, it makes perfect sense for the team to load up on the position in this hopefully deep class for 2020. And so, with their first of three late-round selections, the Niners will look to add to an already crowded wideout room.rnrnThe pick here is former Georgia Bulldog wideout Lawrence Cager, who transferred from Miami (FL) as a graduate student for the 2019 season. In three seasons in South Beach, he caught 45 passes for 681 yards and 10 touchdowns, including six in 2018. During his one season in Athens, he was nearly as productive, pulling in 33 receptions for 476 yards and four touchdowns.rnrnCager is a big man, standing 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, and his yards per reception in college suggest he's more of a downfield option, even if he's not the fastest or twitchiest as a route runner, something he'll need to improve as part of Kyle Shanahan's receiver unit.rnrnIt could be he turns himself into a tight end in the NFL, but the biggest issue isn't where he'll play, but if he'll play. He missed all of his second season in Miami with a torn ACL, and then only played in eight games at Georgia.rnrnCager has shown himself capable of being a threat downfield, but he'll need to available to do that. If he's healthy, he could be a nice addition to the unit missing some stature. But the last thing the 49ers need is another wide receiver on the shelf heading into 2020.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Round%207%2C%20Pick%20No.%20210%20Overall" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_103793" align="aligncenter" width="3200"] Ke'Shawn Vaughn #5 Vanderbilt Commodores (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)[/caption]rnrn[mockdraft order="210" firstname="Ke'Shawn " lastname="Vaughn" position="Running back" league="5" division="78" team="887" /]rnrnRunning back is another crowded position group for the 49ers, with Matt Breida , Raheem Mostert , Tevin Coleman , Jeff Wilson and Jerick McKinnon already fighting for places on the roster for 2020.rnrnStill, it seems pretty likely the team will add at least another body or two to the mix, either through the draft or post-draft rookie free agency, a favorite tactic for this regime, with three of the five backs on the roster coming to the team via that route.rnrnBut since this is an offensive-only mock draft, and since the Niners have two picks very close to one another here in the seventh round, we'll go ahead and fill that void with a running back with a late-round draft pick.rnrnThe pick here is former Vanderbilt tailback Ke'Shawn Vaughn, a senior who started his career as a part-time player at Illinois before transferring to Nashville and racking up two 1,000-yard seasons during his time as a Commodore.rnrnOne of the more staggering things about Vaughn's production at Vanderbilt is not just the 1,244 yards he ran for as a junior and the 1,028 he added as a senior, but the number of carries it took him to get to those totals.rnrnIn his first year in Nashville, Vaughn carried the ball just 157 times, an average of 7.9 yards per carry, while scoring 12 touchdowns. Unfortunately, during his senior year, the carries went up (198 attempts) while the yards went down, but his 5.2 YPC that season was still fairly impressive.rnrnVaughn's totals during his college career were 572 carries for 3,296 yards (5.8 YPC) and 30 touchdowns. He also added 66 receptions for 648 more yards and three receiving touchdowns.rnrnHe's a smaller, stockier runner who will need quality blocking up front to be successful, but there's no doubt if Kyle Shanahan likes him, he would figure out a way to put him in a position to be effective.rnrnVaughn would certainly stand out among the speedy group the team already has in place but would provide the 49ers with a change-of-pace back if they wanted to add that to their already lethal running game mix.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Round%207%2C%20Pick%20No.%20217%20Overall%20(from%20Lions)" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_103794" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Yasir Durant #70 Missouri Tigers (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)[/caption]rnrn[mockdraft order="217" firstname="Yasir" lastname="Durant" position="Offensive line" league="5" division="78" team="822" /]rnrnOne last selection late in the draft, and this time the 49ers will once again go for offensive line depth. This time it's in the form of Missouri tackle Yasir Durant.rnrn[recentposts thiscategory="no" /]rnrnLike with the other offensive lineman drafted by the team so far in this mock, Durant is a huge man, standing 6-foot-6, 331 pounds, who played guard an Arizona junior college for one season before transferring to Mizzou and moving to tackle.rnrnHe's definitely got the size profile for a tackle, but his limited movement for his size might suggest he's best suited as an offensive guard, an area of the line that the Niners, as previously mentioned, could stand to improve upon.rnrnDurant profiles as a better pass blocker than run blocker, however, so that might prevent him from making an immediate impact for the 49ers, although it is reasonable to expect that a seventh-round draft pick would need some practice squad seasoning.rnrnIf nothing else, he could compete as an interior lineman right out of the gate as a rookie, but eventually could be a nice swing tackle option who fights to start down the road.rnrn[story_link_next description="Predicting%2049ers%20offensive%20starting%20lineup%20before%202020%20NFL%20Draft" url="https://ninernoise.com/2020/03/30/49ers-predicting-offensive-starting-lineup-2020-nfl-draft/" /]rnrnThese late-round picks are all about potential, and if Durant is willing to do the work, he could make good on a lot of that and become a solid player for the 49ers in the future.

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2020 NFL Draft: 7-round 49ers mock going all offense

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