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49ers 2020 NFL Draft: 5 positions to target at No. 13 overall

By Peter Panacy

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 13: Justin Jefferson #2 of the LSU Tigers runs with the ball after a 56-yard pass from Joe Burrow during the second quarter of the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Clemson Tigers at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The LSU Tigers topped the Clemson Tigers, 42-25. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 13: Justin Jefferson #2 of the LSU Tigers runs with the ball after a 56-yard pass from Joe Burrow during the second quarter of the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Clemson Tigers at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The LSU Tigers topped the Clemson Tigers, 42-25. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /
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Xavier McKinney, Alabama
Xavier McKinney #15 of the Alabama Crimson Tide (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

While the San Francisco 49ers are almost expected to take a wide receiver at No. 13 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, it’s just one of multiple positions which could be targets.

The vast majority of San Francisco 49ers mock NFL Draft picks suggest a wide receiver will be the top choice when the team’s number is called at No. 13 overall.

It makes a lot of sense, of course, considering there’s some top-tier talent at the position.

But it’s not necessarily a shoo-in for general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan to go this route. One of the reasons is the 2020 NFL Draft class is incredibly deep at the position, arguably the deepest seen in decades. Combine that with the fact San Francisco has another first-round pick, No. 31 overall, the 49ers don’t necessarily need to grab a wide receiver with their first of two Round 1 selections.

While there aren’t many, the Niners do have some substantial needs in this year’s draft. And one could make the argument the relative shortage at other positions in the draft could prompt Lynch and Shanahan to go another direction opposite what many of the pundits and analysts think.

With that as a backdrop, here are five positions San Francisco could look to address at No. 13 overall in the NFL Draft.

No. 5: Safety

This sounds counterproductive, as the 49ers just re-signed free safety Jimmie Ward in free agency.

Ward is coming off a career-best year in 2019, yes. But he’s also finished four of his six years at the pro level on injured reserve, and it’s a fair question to wonder if last year was more anomaly than a sign of things to come.

Beyond that, the Niners are also looking at strong safety Jaquiski Tartt entering a contract year. Last season, San Francisco made its safeties much more interchangeable than prior years, so there isn’t necessarily a locked-in fit for either position.

Alabama’s Xavier McKinney is widely viewed as the top safety prospect in this year’s draft, and he projects to play multiple positions within the secondary, and that prompts yet another possible target the 49ers can go after at No. 13 overall.