SF 49ers: 7-round mock 2021 NFL Draft with only SEC players

Niner Noise shakes things up with our latest SF 49ers mock NFL Draft, forcing the Niners to grab players only from the SEC for 2021.

By this point, you’ve probably read a few dozen SF 49ers mock NFL Drafts for 2021 and have decided the Niners are either going to grab a quarterback at No. 12 overall, a cornerback, offensive lineman or a pass-rusher.

Mocks are entertaining, yes. And while there are so many unknown X-factors between now and when the draft actually kicks off this April (NFL free agency, trades, etc.), mocks can give a good idea of what team needs may be and which players San Francisco could be targeting.

But what if general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are limited to only SEC players?

Of course, this isn’t reality. Then again, no mock draft is true reality either.

So let’s change things up a bit and create a mock NFL Draft where the SF 49ers only select players from the SEC conference this April.

Note: No trades, and all draft selections made using Fanspeak’s mock draft simulator.

Round 1, Pick No. 12 Overall: SF 49ers select cornerback Patrick Surtain II, Alabama

The Niners are potentially going to lose every one of their starting cornerbacks this offseason — Richard Sherman, Jason Verrett, K’Waun Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon — to free agency. And even if San Francisco re-signs one or two of them, it would be wise for Lynch and Co. to add at least a couple of developmental corners in this year’s draft.

Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II, however, is not much of a developmental type. He’s about as close a plug-and-play defensive back starter as there is in this year’s class.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds, Surtain has the physical makeup to thrive in a zone-style system where he can use his long and lanky body to break up passes at th point of the catch. He’s done this well enough over his three-year collegiate career, registering 24 pass breakups and being one of the Crimson Tide’s most reliable defenders.

Surtain is battling it out to be the top corner selected in this year’s draft, and if the SF 49ers get him, it would be a tremendous long-term addition to their secondary and will help make up for what’s going to be some key free-agent departures this offseason.