49ers news: CBS Sports sticks with Mac Jones in latest mock draft

The Mac Jones discussion for the 49ers in Round 1 of the NFL Draft isn’t going away, and that’s who CBS Sports recently mocked to San Francisco.

If you’re tired of the national media saying the San Francisco 49ers are going to select Alabama quarterback Mac Jones with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, you might want to put down your phones and turn off your computers — or at least avoid mocks — for the next couple of weeks until April 29.

Despite some back-and-forth chatter regarding whether or not the Niners are sold on a quarterback after trading up from No. 12 overall, it appears as if the idea Jones is head coach Kyle Shanahan’s top choice isn’t dissipating whatsoever.

And CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson is only the latest in a long line of NFL Draft analysts who suggest the Alabama signal-caller will be San Francisco’s next first-round pick in his latest mock draft:

"The top three players off the mock-draft board likely won’t change down the stretch, and while fans and media seem perplexed by Mac Jones going here, if this is who Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch traded up for then Jones is headed for San Francisco."

Jones certainly isn’t the third best prospect in this year’s class. And it’s not hard to see why he’s ranked as the fifth best quarterback out of five signal-callers, making many wonder why the 49ers would use the No. 3 overall pick on him when they’re guaranteed to have their choice between Ohio State’s Justin Fields, North Dakota State’s Trey Lance and an outside shot at BYU’s Zach Wilson, should the No. 2-drafting New York Jets grab someone else other than Wilson with their top pick.

Jones’ pocket poise, accuracy and timing are the traits likely linking him to Shanahan and the Niners, which makes sense. But Jones is far from the playmaker when compared to others, namely Fields and Lance, and Shanahan better be wise to realize it’s now taking the latter kind of quarterback to find consistent success in the NFL today.

CBS Sports mocks a cornerback to 49ers in Round 2

Wilson’s mock extended into Round 2 where San Francisco holds the No. 43 overall pick. And with that selection, the 49ers grab Kentucky cornerback Kelvin Joseph.

The Niners re-signed corners Jason Verrett and K’Waun Williams to one-year deals earlier this offseason. But with veteran cornerback Richard Sherman still unsigned, and in light of both Verrett and Williams having an injury history, bolstering the cornerback room does make a lot of sense.

Prior to San Francisco’s blockbuster to move up in Round 1, many a mock had Shanahan and general manager John Lynch going with a cornerback with the team’s first pick.

Joseph, 6-foot-1 and 192 pounds, had four interceptions and one pass breakup for the Wildcats last season, going along with 25 tackles.

Despite some promising on-field efforts, Joseph comes with some question marks which included being suspended by LSU at the end of 2018 before transferring over to Kentucky and sitting out the following year. The lack of experience, going along with some character concerns, are primarily why he’s tabbed as a day-two pick.

Still, the 49ers can’t be sleeping on their cornerback needs and will probably use at least one of their day-two picks to address the position.

The 2021 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 29.