4 positions 49ers are unlikely to draft for in 2021
By Peter Panacy
While the 49ers have a number of needs in the 2021 NFL Draft, there’s a strong likelihood they aren’t going to select one of these four positions.
If the San Francisco 49ers weren’t as successful as they were in free agency, re-signing and bringing in a number of key players at positions of need, the number of holes general manager John Lynch would have entering the 2021 NFL Draft would be substantially more than they are right now.
Re-signing left tackle Trent Williams and inking center Alex Mack solved a lot of the offensive line concerns, while bringing back defensive backs like Jason Verrett, K’Waun Williams and Jaquiski Tartt helped solve a lot of issues within the secondary, too.
The Niners are all but guaranteed to use their first pick, No. 3 overall, on a quarterback after trading up from No. 12 overall. But after that selection, Lynch’s big board is essentially wide open.
And while there are only a handful of starting jobs up for grabs on both sides of the ball, the bulk of the picks will be intended for immediate depth and hopefully some long-term fits.
There are, however, some positional spots where San Francisco might pass on selecting any players. Late-round fliers always complicate this, of course, but let’s take a look at four positions Lynch and the 49ers may not draft for this year.
No. 4: 49ers Specialists
Let’s get the obvious out of the way because, well… it’s obvious.
Had the Niners parted ways with veteran kicker Robbie Gould during the offseason — and let’s be honest, Gould is being overpaid for the positional value — finding a place-kicker would have been high up the list of day-three needs, either late in the draft or via undrafted free agency.
Yet Gould is back. And so is long-snapper Taybor Pepper, although long-snappers almost never find themselves drafted anyway.
San Francisco did use a fourth-round pick on punter and kickoff specialist Mitch Wishnowsky back in 2019, so he’s not going anywhere either.
True, special-teams specialists are people, too. But the 49ers aren’t going in that direction at all, nor do they have a need.