49ers 7-round mock 2021 NFL Draft with only Big Ten players

The 2021 NFL Draft is nearly here, which gives us time to continue to predict who the 49ers might draft, this time using all players from the same conference.

The madness of NFL Draft season is almost over, with the draft just about two weeks away and the San Francisco 49ers holding the No. 3 overall selection in the first round.

The trade that got the Niners from No. 12 to No. 3 has sparked a lot of debate over which of the quarterbacks not named Trevor Lawrence or Zach Wilson the team should take with the third pick.

But there are, of course, eight other picks the Niners have to use in this draft, barring the inevitable moving and shaking from general manager John Lynch, which means there are eight players who aren’t Justin Fields or Trey Lance or Mac Jones who’ll be 49ers by the end of the day on May 1.

With all the mock drafts being thrown around, from plugged-in ESPN pundits to our very own Niner Noise writers, sometimes it pays to have a little fun.

So this mock will come with a set of rules. Well, really one rule: All the players must be drafted out of schools from the Big Ten Conference. This means only players who went to Ohio State, Indiana, Penn State, Maryland, Rutgers, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Purdue, and Illinois are eligible.

The other “rule,” of sorts, is San Francisco’s team needs still should be the focus, which means there was the occasional reach in order to fulfill rule No. 1.

The conference makes sense because they have a decent history of quality football, especially with schools like Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Nebraska, at least historically. This will allow for the second rule to be covered effectively.

But, truth be told, the ulterior motive of the Niners’ first pick was high on the list of reasons to pick the Big Ten, too.

And so, without further ado or explanation, onto the all-Big Ten 49ers mock draft.