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49ers NFL Draft 2021 primer: Picks, stories to watch and more

By Peter Panacy

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces a draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces a draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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NFL Draft, 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers NFL Draft (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

After months of speculation, the 49ers are finally poised to make their first of potentially nine selections today for the 2021 NFL Draft. Here’s what you need to know.

It’s finally here: the 2021 NFL Draft.

The past few weeks and months have been nothing short of a headache, particularly in the wake of the San Francisco 49ers engineering their blockbuster trade up from the No. 12 overall pick in Round 1 to get to No. 3 overall — a move all but guaranteeing head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch are keyed in on a quarterback to be the future of the franchise.

This, of course, has led to all kinds of speculation and rumor. Did the Niners move up from No. 12 to grab Alabama quarterback Mac Jones despite the belief he would have potentially been available with the 12th pick anyway? Or is the media-driven hype surrounding Jones to San Francisco nothing more than one giant smokescreen?

Well, those questions will finally be answered a mere few hours from now.

The 2021 NFL Draft officially kicks off on Thursday, April 29 at 8 p.m. ET, and Niner Noise has you covered with everything you’ll want to know about this crucial three-day event.

First, let’s start off with the nine projected picks at San Francisco’s disposal.

49ers are slated to have nine picks in the 2021 NFL Draft

While Lynch is no stranger to trading around on draft day, the 49ers are currently armed with nine total picks in the 2021 draft including five on day three:

  1. Round 1, No. 3 overall (from Dolphins via Texans)
  2. Round 2, No. 43 overall
  3. Round 3, No. 102 overall (compensatory)
  4. Round 4, No. 117 overall
  5. Round 5, No. 155 overall
  6. Round 5, No. 172 overall (from Saints)
  7. Round 5, No. 180 overall (compensatory)
  8. Round 6, No. 194 overall
  9. Round 7, No. 230 overall (from Jets)

The Niners’ own Round 3 pick was given to the Washington Football Team as part of last year’s blockbuster trade for left tackle Trent Williams. San Francisco’s trade with the Miami Dolphins for No. 3 overall included the 12th overall pick this year along with two future first-round selections, one in 2022 and another in 2023, along with a 2022 Round 3 compensatory pick.

Now, let’s take a look at the 49ers’ primary draft needs.