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:
- Round 1, No. 3 overall (from Dolphins via Texans)
- Round 2, No. 43 overall
- Round 3, No. 102 overall (compensatory)
- Round 4, No. 117 overall
- Round 5, No. 155 overall
- Round 5, No. 172 overall (from Saints)
- Round 5, No. 180 overall (compensatory)
- Round 6, No. 194 overall
- 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.
49ers needs in the 2021 NFL Draft
The Niners were able to retain a good chunk of their talent in free agency earlier this offseason while also adding some impact players to fill major voids, such as signing veteran center Alex Mack while also adding EDGE Samson Ebukam along with defensive linemen Arden Key, Maurice Hurst and Zach Kerr.
That said, there are still some notable voids left to be filled, and depth is always going to be a question mark.
Quarterback
Kyle Shanahan’s recent comments about quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo being on the roster after the NFL Draft were provocative, to say the least, and San Francisco wouldn’t have traded up to No. 3 overall if it wasn’t planning on moving on from Jimmy G anyway.
Garoppolo is still under contract for the next two seasons, so the 49ers are still in a position where they could start him in 2021 while waiting for a rookie quarterback to develop.
Nevertheless, Shanahan made it clear Garoppolo’s injury history the last three years was a prime reason why the Niners want a future franchise signal-caller who can stay on the field.
Cornerback
San Francisco re-signed corners Jason Verrett, K’Waun Williams, Dontae Johnson and Emmanuel Moseley during the offseason. Of those three, only Moseley is inked into 2022.
Defensive backs can take time to develop at the pro level, so doing some long-term stockpiling now makes a lot of sense.
Unlike last year’s class, which was pretty deep at cornerback, there’s a significant drop in talent from the first two or three rounds, so look for the 49ers to address this early.
EDGE
Despite signing Ebukam, the Niners will want to find an additional outside pass-rusher to support EDGE Nick Bosa and to potentially make up for the likely early absence of fellow EDGE Dee Ford, who is still recovering from last year’s back injury.
Nearly all of the EDGEs in this class have major question marks, so any selection San Francisco makes here could be a major hit or miss.
Wide Receiver
The 49ers are set with their top two wide receivers, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, but there’s a void in the slot and at the No. 3 spot on the depth chart after losing Kendrick Bourne in free agency.
The Niners shouldn’t be content with rostered wideouts like Mohamed Sanu, River Cracraft, Richie James and Trent Sherfield, among others, so finding someone who can develop as a legitimate No. 3 option should be a serious focus.
Good thing this year’s draft has plenty of receiving talent over all three days.
Safety
Safeties Jaquiski Tartt and Jimmie Ward will start in 2021, but both have lengthy injury histories. And Tartt is back on a one-year deal anyway, meaning some long-term options wouldn’t be a bad idea.
San Francisco has to guard against injuries here while also planning for the future. There are a number of quality defensive backs who could potentially serve as safeties at the pro level. But in general, the natural safety class this year is notably thin.
Lesser Needs
None of the 49ers running backs currently on the roster are signed beyond 2021, so it wouldn’t be a shock at all to see Shanahan target someone who could be a long-term fit, potentially a day-two or day-three selection.
The Niners also have been searching for a quality No. 2 tight end to support George Kittle for a number of years now, and one could easily see them do so again on day three.
Yet that’ll only be a small storyline for fans to watch on draft day.
Storylines 49ers fans will want to follow during NFL Draft
Understandably so, the bulk of focus surrounding San Francisco this year will be on the quarterback selection at No. 3 overall.
But that’s not the only thing fans should pay attention to over the next three days, and these storylines could be of massive interest.
Which quarterback do the 49ers select?
Is it going to be Mac Jones as so many draft pundits have suggested? Or how about Ohio State’s Justin Fields? Is North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance a dark-horse candidate and late riser?
Or what if the No. 2-drafting New York Jets don’t go with BYU quarterback Zach Wilson and instead pick someone like Fields?
That would sure shake things up.
Either way, Kyle Shanahan’s pre-draft press conference essentially summed up what fans need to know:
"We do this for a living and I think people should be proud of us that we won’t let that affect our decision. Then it’s up to us to live with the consequences."
Hopefully, the consequences wind up being good ones.
Do 49ers trade up in Round 2 or back into Round 1?
While there’s a good enough need to add some depth at various points in the draft, and the 49ers could always find some serious value late in the draft, too, one can’t rule out the real possibility John Lynch gets aggressive and tries moving up from No. 43 overall. Potentially getting into a prime position to land one of the Round 1-caliber prospects who fall into Round 2 or even possibly looking to steal a luxury pick towards the end of the first round.
Yes, the end result of Lynch’s trade-back into Round 1 of the 2017 NFL Draft, which landed the Niners linebacker Reuben Foster, didn’t work out to the desired effect.
But it did show Lynch was willing to be aggressive and could so again.
Is Jimmy Garoppolo going to be traded during or shortly after the NFL Draft?
This is ultimately going to be contingent upon whether or not Shanahan and Lynch are comfortable starting whichever rookie quarterback they select in Round 1 come Week 1. And it’s also contingent upon whether or not Jimmy Garoppolo is truly comfortable and willing to stick around in San Francisco for one more year.
Neither situation is known aside from within the organization. But there are reasons to believe the 49ers would be more willing to move Jimmy G sooner than later, particularly if one of the many quarterback-needy teams don’t wind up getting the rookie signal-caller of their choice in the draft and are willing to offer up a trade package for Garoppolo the Niners would be willing to accept.
Either way, expect fans to keep tabs on any would-be Garoppolo trade during and shortly after the draft.
49ers final 7-round mock draft, how to watch or stream
One last 7-round mock NFL Draft for San Francisco based on what we’d do if we were ultimately in charge of the draft board (using FanSpeak’s mock draft tool):
- Round 1, Pick No. 3 overall: QB Justin Fields, Ohio State
- Round 2, Pick No. 43 overall: CB Greg Newsome II, Northwestern
- Round 3, Pick No. 102 overall: DB Ar’Darius Washington, TCU
- Round 4, Pick No. 117 overall: WR Sage Surratt, Wake Forest
- Round 5, Pick No. 155 overall: RB Trey Sermon, Ohio State
- Round 5, Pick No. 172 overall: EDGE Daelin Hayes, Notre Dame
- Round 5, Pick No. 180 overall: TE Tre’ McKitty, Georgia
- Round 6, Pick No. 194 overall: CB Ambry Thomas, Michigan
- Round 7, Pick No. 230 overall: C Michael Menet, Penn State
Yes, Fields is still the preferred pick at No. 3 overall.
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How 49ers fans can watch, stream the 2021 NFL Draft
The 2021 NFL Draft will kick off on Thursday, April 29 from Cleveland, Ohio.
- Round 1: Thursday, April 29 at 8 p.m. ET
- Rounds 2 and 3: Friday, April 30 at 7 p.m. ET
- Rounds 4 through 7: Saturday, May 1 at 12 p.m. ET
Fans will be able to tune into ABC, ESPN and NFL Network to watch the draft live on television, and please check your local cable provider for channels and broadcast information.
For those wishing to stream the draft, there are two options available:
Additionally, Niner Noise will be running a live draft tracker updated with each pick, as well as breakdowns, grades and analysis of the individual players selected by the 49ers over all seven rounds.
We sure hope you’ll join us, and we hope even more San Francisco’s 2021 draft class is notably exceptional.