49ers 2021 NFL Draft live tracker, reactions and updates

It’s finally here: the 2021 NFL Draft, and Niner Noise has all your 49ers draft action covered with our live tracker updated with each pick.

After months of waiting, San Francisco 49ers finally know which prospect their team selected at No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The Niners made themselves the talk of the draft by moving up to this spot from No. 12 overall, and there’s never going to be any shortage of discussion points when a team aggressively trades up like this.

Especially when it’s for a quarterback. And San Francisco’s new signal-caller will hopefully define a generation of 49ers football for many years to come, ultimately replacing Jimmy Garoppolo, who could be on the move this weekend.

Yet that was only the first of nine total picks general manager John Lynch had at his disposal entering the draft. But as previous years have shown, Lynch is no stranger to trading around throughout the draft, so one might expect some movement and additional shockers between now and when the final pick is announced on Saturday, May 1 when the draft concludes.

Niner Noise already gave you a primer, breaking down all the storylines you’ll want to know heading into the draft. Aside from the obvious “which quarterback do the Niners take at No. 3?” discussion, there are plenty of other potential developments which guarantee to make this year’s draft provocative from San Francisco’s vantage point.

Which non-quarterback prospects will the 49ers target? Who winds up being that sleeper steal on day three? Those are just some of the storylines we’ll try providing you throughout all three days of the draft.

So, be sure to stick right here and follow along live throughout the 2021 NFL Draft as we track and break down each of the Niners picks in our live draft-day tracker.

Round 1, Pick No. 3 Overall: QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State

In the days counting down to Round 1 of the NFL Draft, the 49ers’ apparent selection for No. 3 overall was reportedly coming down to either Alabama’s Mac Jones or North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.

Turns out, Lance is the one Kyle Shanahan and the Niners want to bring aboard.

Lance, of course, is banking on his exceptional 2019 season where he put up massive numbers, albeit against less-stellar competition. But the numbers don’t lie:

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 4/29/2021.

But what makes the 20-year-old 6-foot-4, 226-pound Lance even more enticing for San Francisco and scary for the rest of the NFC West is the fact he rushed for 1,100 yards in 2019 before playing just one game in 2020 because of the COVID-shortened season.

And while the 49ers had their choice with potentially Ohio State’s Justin Fields being there, too, most 49ers fans are probably happy Jones wasn’t the pick.

Lance, in need of development, probably ensures Jimmy Garoppolo sticks around for at least one more year, both as a mentor and a bridge to the former Bison star.

After that, though, look for Lance to be the next dual-threat signal-caller taking over the league.

Round 1, Pick No. 48 Overall: OL Aaron Banks, Notre Dame

One should have predicted John Lynch to trade around all throughout the NFL Draft, which is precisely how Round 2 kicked off when the 49ers were originally slated to pick at No. 43 overally, only shipping off that selection and their seventh-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for the No. 48 overall selection and a fourth rounder.

It’s pretty clear the Niners weren’t exactly dead set on any one particular player they didn’t think would slip, particularly with Las Vegas grabbing TCU safety Trevon Moehrig at No. 43.

Meanwhile, San Francisco elected to reinforce its offensive line, grabbing Notre Dame’s Aaron Banks.

Banks, a 6-foot-5 native of Northern California, isn’t necessarily a side-to-side mover. But he has power and should shore up one of the 49ers’ primary weaknesses the past two years: the interior of their offensive line.

After adding veteran center Alex Mack, Banks should be able to compete right away for the starting right guard position while possibly looking to be a long-term replacement for left guard Laken Tomlinson, who enters a contract year in 2021.

Round 3, Pick No. 88 Overall: RB Trey Sermon, Ohio State

Despite signing running back Wayne Gallman to a crop that includes Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr., it made more than enough sense for Kyle Shanahan to find a long-term player to develop as a would-be replacement for the other two, who’ll both be free agents in 2022.

So, while the 49ers held the No. 102 overall pick in the NFL Draft, Shanahan and John Lynch clearly didn’t think Ohio State running back Trey Sermon would last towards the end of Round 3, trading up to the No. 88 overall spot in a deal with the Los Angeles Rams, who were short on draft picks this year anyway.

LA gets San Francisco’s two fourth-round picks, Nos. 117 and 121, with one of those being the pick acquired from Las Vegas while still keeping No. 102 overall.

That might be a gamble within the NFC West the Niners are willing to take. Especially for Sermon.

While the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Sermon might not have the elite breakaway speed, his one-cut ability and big-bodied physicality makes for a tough tackle. And during the three years Sermon spent at Oklahoma before transferring to Ohio State, he also displayed the ability to be a legitimate pass-catching threat, which certainly could be something Shanahan looks to rekindle again.

Round 3, Pick No. 102 Overall: DB Ambry Thomas, Michigan

It was a little surprising San Francisco didn’t invest in its defense earlier in the draft, but that changed at the tail end of Round 3.

The first of two compensatory picks at the 49ers’ disposal, No. 102 overall, ended up being used on Michigan defensive back Ambry Thomas, who has some solid movement skills necessary for a boundary cornerback. And one would figure the Niners would deploy him there with corners Jason Verrett and K’Waun Williams poised to be free agents in 2022.

Thomas, 6-foot-0 and 183 pounds, opted out last year because of COVID-19 but showed some ballhawking traits the previous year with three interceptions and an additional three pass breakups to go along with 38 tackles.

On the upside, Thomas has speed to match with the faster receivers he’ll face at the NFL level. He’s feisty, too, and has some competitive dog in him.

Yet there’s going to be a notable risk considering he missed all of last year and is transitioning to more a of a zone-style system compared to the press-man scheme he primarily saw with the Wolverines.

Yet San Francisco is in a position where it can take a full year to develop Thomas as a potential starter in 2022 while players like Verrett manage the starting duties this season.

Round 5, Pick No. 155 Overall: OT Jalen Moore, Western Michigan

The 49ers must not be too convinced their offensive line is set to go despite re-signing Trent Williams and adding center Alex Mack. And those moves, combined with the second-round drafting of Aaron Banks, would make one think the Niners wouldn’t be focusing too much more on O-line depth.

Yet with the first of three fifth-round selections in this year’s NFL Draft, San Francisco elected to bring aboard Western Michigan offensive tackle Jalen Moore.

Moore, 6-foot-4 and 311 pounds, is a prototypical zone-style lineman who has experience at both guard and tackle. Although at the pro level, he’ll likely be a safer selection on the right side of the line. Earlier in the day, the 49ers announced they had picked up starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey’s fifth-year option, thereby keeping him around into 2022.

But Moore could be a developmental long-term replacement as well as a potential year-one swing tackle depending on how his competition this offseason goes with returning veterans like Justin Skule, Colton McKivitz and Shon Coleman — three other players who are vying for a spot on the Niners’ O-line depth chart.

If anything, San Francisco’s O-line suffered an extreme number of injuries last season, so this pick does make some sense even if it’s nowhere close to being flashy. Although another player the 49ers selected from Western Michigan, now-retired tackle Joe Staley, worked out pretty well.

Round 5, Pick No. 172 Overall: CB Deommodore Lenoir, Oregon

Still no wide receivers this deep into the NFL Draft, yet San Francisco made up for last year’s move of waiving reserve nickel cornerback D.J. Reed, who found success with the Seattle Seahawks after being claimed by the 49ers’ NFC West division rivals.

Plus, with K’Waun Williams also entering a contract year and turning 30 years old before the regular season begins, it would be smart for the Niners to infuse some youth within their secondary.

Oregon cornerback Deommodore Lenoir figures to be a candidate to replace Williams in the long run, competing with San Francisco’s earlier pick for the secondary, Ambry Thomas, for positiong on the depth chart.

Lenoir could have an advantage, though, in that the Pac-12 is so offensive heavy, defensive backs who wind up standing out from this particular conference need to showcase a lot of skills capable of being carried over to the NFL level.

While Lenoir was limited to just six games last season, the 5-foot-11 and 195-pound defensive back registered 16 pass breakups the previous two years combined along with four interceptions during that span.

Getting a potential ballhawk late in the NFL Draft is never a bad idea, and the 49ers hope to have done just that.

Round 5, Pick No. 180 Overall; S Talanoa Hufanga, USC

No, the 49ers still weren’t done reinforcing their secondary after grabbing a couple of cornerbacks already. And the next defensive back on the list, USC safety Talanoa Hufanga, is someone who finished strong in 2020 despite the Pac-12’s limited season.

Over that brief stretch, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Hufanga recorded four interceptions over just six games, flashing some ballhawk tendencies the Niners hope continue into the pro level.

The interception skills are nice, although Hufanga is projected more to be a close-to-the-box safety and someone who can blitz off the edge. Case in point, the last two seasons, he picked up 6.5 sacks the last two years. USC also didn’t hesitate to play him as a free safety, adding to his versatility.

San Francisco re-signed veteran strong safety Jaquiski Tartt to a one-year deal during the offseason. But considering Tartt’s injury history and the lack of quality options behind him on the roster, pulling in a player like Hufanga with the potential upside of being a long-term replacement surely isn’t a bad idea.

Even if Hufanga’s hard-hitting ways have resulted in a bit of an injury history, too.

At the worst, he’ll compete for a spot on the depth chart with reserves like Tarvarius Moore and Marcell Harris.

Round 6, Pick No. 194 Overall: RB Elijah Mitchell, Louisiana

The 49ers running back room got even a bit more crowded with the team’s final selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, Louisiana tailback Elijah Mitchell, who was no stranger to some of the Niner Noise mocks and late-round target lists out there leading up to the draft.

Why? Well, Mitchell is notably fast and ran an impressive 4.38 40-yard time during his pro day and also demonstrated some of that shiftiness and elusiveness within the Ragin’ Cajuns offense, albeit against less-than-stellar competition.

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Still, Kyle Shanahan loves speed. And he won’t turn away the fact Mitchell served as a reliable pass-catching option, too, with 597 receiving yards over four collegiate years.

And in 2018, the 5-foot-11 and 218-pound Mitchell rushed for nearly 1,000 yards while adding 349 yards through the air for a net total of 1,334 all-purpose yards with 16 combined touchdowns.

Even though San Francisco already drafted Trey Sermon earlier, getting some quality depth in its running back room makes a lot of sense. Particularly if Mitchell winds up being a similar weapon as he was at Louisiana.

This probably means second-year running back JaMycal Hasty, who suffered a torn ACL late last season, won’t make the 2021 roster. But Mitchell could easily be an upgrade.

More to come on the 49ers’ entire 2021 NFL Draft class over the next days and weeks!