49ers NFL Draft: 5 prospects who could be Day 1 starters in 2022

The 49ers don’t have too many holes to address in the 2022 NFL Draft, yet these five prospect targets could wind up immediately starting for San Francisco.

It’s a bit trickier trying to assess which rookies the San Francisco 49ers end up selecting in 2022 wind up starting right away when the regular season kicks off this September.

For starters (pun intended), we have no clue whom the Niners will pick yet. That’s a challenge. On top of that, San Francisco isn’t poised to select until the back end of Round 2, No. 61 overall, and the pressure to put someone in the starting lineup always diminishes the further the draft moves along.

And it isn’t as if the 49ers have a ton of starting spots to fill this offseason anyway.

Still, there are some clear-cut needs and vacancies to fill, and a number of the Niners’ potential draft targets may wind up being day-one starters even if they’re selected in Rounds 2, 3, 4 or even 5.

Probably not as much in Rounds 6 or 7, though, but you never know.

At any rate, here are five 2022 NFL Draft prospects San Francisco might target who’d wind up being immediate starters for the team if selected.

49ers prospect No. 5: Safety Kerby Joseph, Illinois

Maybe the 49ers are set at strong safety despite their prior starter, Jaquiski Tartt, still out there on the free-agent market. As of now, George Odum, Talanoa Hufanga and Tarvarius Moore are poised to compete for the starting role alongside free safety Jimmie Ward.

Odum, Hufanga and Moore are tier-two players, though, and none are exactly presented as full-time starters.

Illinois safety Kerby Joseph, however, could easily wind up seizing a No. 1 spot on the depth chart if the Niners grab him, likely with one of their two third-round picks this April.

Joseph, 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds, has the sideline-to-sideline capabilities of a free safety, meaning he could potentially be a long-term replacement for Ward when that time comes. Yet Joseph has also showcased his abilities as an in-the-box safety, too, meaning he’d also be primed to make up for Tartt’s departure as well.

And with five interceptions and two fumble recoveries last season, there’s also the playmaking attribute in the mix.

Sure, Joseph’s tackling angles aren’t the best, and his reactions skills need some work, but he’s easily one of the better day-two safety prospects in this year’s class, and he’d have an inside track towards starting if San Francisco selects him.

49ers prospect No. 4: Center Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa

A few things here when looking at the idea of the 49ers drafting Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum.

One, it’ll be a bit of a long shot for Linderbaum to fall all the way to pick No. 61 overall, and many a mock draft out there projects Linderbaum to be a late first-round pick. Although it’s rare to see teams use a Round 1 selection on an interior offensive lineman unless he projects as a perennial All-Pro (see Indianapolis Colts offensive guard Quenton Nelson).

Two, even if Linderbaum does fall, he probably doesn’t end up starting right away at center, provided Pro Bowl veteran Alex Mack indeed avoids pressing the “retirement” button this offseason.

However, that doesn’t rule out the possibility of the 6-foot-2, 296-pound Linderbaum stepping in right away at guard.

A bit undersized, Linderbaum is nevertheless one of the technically soundest interior linemen in this year’s draft, and the Niners have already shown a knack for liking Iowa offensive players, having previously drafted tight end George Kittle and quarterback C.J. Beathard way back in 2017.

With the real chance that San Francisco looks to address both guard spots, either over right guard Daniel Brunskill or as a replacement for now-New York Jets left guard Laken Tomlinson, slotting someone like Linderbaum into the starting lineup would be a high probability if he somehow winds up slipping deep into Round 2.

Once Mack retires, Linderbaum would revert to his natural position at center.

49ers prospect No. 3: Offensive lineman Dylan Parham, Memphis

Sticking with the offensive line theme here, which many may argue would be the 49ers’ top NFL Draft need this offseason, it’s still a long shot Tyler Linderbaum winds up slipping to No. 61 overall if he even makes it into Round 2.

Instead, the Niners would have a much better shot at landing Memphis offensive lineman Dylan Parham, potentially with their own second-round pick, or if they’re lucky, later in Round 3 where San Francisco has two selections at the back of the round.

Parham, 6-foot-3 and 311 pounds, has turned into a nice 49ers draft crush this offseason. Having posted a 4.93 40-yard time at the NFL Scouting Combine, his movement skills shouldn’t be questioned, and his flexibility to play any position along the interior of the offensive line allows the same kind of luxury San Francisco would receive if it landed Linderbaum.

Read More: Dylan Parham could be the 49ers’ next great offensive lineman

There’s a chance Parham would wind up seizing the right guard spot out of the gate in 2022, pushing Daniel Brunskill back into an uber-reserve role to support the rest of the O-line.

That’s where Parham would start, although it wouldn’t be entirely out of the realm of possibility to see him start at left guard over the presumed 2022 starter, second-year pro Aaron Banks, depending on how that competition pans out during training camp.

49ers prospect No. 2: Cornerback Marcus Jones, Houston

Technically speaking, nickel cornerbacks aren’t starters. At least not when counting base-down formations when only two boundary corners are on the field.

However, if you’ve watched any volume of football over the past decade, you’d know nickel formations have essentially become the new base formations now.

So, yes, nickel cornerbacks are starters these days.

The 49ers lost their longtime nickel back, K’Waun Williams, in NFL free agency to the Denver Broncos this offseason. And while they could feasibly shift some pieces around within the secondary, such as bumping presumed No. 2 boundary cornerback Emmanuel Moseley inside on passing downs, it sure wouldn’t hurt to infuse even more talent into the defensive backfield.

Particularly if the Niners grab University of Houston cornerback Marcus Jones.

Similar to Williams, the 5-foot-8 and 174-pound Jones doesn’t let his lack of size get in the way, and he plays bigger than his body indicates. Plus, with five interceptions and 13 passes broken up his final collegiate season, it’s safe to say the Niners would benefit from some playmaking and ballhawking skills, too.

If Jones winds up being the selection, he’d be a plug-and-play option to cover over the slot.

49ers prospect No. 1: EDGE Arnold Ebiketie, Penn State

San Francisco has a lot of decent supplementary pass-rushers heading into 2021, such as Jordan Willis, Samson Ebukam and the recently returned Kerry Hyder.

Aside from Pro Bowl EDGE Nick Bosa, it wholly lacks an upper-echelon option.

Good thing the 2022 NFL Draft has plenty of high-end pass-rushing prospects, even a good number of options in the middle rounds who’d be enticing. While there are few home-run, no-brainer pass-rushers in this year’s draft, there are nevertheless options for every scheme and fit up and down the first five rounds or so.

One of those who broke out in a big way last year after transferring from Temple was Penn State EDGE Arnold Ebiketie, whose production alone suggests he found the right home to finish off his collegiate career:

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 4/8/2022.

The 6-foot-2, 250-pound Ebiketie is slippery. Despite his relatively smallish size, his work in the pass-rush department is in the speed game and not by overpowering blockers.

So, why would Ebiketie be considered a starter? And would he slip down into Round 2?

For starters, he might be a SAM-hybrid sort of player on base downs, staying on the strong side of the formation, then likely moving to the weak side on passing downs and allowing Bosa to exploit greater mismatches on the opposite end.

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It’s anyone’s guess whether or not Ebiketie falls. Like so many other prospects in this year’s draft, it’s awfully fluid after the first 10 selections or so, and a player projected to be taken in the 20s could easily slip late into the second round.

And vice versa.

At any rate, Ebiketie might be a nice fit for a variety of defensive roles, but he’d primarily help Bosa out. The Niners need that.