NFL mock 2023 draft roundup: Who are the 49ers taking?

The 49ers have almost zero clue who’ll be available when they’re finally on the clock in the 2023 NFL Draft in Round 3, but these mocks try anyway.

NFL Draft mocks can sometimes be accurate over the first five picks or so. If a draft expert is correct on every pick over the first 10, that expert might as well be a genius or able to predict the future.

Getting all of Round 1 right? Yeah, unscrambling eggs would be way easier.

All told, accurately predicting which prospects the San Francisco 49ers will grab in the 2023 NFL Draft will be nearly impossible. Why? Well, after the Niners traded a hefty chunk of picks to acquire quarterback Trey Lance in 2021 and then running back Christian McCaffrey last October, general manager John Lynch won’t have any selections in the first two rounds.

Things get active for Lynch and Co. toward the end of Round 3, however, as San Francisco will have three selections (all compensatory) in this particular round.

Naturally, it’s hard to find three-round mock drafts out there, but they do exist.

So, let’s take a look at what a couple of notable mocks say about the 49ers’ first selections in the 2023 NFL Draft.

NFL.com says 49ers start Round 3 with a pass-rusher, then grab a corner and O-lineman

Chad Reuter of NFL.com dished out his three-round mock draft, and his Niners selections make a ton of sense.

At No. 99 overall, San Francisco grabs Clemson EDGE K.J. Henry, whose 6-foot-4 and 255-pound frame has the build for an ideal pass-rusher even if his stats (13 sacks over five seasons) don’t.

Reuter has the 49ers going with cornerback Darius Rush of South Carolina and offensive guard Nick Saldiveri of Old Dominion at Nos. 101 and 102, respectively, and both players effectively fit depth needs with the potential upside of being able to start in a couple of years.

If there’s a positive, the Niners don’t select a running back in Round 3 after having done so in each of the last two years.

Draft Wire has the 49ers grab a surprising wide receiver in Round 3 of NFL Draft

Meanwhile, Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling started off his third-round picks for San Francisco in a relatively predictable and understandable fashion, the 49ers grabbing offensive lineman Olusegun Oluwatimi out of Michigan.

Oluwatimi has experience at all three internal positions, and it seems feasible to groom him for a starting center role.

At No. 101 overall, the Niners take Boise State safety J.L. Skinner, presumably to replace either/both Jimmie Ward and Tashaun Gipson at the position.

Then, with the following pick, San Francisco drafts a 6-foot-5 and 206-pound wide receiver in Wake Forest’s A.T. Perry, and he had over 1,000 yards receiving in each of the last two seasons to go along with 26 touchdowns.

Big-bodied targets are always nice weapons in the red zone, and the 49ers could always use more help there even if the top end of their receiving depth chart is already stacked.

Next. 2023 mock NFL Draft: 49ers watch rest of NFC get stronger. dark