With the 2023 NFL Combine in the books, Niner Noise hammers out a 49ers mock draft with the primary attention point being at the line of scrimmage.
The San Francisco 49ers hopefully found themselves a few gems to watch in the wake of the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine over the weekend.
And, given the track record that general manager John Lynch and his staff have for identifying and selecting late-round talent, perhaps it’s a good thing the Niners will focus the bulk of their NFL Draft attention from Round 3 onward.
San Francisco doesn’t have a first- or second-round pick this year, of course, but there may be up to 11 picks, many of them compensatory in nature, and it isn’t as if Lynch and Co. are hurting for needs on the roster.
Particularly in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
In Niner Noise’s first mock draft after the NFL Combine, let’s take a look at what the 49ers do with those picks and whether or not they can solve some notable issues with hidden-gem talent.
Note: We used FanSpeak to create the randomness of 31 other teams over seven rounds.
Round 3, pick No. 99 overall (compensatory): 49ers select center Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan
One of the lessons the Niners should have learned from the Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs was that it pays off to invest heavily in the offensive line.
While San Francisco’s O-line performed well enough over the course of 2022, it was manhandled during the NFC Championship game by the Philadelphia Eagles. And, with right tackle Mike McGlinchey and center Jake Brendel both hitting free agency, the 49ers should at least use one of their compensatory third-round picks, if not more, to find a plug-and-play prospect.
Michigan center Olusegun Oluwatimi has been a popular mock choice for the Niners at this spot and ended up being the best prospect available on the FanSpeak big board, too.
A four-year starter with plenty of experience, Oluwatimi is a better run-blocking option coming out of college and will need some better pass-blocking technique.
That said, he’d be one of the few options who would be able to start on a stacked Niners roster right away.
Round 3, Pick No. 101 overall (compensatory): 49ers select safety Jammie Robinson, Florida State
While San Francisco needs to invest heavily on both the offensive and defensive lines, John Lynch stands to lose two of his talented safeties this offseason, too, Jimmie Ward and Tashaun Gipson.
In fact, the 49ers met with plenty of safety prospects at the NFL Scouting Combine, including Florida State’s Jammie Robinson, who transferred from South Carolina and put together a four-interception campaign with the Seminoles in 2021.
The 5-foot-11 and 191-pound Robinson might slip a bit after his combine workouts, which included a 4.59 40-yard time. But speed wasn’t a bit part of his game anyway.
Physicality sure is, though, and Robinson plays with a relentless motor.
Whether or not Robinson winds up being a day-one player is a good debate, but he’d at least contribute nicely on special teams with the hope of being a starting free safety within a year or two.
Round 3, Pick No. 102 overall (compensatory): 49ers select offensive lineman Ryan Hayes, Michigan
Grabbing offensive linemen from Michigan, right?
As noted earlier, the 49ers could lose both Mike McGlinchey and Jake Brendel to free agency. Additionally, the versatile Daniel Brunskill is a pending free agent, too, and it would be smart for the team to find someone who can at least double as a tackle and guard.
Playing on the inside might be the best pro-level fit for Ryan Hayes, the former Wolverine left tackle whose 6-foot-6 and 298-pound frame lacks the punch to stay out on the perimeter against top-level pass-rushers.
That said, Hayes is good enough in pass protection and also showed some good movement skills with a 5.18 40-time at the NFL Scouting Combine. And with a 7.39 three-cone drill, there’s enough agility there to suggest he could fit in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s zone-style blocking scheme.
Hayes might not be a plug-and-play option in year one, but he has the potential to emerge as a Brunskill-like backup in his rookie season.
Round 5, Pick No. 157 overall (from Dolphins): 49ers select defensive tackle Moro Ojomo, Texas
Skipping Round 4, this is the selection the Niners landed in the trade that sent running back Jeff Wilson Jr. to the Miami Dolphins last year.
Running back shouldn’t be a need for San Francisco, but the defensive line is. And, without a true 1-technique nose tackle currently on the roster, the 49ers hope to find what’s missing by grabbing Texas defensive tackle Moro Ojomo.
Ojomo, 6-foot-3 and 292 pounds, has some serious power for an interior lineman and flashed a nice pass rush in 2022, too, by picking up three sacks and 5.5 tackles for a loss. As he tended to use his strength a bit more than finesse and technique, a team like the Niners might have to groom him to take advantage of the raw power.
That said, Ojomo could end up being a starter in base-down formations right away.
Round 5, Pick No. 166 overall: 49ers select cornerback Cory Trice, Purdue
It’s weird to think the Niners have passed on edge rushers and tight ends up to this point, but their next pick in Round 5 is a classic case of going with the best player available and not focusing so much on need.
Purdue cornerback Cory Trice is a fascinating prospect, and it isn’t as if San Francisco should pass on cornerbacks anyway. Especially with No. 2 corner Emmanuel Moseley coming off a torn ACL suffered last season and hitting the free-agent market anyway.
Trice, 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds, ran a solid 4.47 40-yard time at the NFL Combine, and his 17 bench reps flashed some solid strength, too.
2022 marked his first year as a starter, and he was tested a lot during that span. Yet Trice managed to pick off two passes and broke up another eight.
For a team like the 49ers, operating in a zone-style defense, someone like Trice would be a quality fit on day three.
Round 5, Pick No. 173 overall (compensatory): 49ers select Dontay Demus Jr., Maryland
The Niners haven’t focused at all on skill players on offense to this point in the draft, but that’ll be something Kyle Shanahan will want to change at some point.
Maryland wide receiver Dontay Demus Jr. is an intriguing prospect for a team like San Francisco, particularly because he offers up the kind of skill set that would fit in a Shanahan offense within a certain niche-type role.
Having run a 4.57 40-yard time at the NFL Combine, the 6-foot-3 and 212-pound Demus isn’t going to win a lot of footraces, yet he does have the size and strength to be a solid third-down target and a big body within the red zone.
Simply put, one might view Demus as an heir apparent to current 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who does both of those things fairly well and will be back in 2023.
Yet Demus might be an added competition piece and eventual replacement if Jennings doesn’t return a year from now.
Round 6, Pick No. 216 overall (compensatory): 49ers select tight end Josh Whyle, Cincinnati
The 2023 NFL Draft is notably deep at tight end, and even though the Niners already have an All-Pro in George Kittle, it’s impossible to overlook the fact that Kyle Shanahan has been seeking a No. 2 option to support Kittle for quite some time now.
Perhaps even to replace Kittle down the road (he will turn 30 years old this upcoming season).
It might have been smarter to target the position earlier in the draft, but Round 6 still affords San Francisco a shot at Cincinnati tight end Josh Whyle, who recorded at least 300 yards and three touchdowns in each of the previous three seasons.
Lots of threes, right?
At any rate, Whyle is a prototypical yards-after-catch tight end with a good catch radius and the versatility to line up all over the formation.
His 4.69 40-yard time probably hurt his draft stock a little bit, and he’s not a great blocker.
But, in Round 6, the 49ers finally may find that hidden-gem No. 2 tight end after years of trying.
Round 7, Pick No. 224 overall (from Broncos): 49ers select EDGE Robert Beal, Georgia
If the draft board would have fallen a bit differently for the Niners, an edge rusher would have been a bigger priority.
Especially considering no other San Francisco player had more than five sacks in 2022 behind the Defensive Player of the Year, Nick Bosa.
The NFL Draft is a craps shoot anyway, and getting into Round 7 is the equivalent of picking draft weeds. That said, there are plenty of positives for Georgia EDGE Robert Beal, who had 6.5 sacks in 2021 but then underwhelmed in 2022 with just 2.5.
Notably raw and lacking pass-rushing moves, the 6-foot-4 and 247-pound Beal has good speed and ran a 4.48 40-yard dash at the combine.
He might only be a situational pass-rusher early in his career, at best. But, someone like 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek has worked magic with less-known pass-rushers before, and Beal could easily wind up being the next project.
Round 7, Pick No. 249 overall: 49ers select defensive tackle Jerrod Clark, Coastal Carolina
Yes, the Niners already grabbed a nose tackle earlier in the NFL Draft. However, there aren’t any true backups at this position, and the need to spark some competition in training camp should be a priority.
Coastal Carolina defensive tackle Jerrod Clark is actually a converted tight end who is now up to 334 pounds on his 6-foot-4 frame. On one hand, the imposing size can work in his favor, but he also might suffer from not getting low enough. Plus, San Francisco has typically preferred nose tackles who are short and squatty, and Clark isn’t that.
Still, Clark has some solid footwork stemming from his tight end background, and he ran a respectable 5.25 40-yard time at the NFL Combine, which is pretty solid for his position.
If anything, he’d compete for a backup role or a spot on the 49ers’ practice squad in year one.
Round 7, Pick No. 254 overall (compensatory): 49ers select kicker Chad Ryland, Maryland
Perhaps this will be the year the Niners learn a lesson and don’t use a mid-round pick on a specialist.
Granted, the last time they did so was with punter Mitch Wishnowsky back in 2019, but the special teams battery hasn’t changed much since then.
It will be entering 2023, though.
Veteran kicker Robbie Gould has already made overtures about not returning to San Francisco despite his advanced age, meaning the 49ers will be on the hunt for a new kicker.
Grabbing an undrafted free agent is in play here, but Maryland’s Chad Ryland might be worth the four-year rookie contract.
Ryland’s field-goal percentage never dipped below 82 in the last three seasons, split between the Terrapins and Eastern Michigan the previous two years.
Hey, kickers matter.
Round 7, Pick No. 256 overall (compensatory): 49ers select defensive back Tyreque Jones, Boise State
As noted earlier, the Niners are poised to lose two of their better safeties, Jimmie Ward and Tashaun Gipson, meaning the only starting-caliber option currently under contract is strong safety Talanoa Hufanga.
The 2022 All-Pro was quite the revelation during his second season, but he’s much more effective down toward the box.
Want your voice heard? Join the Niner Noise team!
Boise State defensive back Tyreque Jones is in a similar mold. At 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, Jones posted a solid 4.52 40-yard time and can keep up with average speed at the NFL level, but he might lack some of the twitchiness needed to be effective in coverage down the field.
Still, San Francisco would be wise to explore contingency plans to back up Hufanga, given the latter’s importance to the defense. Pairing with Jammie Robinson would be wise, too.
Jones checks off that box to close out the 49ers’ 2023 NFL Draft class.