4 dream scenarios for 49ers entering 2023 NFL Draft

49ers dream NFL Draft scenario No. 4: Jalen Carter stays out of the NFC West

Yes, he has some serious red flags for off-the-field actions. But Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter can easily be a wrecking ball of a player if he stays out of such issues once he goes pro.

And despite the concerns, he’s very much in the running for a top-five pick.

San Francisco isn’t going to grab Carter (or any top-10 prospect, for that matter). So, the next best thing would be to ensure Carter doesn’t wind up playing within the NFC West for one of the 49ers’ bitter rivals.

In case you were wondering, here are the NFC West’s other teams’ top selections in this year’s draft:

• Arizona Cardinals: No. 3 overall
• Seattle Seahawks: No. 5 overall (from Broncos)
• Los Angeles Rams: No. 36 overall

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Carter probably isn’t going to tank that bad to the point where LA grabs him, although we’ve seen top-10 talent fall massively in the draft (hello, linebacker Reuben Foster in 2017).

But, Carter winding up going to a restructuring defense like those of the Cardinals or Hawks would make sense.

And potentially haunt the Niners for years, too.

The 2023 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 27.