Predicting 49ers NFL Draft picks by looking at final mocks

The 2023 NFL Draft is finally here, but we don’t yet know which prospects the 49ers will take. So, to help us guess, let’s round up the final mocks out there.

Raise your hand if you think the San Francisco 49ers’ first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft will actually be the one that’s currently scheduled, No. 99 overall (at the end of Round 3).

OK, that’s some of you.

Now, how many of you think the Niners trade up from that spot to get a pick either earlier in the third round or potentially one in the first two rounds?

Probably a few more of you than before.

Here’s what’s known: San Francisco has 11 picks in the draft, which begin toward the end of Round 3 and travel all the way through Round 7, but general manager John Lynch certainly doesn’t have 11 roster spots to fill.

There has been plenty of rumor and speculation, too, ranging from the 49ers quietly looking to trade quarterback Trey Lance to being candidates to acquire the former MVP, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Ah, gotta love NFL Draft season.

The hard truth is we have no clue what Lynch and Co. will do over these next three days, and they likely don’t either. Much of that will depend on the 98 other decisions pending ahead of the Niners’ top selection.

However, by looking at some of the last-minute mocks out there, we can get an idea of what San Francisco could potentially do with this year’s class.

49ers 2023 mock NFL Draft roundup

Chad Reuter, NFL.com

• No. 99 overall: OT Blake Freeland, BYU
• No. 101 overall: EDGE Zach Harrison, Ohio State
• No. 102 overall: CB Jartavius Martin, Illinois

Freeland is a prospect who has popped up a lot on 49ers mocks out there, and they need to replace now-Denver Broncos right tackle Mike McGlinchey anyway.

Like McGlinchey, Freeland is much better in run support than pass protection.

Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN (subscription required)

• No. 99 overall: OL Joey Fisher, Shepherd (Kiper)
• No. 101 overall: DE YaYa Diaby, Louisville (Kiper)
• No. 102 overall: CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU (McShay)

The Niners have invested heavily on both side of the line of scrimmage in recent years, so going offense and defense with the first two picks makes sense. Even if Fisher is a name not regularly thrown around in San Francisco’s mocks.

Hodges-Tomlinson, however, has been mentioned a bunch, and he’d likely be a top candidate to start at nickel cornerback.

Jeff Risdon, Draft Wire

• No. 99 overall: C Carter Warren, Pitt
• No. 101 overall: TE Brenton Strange, Penn State
• No. 102 overall: DT Kobie Turner, Wake Forest

This year’s class of tight ends is about as deep as it gets, and the 49ers have to start thinking about an eventual replacement for the All-Pro, George Kittle.

Doing so might be a year or two away, and it’s odd to see the Niners use their first pick on a skill player.

Unless he’s the best remaining available on their big board.

Staff, Pro Football Focus

• No. 99 overall: CB Jaylon Jones, Texas A&M
• No. 101 overall: WR Kayshon Boutte, LSU
• No. 102 overall: DT Kobie Turner, Wake Forest

Turner shows up twice in back-to-back mocks, and even though San Francisco grabbed former Philadephia Eagles star Javon Hargrave in free agency, it could still use some depth at defensive tackle.

Boutte’s 2021 campaign made him look like a bona fide first-round pick, but his 2022 efforts fell short because of injuries.

The 49ers can’t keep both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel at wide receiver forever.

Arif Hasan, Pro Football Network

• No. 99 overall: CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU
• No. 101 overall: DE YaYa Diaby, Louisville
• No. 102 overall: Kayshon Boutte, LSU

What do you know? Three players who have all shown up on other Niners mocks out there.

These three players each received at least two votes, but so did Turner.

Based on these mocks, it’s likely a defensive lineman will be one of the three players selected (if Lynch stays put with his end-of-Round 3 picks), while it’s a bit of a tossup between Hodges-Tomlinson and Boutte.

Heck, perhaps San Francisco just continues the tradition of grabbing a running back in the third round.

The 2023 NFL Draft kicks off tonight, Thursday, April 27 at 8 p.m. ET.