The San Francisco 49ers will have the No. 27 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. If recent mock drafts from analysts are to be believed, Utah tackle Caleb Lomu is the favorite for San Francisco to select.
Every year around the NFL Draft, there tends to be a lot of groupthink that occurs. It’s only natural. People look at other mock drafts and it influences their thinking. For a while, there was widespread belief the Niners would select a wide receiver. Then for a bit, it seemed like edge rusher was the obvious move.
Now, it seems many think Lomu is the guy.
That’s somewhat surprising, especially after the 49ers announced they had signed left tackle Trent Williams to a two-year extension. They need to find a successor to Williams at some point, but they could wait until next year or the year after if they wanted, assuming Williams stays healthy and there’s not another contract renegotiation next year.
For a team looking to win now, it’s unclear how much value Lomu would add for next season’s roster. The 49ers could stick him at left guard and move him over to tackle whenever Williams departs, but that may not be the best move.
Edge rusher is still an area of need, clearly, so the Niners could choose to spend yet another first-round pick on that position. Cashius Howell, Keldric Faulk, and Malachi Lawrence are all names who could make sense for San Francisco.
Wide receiver is a need, too, because even though general manager John Lynch signed Mike Evans and Christian Kirk, they could both be gone potentially after one season. KC Concepcion and Omar Cooper Jr. have had the most buzz surrounding them ahead of the draft in connection to San Francisco.
Then, there's also the chance that the Niners trade out of Round 1 altogether.
This puts Lynch in the driver’s seat. Since no one really knows what the Niners will do, that gives him all the cards. But if there is late momentum trending towards Lomu, that suggests they may be trying to throw other teams off the scent with a fake leak or something of that nature.
It wouldn’t be the first time a team tried to fool other teams or prognosticators for their own benefit, so don’t be surprised if Lynch and Co. go in a different direction even if the wind seems to be blowing towards Lomu.
Add us as a preferred source on Google