49ers fill their biggest need in this 1st-round mock NFL Draft

Another potential trade candidate, the New York Jets have been rumored to be interested in Rome Odunze or Brock Bowers if they stay put at No. 10. Odunze is gone, but Bowers would make a lot of sense as the Jets go hard for a Super Bowl.

An elite weapon that can be a Day 1 starter on most teams, Bowers would provide an upgrade in New York for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He's not dissimilar to the 49ers' own George Kittle as well, though not quite the same blocker.

At 6-foot-3 and 243 pounds, however, he does very Kittle-esque things with the ball. Bowers is wicked good after the catch with the ability to generate a ton of yardage. He doesn't shy away from contested balls either.

While Bowers didn't run the biggest route tree at Georgia and needs to work on his blocking, he's still a dangerous weapon that provides the kind of instant firepower the Jets need on their all-in push.

The Los Angeles Chargers could go a few different ways if they break their No. 5 pick into multiple first-round selections. Receiver is an obvious need but there isn't anyone worth taking here, so the team could find someone for the secondary given Asante Samuel Jr. was the only viable player there.

Arnold is an excellent athlete who's also a very smart cornerback as well as a good size at 6-foot-0 and 189 pounds. He's scheme-versatile in both the man and zone, and also is a willing and able run defender.

Arnold had 12 passes defended and five interceptions for Alabama this season. While prospects like Quinyon Mitchell and Nate Wiggins might be a bit more special, athletically, it's Arnold who possesses the skills to be a safe selection as a No. 1 corner in the league.

This might be a weak defensive draft, at least when it comes to top prospects, but Arnold is one of the few whom teams can be confident in.

We now get to the part where teams are in serious need of quarterbacks but aren't in a spot to grab any of the big three in this draft. The Denver Broncos have no quarterback worth keeping, but they can't trade down because they wouldn't be in a spot to get Bo Nix or Michael Penix.

Nix isn't on the same level as the three quarterbacks before him, but he does have some attributes that stand out and could see him succeed in the NFL anyway. Nix is an instinctive quarterback with good size (6-foot-3, 214 pounds) who makes smart decisions with the football, and while he isn't the most special talent in terms of arm strength, it's not a liability either.

Nix threw for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns and three interceptions in 2023, adding six rushing touchdowns as well. More important than the stats, Nix demonstrated the poise and field vision that's needed to make a transition to the NFL.

There is some things to work on. Nix needs to improve his footwork and avoid getting skittish in the pocket, and that affects his normally reliable processing abilities.

It'll be up to Denver to coach him up in that regard.