Can you remember a time when the San Francisco 49ers had an outcome that was a dream scenario for them? Has it been since 2007, when the team landed Patrick Willis and Joe Staley, but also added Ray McDonald and Dashon Goldson? We’re not far removed from 2019, when the Niners were gifted Nick Bosa, but left that draft with Deebo Samuel and Dre Greenlaw.
Then there’s the other side of the coin. Usually, that involves a positional run. This year, that could be wide receivers and pass rushers. There are plenty of realistic scenarios where the Niners are on the clock in the first round, and all of their targets are off the board.
That scenario is how you end up taking Drake Jackson, or overdrafting a running back because you’ve decided you still have to draft the position you’re looking at, even if it doesn’t align with your draft board. Let’s walk through multiple scenarios that the 49ers could run into this draft, starting with the best-case.
Dream scenarios for the 49ers in the 1st and 2nd rounds
Sometimes, a positional run can be beneficial. This year, if a team convinces itself that a quarterback is worthy of a 1st rounder and wants to trade back into the tail end of Day 1, the 49ers would be in a great spot. They could dictate the terms of the trade, and potentially add valuable picks this year or in 2027—where the top-end talent is.
Going through different mock draft simulators will help you get a better idea of who could fall or get selected earlier than anticipated. Of course, all it takes is one team to throw a wrench in things.
The more offensive linemen selected in the first round, the better. The same is true for non-premium positions, like safety, tight end, and linebacker. If a nose tackle, like Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald, is drafted in the 20s, that’s also good news for the 49ers. You should be rooting for a player like CJ Allen, a linebacker from Georgia, to go in the first round.
That would push players like Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson down to the 20s, making him available for a potential trade-up scenario. The same is true for a Keldrick Faulk, a pass rusher from Auburn.
If the 49ers are on the clock at 27, and players like Denzel Boston, Max Iheanachor, Blake Miller, or even Jermod McCoy–a cornerback from Tennessee with CB1 traits–are all on the board, the team would have to feel good about its options.
It’s not difficult to envision scenarios where the 49ers end up in a good spot in the second round. Some pass rushers, like Malachi Lawrence, are getting love for testing well. If you watch him on a down-to-down basis, it’s hard to see a second-round player.
I see the same with R Mason Thomas. Both players struggle with physicality and tend to “die” on contact. That is not what wins in the NFL. I do not care how fast you are. You must contribute against the run and hold your ground. I’ve seen scenarios where both are gone by the 50s, which would be a blessing in disguise for the Niners, in my opinion.
If the Niners are dead set on a pass rusher on Day 2, names like Gabe Jacas, Joshua Josephs, Derrick Moore, and Dani Dennis-Sutton could all contribute as rookies.
The second round is the sweetspot for a cornerback. Players like Chris Johnson and Keith Abney would be tough to ignore.
At wide receiver, the options include Skyler Bell, Bryce Lance, Chris Brazzell, and Germie Bernard, all going around pick 58. But, and hear me out, what if Eli Stowers, a “tight end” from Vanderbilt, is available? He’s the kind of athlete you bet on. He was terrific in college. In Kyle Shanahan’s offense, that would be the player to fill what Jauan Jennings has done, just with a significant injection of athleticism.
There are numerous ways for the 49ers to get out of the second round with a quality player without moving up in the draft.
Nightmare scenarios for the 49ers in the first 2 rounds
A bad Thursday night for the 49ers in Round 1 involves multiple wide receiver runs. The expectation is that Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, and Tyson are selected in the top 20. But if teams are looking to take advantage of the speed at wide receiver, or are thinking in terms of positional value, Omar Coper Jr., KC Concepcion, and Denzel Boston could all be selected before San Francisco takes the clock. Then what?
The 49ers could be looking at another 2024 scenario: reaching for a player. That’s not a slight on Ricky Pearsall. We can look back and see where he was going in mock drafts:
Pearsall was No. 52 overall on the consensus big board.
But five receivers selected in the first round meant the Niners would either need to wait on a need until another later in the draft, or “reach” for a player. The 49ers could find themselves in a similar scenario this year.
So what happens if there’s a run on receivers, the edge rushers the Niners were interested in are off the board, as well as the offensive tackles?
That could lead the Niners to take a player who needs more time, or some seasoning as they learn. Or, take a Kadyn Proctor or Emmanuel Pregnon, breaking the streak of the offensive line not being selected since Mike McGlinchey.
To me, wide receiver Chris Bell is worthy of a Day 1 selection. His injury muddies some of the projections, and some are convinced Bell has some issues to work through as a prospect, but I do not see those. I see a player who should be taken closer to 15 than 35. So it wouldn’t be a reach to take Bell. The same is not true for a player like Brazzell, or even another position, like one of the undersized edge rushers.
Finding a nightmare scenario in the second round is challenging. The 49ers would really need to reach for a player or be closed off to other positions. Trying to map out what some of those would look like, and you end up with a defensive line run in the 40s and a defensive back run in the 50s, with wide receivers sprinkled in between. Even then, the Niners would still have opportunities to pluck a starter or contributor.
They’d have to be open to a cornerback, tight end, or even defensive tackle, but the Niners have a prime opportunity in the second round to come away with a prospect they could use in some capacity.
