Draft Review: San Francisco 49ers
Editors’ Note: As part of our ongoing post-draft coverage, we’re doing our very best to leave no stone unturned and bringing you draft recaps from each and every NFL franchise. Make sure you’re ready for your dynasty league rookie draft by staying up on all these articles, checking out our rookie SWOT series, rookie draft guide, rookie rankings, rookie draft cheat sheet and mock draft rooms. There are simply no better resources out there for dynasty fantasy football enthusiasts.
We have ranked the top rookie skill players, the top rookie defensive players and even went as far to rank the top offensive and defensive players together for you. Today we’re going to recap each team’s draft haul and begin with the San Francisco 49ers. They made 11 selections on draft weekend but eight were either in the trenches or in the secondary, not exactly exciting for fantasy purposes outside of deep IDP leagues. Especially when the team could’ve used a difference maker at wide receiver and an upgrade at inside linebacker next to Navorro Bowman.
Pick 1.07- DeForest Buckner, DE
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Buckner will add some much needed disruptive force up front for the Niners defense. A big man checking in at 6’7” and 291 pounds, Buckner has drawn plenty of comparisons to Calais Campbell of the Arizona Cardinals. Reuniting with Arik Armstead, who he played with at Oregon, will add a layer of familiarity in the pros. Buckner has mid-range DE2 potential as a rookie due to the fact the Niners defense projects to be on the field a ton in 2016. Long term he should settle into the DE1 conversation, even in a 3-4 defense.
Pick 1.28- Joshua Garnett, OG
This was a bit of a head scratcher because they traded up for a player they probably didn’t need to trade up for, but he fits the system. Billed as a nasty road mauler, Garnett fits the system Chip Kelly wants to run on offense. He’ll likely start day one at left guard as he works to improve his pass blocking skills on the fly, but it’ll be good news for Carlos Hyde and hopefully Colin Kaepernick.
Pick 3.05- Will Redmond, CB
The Niners have spent a lot of draft capital on their secondary in recent years with Eric Reid, Jaquiski Tartt, Jimmie Ward and Kenneth Acker. This appears to be another one of Trent Baalke’s infamous “draft a player coming off injury at a discount” moves as he recovers from an ACL injury. He’ll be brought along slowly with the plan to eventually replace Tramaine Brock.
Pick 4.35- Rashard Robinson, CB (Compensatory Selection)
Robinson is a supremely talented prospect with a limited resume and a sketchy record. He started just eight games at LSU and was suspended indefinitely from the team in November of 2014 and was not reinstated for 2015. That’s a huge red flag but with the right structure and guidance, Robinson could be a steal for San Fran. He was well worth the gamble at the end of round four.
Pick 5.03- Ronald Blair, DE
Blair was the Sun Belt Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 with 70 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. At 6’2” and 284 pounds he put up 32 reps at the Combine. He’s strong, plays with good leverage and explodes off the ball. He doesn’t have a clear path to playing time but projects as situational role player on passing downs.
Pick 5.06- John Theus, OT
It’s not often you about a three year starting offensive linemen from the SEC being “weak” but that’s the term most commonly attached to Theus. Hopefully it’s something an NFL weight room will be able to fix because he’s technically sound and projects as a strong fit in Chip Kelly’s fast pace offense once Joe Staley moves on.
Pick 5.37- Fahn Cooper, OT (Compensatory Selection)
Another run mauler, Cooper was a versatile swing tackle for Ole Miss during his two years with the team. Normally a right tackle, Cooper kicked to the left side during Laremy Tunsil’s suspension in 2015. Cooper needs to work on his pass blocking skills but has the look of another Chip Kelly type of player. Hopefully these Chip Kelly types pay off in time for Kelly to reap the rewards.
Pick 6.32- Jeff Driskel, QB
Driskel is an interesting prospect for the 49ers. It looked like Colin Kaepernick was on his way out of town and Blaine Gabbert is nothing more than an NFL back-up at best. Driskel was a highly touted recruit at Florida who had the honor of following Mr. Universe, Tim Tebow. After four years at Florida he transferred to Louisiana Tech and won Conference USA’s Newcomer of the Year with 4,033 yards, 28 touchdowns to just seven picks. Like Tebow and Kaepernick, Driskel is a dual threat quarterback with some accuracy issues down the field. Ultimately, he could be a year or two away from being the guy in San Francisco if Kaepernick continues to pout his way out of town. He’s an interesting stash in very deep dynasty leagues.
Pick 6.36- Kelvin Taylor, RB (Compensatory Selection)
Kelvin Taylor is the son of former NFL running back, Fred Taylor and plays with a lot of similar style to his pops. There’s a lot to like about Taylor. He’s quicker than fast, has great vision and agility, is a student of the game and didn’t have a single fumble at Florida. He has the look of a player who will be on NFL rosters for a long time. If Carlos Hyde can’t get it together he could force his way into playing time. He’s worth a gamble in deep leagues.
Pick 6.38- Aaron Burbridge, WR (Compensatory Selection)
Burbridge was the Big Ten’s Wide Receiver of the Year in 2015 for the Michigan State Spartans as Connor Cook’s favorite target. He finished with 85 catches for 1,258 yards and seven touchdowns. He projects as a middle of the field chain mover with his solid catch radius but struggles in the end zone. On this team though, he has a chance because after Torrey Smith, there’s nothing but unproven question marks.
Pick 7.28- Prince Charles Iworah, CB
His 4.32 40-yard dash was probably enough to get him drafted at this point. Iworah played for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers of Conference USA and earned honorable mention honors. He’ll fight for a spot at the end of the roster but will most likely be bouncing around practice squads.
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