After the team’s grueling loss to the Arizona Cardinals this past weekend, we are officially halfway through the 2018 season. Here we are, the once playoff favorited San Francisco 49ers sitting at 1-7 and looking more towards having the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft than they are looking at contending. Of course, the team might not be in this situation without the loss of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
The Draft
With Garoppolo already in place as the team’s franchise quarterback, they can turn their attention to fill the other much-needed holes throughout the roster. As of right now, the team is currently slated to own the number two pick in the 2019 draft. In return, they could get the luxury of drafting perhaps the best player, Nick Bosa. Even after drafting defensive line in the first round three out of the past four years, it is still a need. The team struggles to get any pressure on the opposing team’s quarterback and Bosa could help relieve that problem.
But the draft doesn’t stop there. The team still own five more picks in the draft. With the rest of the teams picks, they could look to target other positions of need, such as wide receiver, defensive back, interior offensive line, and interior defensive line (depth).
Players to Target
Like mentioned above, the 49ers should do whatever is necessary to acquire Bosa with their top pick in the draft. Currently, they are picking second, with the New York Giants picking first overall. If Justin Herbert decides to declare, that should be the Giants pick, leaving Bosa to fall right in their hands. If Herbert doesn’t declare, then the team better hope they are bad enough to get the first overall pick outright and secure that they get the player they want.
In the second round, the team could look to grab another defensive back or wide receiver. As far as potentially available options for the team could range anywhere from DeAndre Baker (UGA cornerback), Jaquan Johnson (Miami Safety), or Byron Murphy (Washington cornerback) could all be available. At receiver, the team could look for a player like Riley Ridley (UGA), JJ Arcega-Whiteside (Stanford), AJ Brown (Ole Miss), or Denzel Mims (Baylor) to boost the receiving core on the team.
For late round options, the team should look at Derrick Brown (Auburn), Terry Beckner Jr. (Missouri), or Demarcus Christmas (FSU) at interior defensive linemen. For interior offensive linemen, the team could look towards players like Garrett Brumfield (LSU), Beau Benzschawel (Wisconsin), or Ben Powers (Oklahoma).
Overall, the 49ers have some young pieces they can build around. While this season didn’t go as expected, it could help the team in the long run. Drafting some of the players listed above could help make this team take the next step forward and contend next season, especially with Garoppolo coming back.
– Hunter Neel is a writer for the San Francisco 49ers on Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @hunterneel_ Follow @FPC_49ers and Facebook.
