San Francisco 49ers full seven-round mock with a trade two weeks away from the 2024 NFL Draft
Just two weeks out from the 2024 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers will have a clear idea of the direction they want to go in with their 10 selections. For those of us outside the building, we're left to try to read the tea leaves and guess at what they might do. So with […]
Just two weeks out from the 2024 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers will have a clear idea of the direction they want to go in with their 10 selections.
For those of us outside the building, we're left to try to read the tea leaves and guess at what they might do.
So with night one in Detroit rapidly approaching, here's my latest 49ers mock draft.
Round 1, Pick 31: Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
Offensive line should be the priority for the 49ers, but traditionally this is an organization that has long since put the defensive side of the trenches above everything else.
Were Robinson to fall to this point, he might be impossible for them to resist. An athletic freak who can win with speed to power and bend around the edge, the production and the refinement is not there, but the Niners would have no problem betting on a pass rusher with his get-off, especially with Kris Kocurek, Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd there to mentor him.
Trade
The 49ers drop out of the second round, trading the 63rd overall selection and the 135th overall selection in round four to the New York Giants in exchange for the 70th overall pick in the third round and the 107th overall pick in the fourth.
Round 3, Pick 70: Brandon Dorlus, DL, Oregon
Back to the defensive line again and one of the 49ers' top-30 visits.
Dorlus can play inside and out and wins consistently as a pass rusher with extremely impressive power in his hands and a well-refined arsenal of moves. In the offseason where the 49ers lost Arik Armstead and a year on from losing Charles Omenihu, Dorlus can help fill the void left by both.
Round 3, Pick 94: Brenden Rice, WR, USC
Another top-30 visit. Rice would be more than just a sentimental selection, with the son of the greatest receiver to ever play the game offering a mix of size and route-running nuance that the 49ers don't currently have in their wideout room.
Round 4, Pick 107: Beaux Limmer, C, Arkansas
Finally an offensive lineman, but not the tackle for which many will be calling.
San Francisco held a virtual meeting with Limmer, who fits what the 49ers look for on the offensive line in his physical profile and excelled at the second level in the run game for the Razorbacks.
With center-guard flexibility, Limmer could compete for playing time at right guard as a rookie while serving as a potential successor to Jake Brendel at center.
Round 4, Pick 124: Kamal Hadden, CB, Tennessee
The 49ers have invested in depth at the cornerback position in free agency, but it still stands as a clear need in the draft.
Hadden saw his final season with the Volunteers ended by shoulder surgery, but allowed only 12 receptions for 96 yards on 33 targets in 2023 while picking off three passes.
Pro Football Focus' highest-graded zone corner in the 2024 class last year, Hadden would be a smart investment by a team that has both its starters at the position bound for free agency in 2025.
Round 4, Pick 132: Ben Sinnott, TE, Kansas State
The 49ers need to think about life after George Kittle, so why not turn to a tight end on the record as describing San Francisco's All-Pro starter as a role model?
“Being from Iowa, growing up and watching him at Iowa, watching all those Iowa tight ends, he’s a huge role model for me and someone I want to craft my game after," Sinnott said of Kittle, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Sinnott crushed the Combine, posting an A to Z Sports athletic composite score of 90.9%.
An impressive run blocker who racked up 669 receiving yards and six touchdowns last season, there's plenty to suggest Sinnott could be an heir apparent to Kittle.
Round 5, Pick 176: Dillon Johnson, RB, Washington
With Elijah Mitchell a free agent next offseason, the 49ers could use a rookie running to potentially split carries with Christian McCaffrey in the coming years.
Johnson, the Huskies' workhorse en route to a National Championship Game appearance, exploded for 1,189 yards rushing last season and found the endzone 16 times on the ground while excelling on both gap and zone runs. Sounds a lot like a 49er running back.
Round 6, Pick 211: Trente Jones, OT, Michigan
The long wait for a tackle ends here. Jones lacks experience having primarily served as the Wolverines' sixth offensive linemen.
However, he was pressed into action at right tackle during the teeth of Michigan's National Championship season, stepping up against Ohio State and excelling in the Big 12 title game and College Football Playoff.
Jones' lack of arm length has some pegging him as a guard at the next level, but he has extremely impressive foot speed and plays with a wide base in pass protection, allowing him to give up just three pressures in 148 pass block snaps in 2023, per PFF. Very impressive in space as a run blocker, Jones has the talent to blossom into a starter in the not too distant future.
Round 6, Pick 215: Daequan Hardy, CB, Penn State
Hardy has inside-out versatility, hugely impressive athleticism, and recorded five interceptions in three seasons for Penn State. Throw in seven pass breakups, three tackles for loss and a sack last year, and it's very easy to make a case for a dart throw on Hardy at this point in the draft.
Round 7, Pick 251: Kitan Oladapo, S, Oregon State
The 49ers, having made little secret of their desire to add safety depth this offseason, would be delighted to find Oladapo at this point in the draft.
With experience playing deep, in the box and in the slot, Oladapo brings versatility and a knack for making plays in coverage. He had eight pass breakups and two interceptions last season.
