To me, OL is the 49ers one screaming need coming into 2020. If there's one position group responsible for the SB loss, I would blame the interior OL. Solidifying that spot and beginning to plan for Staley's inevitable retirement has to be a priority with one of these first round picks. Enter Wirfs. He's one of the freakiest OL prospects to come into the league in a long time. The athleticism, toughness and technique are all there. He can play either tackle or guard spot and ultimately will supplant Joe as the team's LT. I highly doubt he's on the board at #13, but if he is, my hunch is the 49ers would be doing backflips.
2. WR Jerry Jeudy Alabama 6'1" 193
It's easy to pencil in Jeudy to the Niners here. He's probably the most complete WR prospect we've seen in years - certainly since Amari Cooper - and it's scary to imagine what Kyle Shanahan's O would like with Jeudy as a true WR1.
3. DT Derrick Brown Auburn 6'5" 326
This is a bad bad man. Brown is an absolute game-wrecker who's dominated the SEC for years. With rare power and explosiveness, Brown is a plug and play DT who would make the 49ers forget about Defo pretty quickly.
4. OL Jedrick Wills Alabama 6'4" 312
Wills isn't the freaky athlete that Wirfs is and doesn't have as high a ceiling but he's arguably more consistent. He combines power, athleticism, and a nasty temperament and he should start from day one inside and then kick outside to either OT spot.
5. DT Javon Kinlaw S. Carolina 6'6" 324
To me, this is where things get more interesting as the remaining players on the board have flaws and aren't as sure of bets as the first four on the list. The choice between Kinlaw and Lamb is really a coin flip, but I put the DT above simply because the depth of this WR class is elite while there really isn't another interior lineman that gets me excited after Kinlaw. In Kinlaw, the 49ers get a near carbon copy of Buckner: extremely long-limbed agile interior DL who can dominate at the point of attack. Kinlaw is more raw coming out of college than Defo and his effort isn't always consistent, but he has potentially even more upside because of his explosiveness of the ball.
6. WR CeeDee Lamb Oklahoma 6'2" 198
Lamb is a silky-smooth WR who gets open, catches the ball consistently and can make people look foolish in space. In college he was a big play waiting to happen. I do worry about his explosiveness in the pros and if he'll be able to replicate his RAC capabilities. Moreover, I'm always nervous drafting a WR from the Big12, simply because they don't need to run a lot of NFL routes nor do they go up against a lot of press man coverage. Lamb is high risk but potentially very high reward.
7. Trade back
After Lamb and Kinlaw, it's hard to justify sticking at #13 because I think the 49ers can get much better value by trading back into the late teens or even early 20s. I see a pretty big drop off in talent after the top ~12 players but there are a lot of gems to be had in the picks 16-50 range. Package #13 to move 5-10 spots back and pick up and extra 2nd and 3rd/4th round pick.
8. CB CJ Henderson Florida 6'1" 204
If the 49ers can't find a trade partner, I roll the dice on CJ Henderson who may be the most physically gifted corner in the draft. With a big, strong frame and 4.3 speed, Henderson has all the traits to be a shutdown CB.
9. WR Henry Ruggs III Alabama 5'11" 188
There's no doubt that Ruggs + Shanahan = fireworks. With that said, Ruggs is more of a chess piece (or offensive weapon - "OW" - in John Lynch parlance). If you're picking a WR in the first half of the round 1, you want a bonafide #1. Ruggs is an exceptional talent who could become the second coming of Tyreke Hill, but I rather trade back, get more picks and take a shot on someone like Jalen Reagor in late round 1 / early round 2. That feels like better value.
10. OT Andrew Thomas Georgia 6'5" 315
Thomas is an excellent OT prospect but I don't see him being as good of a fit for the 49ers scheme. He doesn't move as well as Wirfs or Wills and doesn't have the versatility to kick inside for a year or two. I recognize the talent, but feel there are better fits the 49ers can get later in round 1 or round 2, like Ezra Cleveland.
Other Favorite Prospects for Late 1st, 2nd and 3rd Rounds
OLs Ezra Cleveland Boise St., Lloyd Cushenberry III LSU, Cesar Ruiz Michigan
WRs Brandon Aiyuk ASU, Jalen Reagor TCU, Michael Pittman USC, Laviska Shenault Colorado
CBs: Jaylen Johnson Utah, Trevon Diggs Alabama, AJ Terrell Clemson, Kristian Fulton LSU
[ Edited by mike86 on Mar 29, 2020 at 8:24 AM ]