In Daniel Jeremiah's mock draft 1.0, the San Francisco 49ers select an unexpected defensive lineman with the second overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.


Every January mock draft is far from perfect, but NFL.com's latest 2019 NFL mock draft is sure to raise a few eyebrows.

Daniel Jeremiah's first mock draft of the year includes a number of surprising selections -- particularly as the first round progresses -- but even the top of his mock draft includes some head-scratchers. Kicking off his mock, the Arizona Cardinals select the top prospect of 2019, Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa. But then Jeremiah begins to go against the grain.

To date, the vast majority of mock drafts have the San Francisco 49ers selecting one of three defensive linemen with the second overall selection: Bosa, Kentucky edge rusher Josh Allen or Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

In Jeremiah's mock draft 1.0, the 49ers also go with a defensive lineman, but instead of one of the top pass rushing prospects, San Francisco selects Michigan's Rashan Gary:



Gary was used on both the interior and the exterior of the Michigan Wolverines' defensive line, and is expected to play a similar role in the NFL. Here's what Jeremiah has to say about Gary, who is listed in the article as an outside defender:

Rashan Gary - Edge
School: Michigan | Year: Junior
Gary has the size of a defensive tackle but the skill set to play on the edge. He'll give the 49ers one of the best young D-lines in the NFL.

Gary is a talented athlete with extreme upside, despite his lack of productivity at the college level. However, Gary's skill set is quite similar to the plethora of first-round defensive linemen the 49ers currently have on their roster. This point is highlighted by The Draft Network's draft profile of the Michigan defensive lineman:

Gary has the ability to set the edge vs. the run and can be worked on the outside sparingly.

His lack of flexibility limits his upside as an every down EDGE so moving him up and down the defensive front is wise to maximize his ability to make an impact.

Sound familiar? Perhaps Gary will become the top defender in the 2019 NFL Draft -- he certainly has the athleticism to do so -- but the San Francisco 49ers aren't the team to take a risk on the lineman at pick No. 2.

Written By:

Chris Wilson


You may have seen Chris Wilson's work on NFL game theory, statistical analysis, and film breakdowns at Minute Media, FanSided, Niner Noise, Insidethe49, LockedonSports, ClutchPoints, and others. Follow Chris on Twitter @cgawilson.
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