The 49ers haven’t selected a new general manager, but no matter who it is, he’ll have plenty of picks to use in his first draft this spring.
With their 2-14 finish, the 49ers locked up the No. 2 overall selection in Round 1, plus will get to pick at the top of each of the seven rounds. And, based on conditional selections that have yet to be determined, San Francisco may get as many as 11 choices in the draft to be held April 27-29 in Philadelphia.
The 49ers will draft just behind the 1-15 Cleveland Browns and ahead of the Chicago Bears (3-13), Jacksonville Jaguars (3-13), Tennessee Titans (4-12), New York Jets (5-11) and San Diego Chargers (5-11).
The 49ers are projected to have selections in each of the first three rounds, plus two in the fourth, two in the fifth, two in the sixth and two in the seventh, according to David Fucillo of SB Nation.
Plus, whoever comes in as GM won’t be handcuffed by a truckload of bloated salaries. He’s projected to have more than $80 million available under the salary cap. That should give the 49ers some flexibility in both the draft and free agency.
Long before the Senior Bowl, the NFL Combine and private workouts, it’s impossible to predict which players will rise to the top of NFL draft boards by late April, but there’s little question that at some point in the draft, the 49ers likely will draft a quarterback. Even if Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert stay on the roster this offseason, the Niners need to bring youth and talent to the most important position on the team. Some early projections have San Francisco using its No. 2 overall pick on quarterbacks such as Mitch Trubisky of North Carolina or Deshaun Watson of Clemson. If the Browns select Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett – who reportedly is the most talented player available in this class – the 49ers would have their pick of college quarterbacks.
Trubisky this season completed 68.2 percent of his throws for 3,748 yards and 30 touchdowns with six interceptions. Watson completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 4,173 yards, 38 TDs and 17 picks.
Sports
They might not be in the market for a QB in 2017, however, if one story that surfaced this week is true: Mike Garafalo of the NFL Network reported that 49ers head coach Chip Kelly, and several others within the organization, wanted to draft quarterback Dak Prescott of Mississippi State who was taken in the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys, became the starter and is now a strong candidate for league MVP. Garafalo’s report indicated that general manager Trent Baalke decided against taking Prescott.
Both Kelly and Baalke paid the price, by being fired.
