For a long while, the 49ers were in contention for the dubious honor of earning the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL draft.
Now, with victories in three of their past four games, the Niners are out of the running for the top pick, but still are certain to earn a very high pick. This week, in fact, ESPN.com analyst Seth Walder projected the 49ers to come away with the fourth overall choice next year.
The Cleveland Browns at 0-13 will get the No. 1 spot. After that, it’s a race between the New York Giants (2-11), Indianapolis Colts (3-10) and 49ers (3-10) for the second pick.
The 49ers – even with the addition of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who’s led his team to two straight wins – will go into their final three games as underdogs. The 49ers must play the 8-5 Titans, 9-4 Jaguars and 9-4 Rams over the last three weeks, so losses to all three would give San Francisco a 3-13 final record. ESPN and Bleacher Report both project that will earn the 49ers the fourth overall choice in next spring’s draft.
ESPN’s model is based on its Football Power Index, which projects the draft order based on simulating the remainder of this season 10,000 times in its computer matchups.
Those models, however, could be thrown off by a wild card: Garoppolo.
With Garoppolo, the 49ers appear to be a much different team than the one that lost its first nine games. The offense has come alive and the defense has been better. With a few breaks, the 49ers could manage a victory over the final three weeks that would push them down the draft list.
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Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters this week that his team is learning how to win – and that could be a nice carryover into 2018.
“We haven’t won a lot this year, and to win these last two – I believe that’s three of the last four, I think – it’s definitely exciting,” he said. “You can feel it in our building. Guys are gaining that confidence.”
Kickoff for Sunday’s game against the Titans at Levi’s Stadium is set for 1:25 p.m.
