49ers go defense-heavy, no quarterback in 4-round NFL mock draft
One of the fascinating parts of 2021 NFL mock drafts is seeing how people prioritize the 49ers’ list of needs, or think the 49ers will prioritize their list of needs.
NFL.com’s Chad Reuter offered an interesting set of selections for San Francisco in his four-round mock draft. The 49ers in four picks make no trades, they don’t pick a quarterback, and they focus heavily on the two areas of their defense that figure to be the thinnest going into this year’s draft.
The fact they skip on a signal caller is intriguing. That means they’d either be happy with Josh Rosen and a veteran they sign, or that there’s a player later on Day 3 that they’d be comfortable with going into the future with. Their QB issue isn’t big enough to warrant a massive trade up just to get a player, but it’s significant enough that they can’t just forego the position entirely barring the acquisition of a high-quality signal caller via trade.
Here are the picks:
Round 1, Pick 12 | EDGE Gregory Rousseau, Miami
The 49ers address arguably their top need with Rousseau. San Francisco's front office has made it clear they believe in building a defense from front to back, so prioritizing another starting edge rusher to line up across from Nick Bosa makes a lot of sense. Rousseau is massive at 6-7, 265 pounds which could give him a little versatility to move inside. He lit up the stat sheet as a redshirt freshman in 2019 with 19.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks in 13 games. He didn't play in 2020 after opting out due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Round 2, Pick 43 | CB Tyson Campbell, Georgia
Going cornerback in Round 2 to help bolster a thin secondary also makes sense for the 49ers. Campbell's stats aren't super impressive, just one interception and 10 pass breakups in 31 games, but the physical tools are apparent when watching him. He's lengthy, a smooth athlete and has plenty of speed to play the position effectively. Finding talented players like Campbell outside Day 1 of the draft who can start outside on Day 1 will be key to the 49ers rebuilding their secondary.
Round 3, Pick 103 | OT Walker Little, Stanford
Little was a five-star recruit who might be a first-round pick had an injury not limited him to just one game in 2019, followed by an opt-out for the 2020 season. Before that though he played in nine games with a start at left tackle as a true freshman in 2017, then started all 12 games there in 2018. He's massive at 6-7, 309 pounds, but he plays with the athleticism required to play on the edge in the 49ers' offense. If they can wait this long and get a talent like Little, it could be a massive win long-term on their offensive front.
Round 4, Pick 118 | CB Darren Hall, San Diego State
Hall mentioned the 49ers as a team that stood out to him in his pre-draft interviews with all 32 clubs. He had a productive four years with the Aztecs, pulling down three interceptions and breaking up 31 passes in 34 games. He also posted 134 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. Good size (6-0, 190 pounds) with strong production and four years of experience are good finds early on Day 3 where it wouldn't be a surprise to see San Francisco select another cornerback.
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