The NFL Draft - On The Clock, San Francisco 49ers. Gulp.

San Francisco 49ers

Pick: #7
Top Needs:  QB, WR, OLB, OG

Top Targets:  Carson Wentz, DeForest Buckner, Laquon Treadwell, Ronnie Stanley

Off The Board:   Pick Team Player, POS School Comments 1 Tennessee Titans Laremy Tunsil, OT Ole Miss A shut down tackle to protect franchise QB Marcus Mariota. 2 Cleveland Browns Jared Goff, QB California The Browns finally find an answer to stop the QB merry go-round of the last 20 years. 3 San Diego Chargers Jalen Ramsey, DB Florida State Whether he plays cornerback or safety, the Chargers get one of the best players in the draft. 4 Dallas Cowboys Joey Bosa, DL  Ohio State The Cowboys shore up their defensive line, and find QB, LB and DB help later in the draft. 5 Jacksonville Jaguars Vernon Hargreaves, CB Florida The Jaguars get a shutdown corner in the first round, find solutions in the front seven in free agency and the rest of the draft. 6 Baltimore Ravens Myles Jack, SS/LB UCLA The Ravens leap to draft an elite defensive talent, and possibly draft a future star. 7 San Francisco 49ers ? ? ?

As should be clear by now, I'm a pretty serious 49ers fan. It stings to be drafting this highly, and for what needs the team has, suddenly and painfully.  I just want - desperately, achingly want -- for the team to evolve in a way that NEXT offseason can be free of drama. We're 0-for-3 in the last three years. (Before 2014 season, the Harbaugh rumors and Kap's faux scandal. 2015, the Tomsula Era began and ended. And this season, Tomsula is fired, Chip Kelly is hired, and suddenly Colin Kaepernick wants out of town. I just want to rest, you guys. Can we keep it down?)   As I started thinking of this mock draft, I must admit that much of it started with the thought that Kaepernick would be back as the 49ers starter this season. I still think that might happen but at this point, he apparently doesn't mind letting his teammates know he wants out, and that ... that fucking sucks, dude. How can you go back and lead the locker room (something he never did well thus far) after that? When a linebacker or running back requests a trade, it's bad enough, but a QB? My goodness. So, the 49ers very much need to find their QB of the future.    But they also need help sort of everywhere. Kaepernick's 2011 draft class mate Aldon Smith flamed out in a sad way, and while Aaron Lynch is a very promising pass rusher, the team is really lacking a true rush and needs help at OLB. They could also use an ILB, and I think would have strongly considered Myles Jack if he'd been available. A shutdown corner is always a need but Hargreaves just went as well.   The good news of the week was that OT Anthony Davis filed paperwork to return which means Ronnie Stanley, while very much a good long-term prospect, isn't quite as urgent of a need. Offensive Guard is, but that can be solved in free agency or later rounds in this draft.   There's one guy out there who I think Trent Baalke would be drooling for, and that's the plenty mentioned DeForest Buckner. Baalke took Buckner's teammate last year in the first round in Arik Armstead, and in every way that Armstead was projected well, Buckner is rated better. The fact that both played college ball at Oregon won't offend new coach Chip Kelly either. If the draft falls this way, you can bet Baalke will be making a case for Buckner. But the thing is, DL doesn't HAVE to be a need. We just extended Quinton Dial, and Arik Armstead on the other side looks very promising. If we want to re-sign Ian Williams, we can and also have Mike Purcell and Glenn Dorsey. Plus, this draft is so deep in DL, we might be able to get a very good prospect there in the 2nd.   What tips the hand is that ... well, Kap has now forced the hand. He's just made it very hard to foresee him being with the team long-term anymore. It's really hard to walk back from that (though not impossible). The team might be okay with Blaine Gabbert playing this season but he's not a long-term answer and they know that. Baalke has shown an inclination to let his head coaches have a pick when it fits them well, and here, I just think with this, there's really only one choice.   THE PICK: Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State.  

As I indicated with the Cleveland pick, some are saying Wentz could go there, which (if I'm right and Dallas doesn't take a QB) means Jared Goff would be here. Giddy up. But Wentz, who I know so little about, certainly sounds like the right kind of prospect. He's physically a prototypical modern QB, 6'5", 235 lbs., big hands - and what's more, he played (against lower tier defenses, admittedly) from a pro-style offense, in the pocket, calling pre-snap audibles, reading the defenses in progressions, etc. On top of THAT, he's very athletic and mobile as well - but it's not the keystone of his game. The level of competition he played against is of concern, but he thrived at the Senior Bowl and impressed everyone around him there and this week thus far at the NFL Combine. 

I think if Wentz (or, again, Jared Goff) is sitting there at 7, that the room will understand that this is the right pick for the team and for the future. Wentz is kind of a goofy looking guy but he seems incredibly poised, prepared and motivated. The team will really need to build up some more offensive weapons around Wentz, at WR and TE, but with Wentz and Carlos Hyde, with Torrey Smith on one side of the field...there's an interesting future ahead.  

(Of course, if Baalke takes Buckner, I can't be upset about it, but ...aaargh, that's what's going to happen, isn't it?)

On the clock, the Miami Dolphins.