The 49ers got lucky on Day 1 of the NFL draft with several players at their biggest positions of need falling to the second day. Rounds 2 and 3 should offer several players who can be productive for San Francisco right away.
General manager John Lynch will only have two picks at his disposal going into Day 2, so a move down may be imminent with so many good players still on the board.
Here are the three positions the 49ers should address on the second day of the draft:
Safety
A slew of good corners are still on the board to start the second round, and San Francisco may decide a first-round cornerback talent will suffice instead of a safety. However, several top safety prospects remain available as well, and the ample amount of quality cornerbacks should allow more high-end safeties to slide. The 49ers’ problems in the secondary last season had a lot to do with a disjointed group of safeties. Finding a quality starter early in the second round would be a nice boost to the 49ers’ pass defense.
Top safeties available:
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Florida
Taylor Rapp, Washington
Deionte Thompson, Alabama
Amani Hooker, Iowa
Juan Thornhill, Virginia
Nasir Adderley, Delaware
Offensive line
This wasn’t a huge area of concern going into the draft, and San Francisco may be happy waiting until Round 1 next year to start searching for Joe Staley’s replacement. However, enough quality tackles fell to Round 2 that grabbing one this year to fill in as a swing tackle could make sense while the team awaits a decision from Staley on his future. He hasn’t ruled out playing beyond the 2019 season. If a first-round talent at tackle is available when the 49ers pick, it makes a ton of sense for them to invest in their offensive front.
Top offensive linemen available:
Jawaan Taylor, Florida
Cody Ford, Oklahoma
Dalton Risner, Kansas State
Elgton Jenkins, Mississippi State
Wide receiver
It’s going to be fascinating to see how the 49ers attack this position. They might wind up with multiple receivers depending on how the draft shakes out. Only two went in the first round, leaving a ton of depth remaining going into Rounds 2 and 3. San Francisco could grab the best available, or take advantage of a deep class and wait for a player to fall later on Day 2. Either way – they need to finish Rounds 2 and 3 with at least one pass catcher.
Top wide receivers available:
AJ Brown, Mississippi
Deebo Samuel, South Carolina
Hakeem Butler, Iowa State
DK Metcalf, Mississippi
Kelvin Harmon, North Carolina State
Riley Ridley, Georgia
JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Stanford
Parris Campbell, Ohio State
