What might the 49ers look like in a complete re-draft of every NFL player? It turns out they wouldn’t look a lot different.
ESPN did a four-round fantasy-style snake draft that included every player in the league. Each writer had to pick one defensive player, one offensive player, a quarterback and a wild card. Nick Wagoner, who selected for the 49ers, wound up building a team that’s similar in style to San Francisco’s actual club.
ESPN’s Mike Clay gave the draft a ‘Tier 1’ grade thanks to the strong defensive front. Here are Wagoner’s picks and our own grade for each selection:
Round 1, Pick 31: TE George Kittle, 49ers
Getting arguably the best non-quarterback in football with the 31st selection is a steal. Quarterbacks dominated the first round with 20 going in the first 32 picks. Kittle, a fifth-round pick in 2017, is still an excellent value late in the first round considering his production over the last two seasons. In 30 games, he’s posted 173 catches, 2,430 yards and 10 touchdowns. Kittle is also the best blocking tight end in the league. His value to an offense can’t really be overstated, and getting a player like him 31st overall is a bargain.
Grade: A+
Round 2, Pick 34: DE Myles Garrett, Browns
Helmet swinging aside, Garrett has lived up to the hype after going No. 1 overall in the 2017 NFL draft. He had 7.0 sacks in 11 games as a rookie, 13.5 in a full second season, and 10.0 in 10 games last year. Pro Football Focus has Garrett down for 153 total pressures in 37 games, and it stands to reason he’ll continue producing at that rate or better over the next four or five years. With both Nick and Joey Bosa off the board in the first round, Garrett was the best pass rusher available with the 34th pick. This is a combination of getting an elite player at a premium position, while also finding good value in the second round because the depth on the edge falls off pretty rapidly after Garrett. There are a slew of good pass rushers in the NFL, but Garrett is one of few that can be considered ‘elite.’
Grade: A+
Round 3, Pick 95: QB Jameis Winston, Saints
Wagoner deployed a typical fantasy football strategy and waited on a quarterback after 20 went in the first round. By the time the 49ers were on the clock at No. 95, 29 teams had filled their quarterback need. Winston, Philip Rivers and Tyrod Taylor were the most notable starting quarterbacks still available. Winston, for all his flaws, did throw for 5,109 yards last season. His completion rate fell to 60.7 percent last year, but Winston completed 64.1 percent of his throws the two seasons before that. He’s still just 26-years old and flashed some NFL-caliber talent in each of his five seasons. Getting the former No. 1 overall pick into Kyle Shanahan’s offense may be just what he needs to thrive. The reward comes with the risk of a colossal failure though, which is a significant factor for a QB with 70 starts under his belt.
Grade: C-
Round 4, Pick 98: DT Grady Jarrett, Falcons
This last pick is where Wagoner steers the ship toward the 49ers’ current roster construction. Adding an elite defensive tackle next to Garrett is a nightmare scenario for opposing quarterbacks. There were a slew of good skill-position players available at No. 98, but Jarrett has been among the NFL’s most impactful defensive tackles over the last three seasons. PFF has Jarrett down for 142 pressures and 19 sacks since the 2017 season. Getting that kind of pass rush from the interior makes stopping an edge player like Garrett even more difficult. The 49ers just built a team that rode its excellent pass rush to the Super Bowl, so it makes sense to mimic that formula as best as possible.
Grade: A+
