San Francisco 49ers Big Board: Final Pre-Draft Update

With 13 picks in the 2013 NFL draft, the San Francisco 49ers will have plenty of opportunities to find their next cornerstone player. 

Most expect the 49ers to trade up several times; after all, San Francisco doesn't have room for 13 rookies on its roster. 

Will the Niners make a major splash by trading into the first half of the first round to take a dominant defensive lineman? Or will they stay put on Day 1 and focus on packaging picks on Days 2 and 3?

Before considering all the possibilities, take a look at this guide, which includes my best guess at the 49ers big board, my rankings of every position and a final five-round mock draft. In putting this together I studied mock drafts and analysis from Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, CBS Sports and WalterFootball.com. I also watched highlights of dozens of prospects.  

Will my efforts prove futile? Well, if general manager Trent Baalke is as unpredictable as he's been in recent drafts, we'll all be way off. 

49ers Big Board

Once again, keep in mind that this is what I think the 49ers big board should look like. Although wide receivers Cordarrelle Patterson and Tavon Austin will be incredible pros, I believe the Niners will not be interested in drafting them because they have bigger needs in other places. 

San Francisco's biggest needs are defensive lineman, safety, cornerback and tight end. You'll find at least one prospect at each of those positions below. 

Note: I took out Sharrif Floyd, Dion Jordan and Ezekiel Ansah because they are almost assuredly going in the top 10. The "Miller" column represents Matt Miller's rank for each prospect on his final big board. 

Rank	Player	School	Ht	Wt	Miller
1	Star Lotulelei, NT	Utah	6'3"	311	7
2	Sheldon Richardson, DT/DE	Missouri	6'3"	294	9
3	Dee Milliner, CB	Alabama	6'0"	201	15
4	Datone Jones, DE	UCLA	6'4"	283	23
5	Kenny Vacarro, S	Texas	6'0"	214	10
6	John Cyprien, S	Florida International	6'0"	217	22
7	Cornellius Carradine, DE	Florida State	6'4"	276	5
8	Bjoern Werner, DE	Florida State	6'3"	266	19
9	Jarvis Jones, OLB	Georgia	6'3"	245	16
10	Desmond Trufant, CB	Washington	6'0"	190	17
11	Xavier Rhodes, CB	Florida State	6'2"	210	30
12	Margus Hunt, DE	SMU	6'8"	277	52
13	D.J. Hayden, CB	Houston	5'11"	191	65
14	Tyler Eifert, TE	Notre Dame	6'6"	250	32
15	Cordarrelle Patterson, WR	Tennessee	6'2"	216	6

Quarterback

After trading for Colt McCoy, the 49ers have three quarterbacks already on their roster. They still might consider taking one in the middle or end of the draft. 

Of the quarterbacks on this list, Matt Scott is one to keep an eye on. If he's available in the fourth round, the Niners might snag him. His dual-threat ability could make him the ideal backup to Colin Kaepernick.

Rank	Player	School	Ht	Wt	Miller
1	Geno Smith	West Virginia	6'3"	218	14
2	Ryan Nassib	Syracuse	6'2"	227	49
3	E.J. Manuel	Florida State	6'5"	237	50
4	Matt Barkley	USC	6'3"	227	33
5	Matt Scott	Arizona	6'2"	213	125

Running Back

The 49ers already have a logjam at running back with Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and LaMichael James. However, Gore is bound is to lose a step in the next few years, and Hunter and James have some durability concerns. 

If Marcus Lattimore is available in the third or fourth rounds, the Niners might take a chance on him. Sure, Lattimore may not be fully recovered from his gruesome knee injury by the beginning of the 2013 season, but the Niners might need a workhorse running back down the road, and Lattimore fits that billing. 

Rank	Player	School	Ht	Wt	Miller
1	Eddie Lacy	Alabama	5'11"	231	39
2	Johnathan Franklin	UCLA	5'10"	205	34
3	Giovani Bernard	North Carolina	5'9"	202	80
4	Marcus Lattimore	South Carolina	5'11"	221	62
5	Le'Veon Bell	Michigan State	6'2"	230	93

Wide Receiver

The Niners could use a high draft pick on a wide receiver if they believe A.J. Jenkins is a lost cause. My guess is they'll wait until at least the end of the second round to draft a receiver, which means most, if not all, of the players listed below will be gone. 

If the Niners use one of their first two picks on a receiver, don't be surprised if Hopkins is the pick. The ex-Clemson receiver has the tools and athleticism to be a star. 

Rank	Player	School	Ht	Wt	Miller
1	Cordarrelle Patterson	Tennessee	6'2"	216	6
2	Tavon Austin	West Virginia	5'9"	174	11
3	DeAndre Hopkins	Clemson	6'1"	214	40
4	Keenan Allen	California	6'2"	206	26
5	Quinton Patton	Louisiana Tech	6'0"	204	48

Tight End

The Niners need a replacement for Delanie Walker, and either Tyler Eifert or Zach Ertz will likely be available at the end of the first round. 

My guess is San Francisco will pass on those tight ends and take one later in the draft. Travis Kelce, Gavin Escobar and Vance McDonald could all be solid contributors in the 49ers offense. 

Rank	Player	School	Ht	Wt	Miller
1	Tyler Eifert	Notre Dame	6'6"	250	32
2	Zach Ertz	Stanford	6'5"	249	31
3	Travis Kelce	Cincinnati	6'5"	255	88
4	Gavin Escobar	San Diego State	6'6"	254	72
5	Vance McDonald	Rice	6'4"	267	58

Center

Jonathan Goodwin is entering his contract year. If the Niners want to draft his replacement, they should look no further than Barrett Jones in the third round. 

Jones' versatility—he also played tackle and guard at Alabama—would be ideal, especially for San Francisco's running packages that require an extra lineman.

Rank	Player	School	Ht	Wt	Overall
1	Barrett Jones	Alabama	6'5"	306	79
2	Travis Frederick	Wisconsin	6'4"	312	100
3	Brian Schwenke	California	6'3"	314	106
4	Khaled Holmes	Southern California	6'3"	302	160
5	Braxston Cave	Notre Dame	6'3"	303	214

OL (Non-Centers)

The 49ers will not be in the market for a guard or center early in the draft. None of these players will last until pick No. 31 anyway.

That being said, keep an eye on how many tackles are taken before the Miami Dolphins' No. 12 pick. If they don't like the available offensive line talent, they may want to trade back, which could give the Niners an opportunity to move up if they so desire. 

Rank	Player	School	Ht	Wt	Miller
1	Luke Joeckel, OT	Texas A&M	6'6"	306	1
2	Eric Fisher, OT	Central Michigan	6'7"	306	3
3	Chance Warmack, G	Alabama	6'2"	317	2
4	Lane Johnson, OT	Oklahoma	6'6"	303	13
5	Jonathan Cooper, G	North Carolina	6'2"	311	18

Nose Tackle

If the Niners do trade to the middle of the first round, they'll likely be targeting the first three players on this list. Star Lotulelei, Sharrif Floyd and Sheldon Richardson are strong enough to play nose tackle and athletic enough to play some 3-4 defensive end. Floyd should be a top-10 pick, but Lotulelei may fall due to a heart condition (he's been reportedly cleared by many teams). 

I'd be surprised if the Niners took Jesse Williams. Sure, he has the potential to be a great nose tackle, but he lacks pass-rushing skills. I believe the Niners will be looking for a more versatile defensive lineman, such as defensive end Datone Jones (see next slide).

Rank	Player	School	Ht	Wt	Miller
1	Star Lotulelei	Utah	6'3"	311	7
2	Sharrif Floyd	Florida	6'3"	297	4
3	Sheldon Richardson	Missouri	6'3"	294	9
4	Sylvester Williams	North Carolina	6'3"	313	51
5	Jesse Williams	Alabama	6'4"	323	27

3-4 Defensive End

One could argue that Alex Okafor, Cornellius Carradine and Bjoern Werner would fit better in a 4-3 defense. This is one of the reasons I have Datone Jones ranked as the top defensive end. 

He's strong enough to be a solid run-stuffer and he's quick enough to be a quality interior pass-rusher. Carradine might be available late in the first round because he's coming off a torn ACL in November. 

Rank	Player	School	Ht	Wt	Miller
1	Datone Jones	UCLA	6'4"	283	23
2	Cornellius Carradine	Florida State	6'4"	276	5
3	Bjoern Werner	Florida State	6'3"	266	19
4	Margus Hunt	SMU	6'8"	277	52
5	Alex Okafor	Texas	6'5"	264	25

Note: Dion Jordan and Ezekiel Ansah are listed as OLBs.

Linebacker

If any of the top three on the list below were to somehow fall to the 31st pick, the Niners would have to seriously consider taking him even if they're already set at outside linebacker. Of the three, Jarvis Jones has the best chance of falling because of medical concerns.  

Expect the Niners to draft a defensive lineman and a safety before taking a linebacker. They have too much money already committed to their linebacker corps to spend another early-round pick on one. 

Rank	Player	School	Ht	Wt	Miller
1	Dion Jordan	Oregon	6'6"	248	8
2	Jarvis Jones	Georgia	6'3"	245	16
3	Ezekiel Ansah	BYU	6'5"	271	12
4	Barkevious Mingo	LSU	6'4"	221	29
5	Alec Ogletree	Georgia	6'3"	242	21

Cornerback

The 49ers will have to trade up if they want Dee Milliner. Any of the other corners on the list could be available at the end of the first round.

Although safety is more of a pressing need, the Niners don't have much long-term stability at cornerback. It wouldn't surprise me at all if one of these five players is drafted by San Francisco.

Rank	Player	School	Ht	Wt	Miller
1	Dee Milliner	Alabama	6'0"	201	15
2	Desmond Trufant	Washington	6'0"	190	17
3	Xavier Rhodes	Florida State	6'2"	210	30
4	D.J. Hayden	Houston	5'11"	191	65
5	Johnthan Banks	Mississippi State	6'2"	185	20

Safety

To land Kenny Vaccaro, the Niners would need to trade up, but he's probably not worth the potential price. Sure, he has experience in man coverage against slot receivers and he's a fearless hitter, but he's not the can't-miss safety prospect Earl Thomas was when he entered the draft out of Texas.

If John Cyprien is available at the end of the first round, I'd be surprised if the Niners didn't take him. Matt Elam reminds me of a younger, more talented version of Donte Whitner, and considering Whitner is in his contract year, the Niners might take him to be the strong safety of the future. 

Eric Reid had a few miserable games in 2012, but if he's available at the end of the second round, the Niners should draft him without hesitation.

Rank	Player	School	Ht	Wt	Miller
1	Kenny Vaccaro, FS	Texas	6'0"	214	10
2	John Cyprien, S	Florida International	6'0"	217	22
3	Matt Elam, SS	Florida	5'10"	208	44
4	Eric Reid, FS	LSU	6'1"	213	56
5	D.J. Swearinger, S	South Carolina	5'11"	208	47

Final 5-Round 49ers Mock Draft

I predict the 49ers will trade the 34th pick, 93rd pick and 128th pick to the Minnesota Vikings for the 25th pick. From there, they'll take Datone Jones, the versatile defensive lineman they need. 

Will John Cyprien still be on the board at the end of the first round? Will the 49ers consider Tyrann Mathieu? Fortunately, we'll know for sure by the end of the week.

Round	Player	School	Ht	Wt	Overall
1	Datone Jones, DE	UCLA	6'4"	283	25
1	John Cyprien, S	Florida International	6'0"	217	31
2	Darius Slay, CB	Mississippi State	6'0"	192	61
3	Barrett Jones, C	Alabama	6'5"	306	74
4	Dion Sims, TE	Michigan State	6'5"	262	131
5	Ace Sanders, WR/KR	South Carolina	5'7"	173	157