Best 2-Player Combinations San Francisco 49ers Can Target in 2015 NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers have the same mission every offseason—sign free agents who play positions of need and then draft the best available players regardless of position.

The 49ers signed seven new players during free agency, but the Niners still need a wide receiver, cornerback, running back, inside linebacker and guard. The Niners did not complete their mission and have to draft for need. 

Everyone knows they have to fill those five holes in their roster during the upcoming draft. The question is: Which hole will they fill first?

Here are the top two players the 49ers can target to fill each of their five biggest holes. These players aren’t necessarily the best prospects at their positions; they’re the prospects with the most draft value. Each two-player combination consists of one player the Niners can target early in the draft and one player they can target later.

Wide Receiver

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Round 1: Dorial Green-Beckham, University of Oklahoma

Green-Beckham might be the best player in the upcoming draft. Some experts compare him to Randy Moss.

Call that the optimistic comparison.

The pessimistic comparison would be former-first round pick Justin Blackmon. He was the fifth pick of the 2012 draft who violated the NFL’s substance abuse policy twice. The NFL suspended him indefinitely after the second violation in 2013. He missed the entire 2014 season and is still suspended. He has played just 20 games in his career.

The University of Missouri’s football team dismissed DGB in 2014 after his second arrest for possession of marijuana. He transferred to the University of Oklahoma but never played there. Like Blackmon, he missed the entire 2014 season. If the 49ers think they can keep Green-Beckham out of trouble, he would be a terrific value at pick No. 15.

Round 2: Devin Funchess, University of Michigan

If Niners don’t think they can keep Green-Beckham out of trouble, they can wait until the second round to get a similar athlete who hasn’t been arrested.

Compare Green-Beckham to Devin Funchess:

• Green-Beckham: 6’5”, 237 pounds, 4.49 40-yard dash, 4.45 short shuttle, 6.89 three-cone drill, 33 ½-inch vertical jump, 9-inch hands, 32 ½-inch arms, 13 bench-press reps

• Funchess: 6’4”, 232 pounds, 4.47 40-yard dash, 4.48 short shuttle, 6.98 three-cone drill, 38 ½-inch vertical jump, 9 ¾-inch hands, 33 ½-inch arms, 17 bench-press reps 

Funchess is faster and stronger. He jumps higher and has longer arms and bigger hands than Green-Beckham.

But Green-Beckham drops fewer passes. Funchess dropped 20 the past three seasons, which is strange considering he has big hands. If he fixes his drops, he will be a better value than Green-Beckham.

Cornerback

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Round 1: Trae Waynes, Michigan State University

The 49ers haven’t had a shutdown cornerback since Deion Sanders in 1994. That was the last season the Niners won the Super Bowl.

Experts consider Trae Waynes a shutdown cornerback and the best CB in the upcoming draft. He would be a huge upgrade over Chris Culliver, who started at cornerback for the Niners last season and signed with the Washington Redskins this offseason.

Waynes and Culliver both are 6’0” and fast. Waynes is faster, plus he has cornerback instincts, which Culliver lacks. Culliver is a safety masquerading as a corner.

Round 4: Senquez Golson, University of Mississippi

The 49ers have drafted defensive backs in the first round two years in a row (Eric Reid in 2013, Jimmie Ward in 2014). If the Niners want to draft someone who plays a different position in the first round this year, they can find a good defensive back in the middle rounds.

Senquez Golson should be available in Round 4. He’s only 5’9”, but he intercepted 10 passes in 13 games last season. Experts compare him to Brent Grimes, who is 5’9 ¼" and a three-time Pro Bowler. Grimes has intercepted 22 passes in 91 NFL games.

Running Back

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Round 2: Jay Ajayi, Boise State University

Per Chase Goodbread of NFL.com, the 49ers interviewed Ajayi after his pro day on March 19.

It’s easy to see why the 49ers interviewed him. They lost Frank Gore this offseason, and Gore and Ajayi are similar running backs. They make smooth, effortless cuts one after the other, like skiers zigzagging down a mountain.

Gore and Ajayi are “bell cows”—running backs who can do everything, play every snap and carry an offense. If the 49ers feel they need a bell cow to replace Gore, Ajayi should be available in Round 2.

Round 4: Cameron Artis-Payne, Auburn University

If the 49ers feel they already have a bell cow to replace Gore, they can wait until the fourth round to draft a running back.

The Niners drafted Carlos Hyde in the second round last year. They don’t need to spend a second-rounder on a running back two years in a row if they believe in Hyde.

Artis-Payne would be a good pick in Round 4. He was the SEC’s leading rusher last season, and the Niners love running backs who produce big numbers in big conferences. Since 2005, the 49ers have drafted running backs who played only for teams in the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 or Pac-12.

Inside Linebacker

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Round 2: Stephone Anthony, Clemson University

When Patrick Willis retired, the 49ers lost a three-down linebacker. Stephone Anthony is one of the few three-down linebackers in the upcoming draft. Like Willis, Anthony can chase down running backs from sideline to sideline and cover the fastest tight ends.

Anthony’s stock is rising. The Niners might have to trade up in the second round to get him.

Replacing Willis isn't easy.

Round 3: Denzel Perryman, University of Miami

On the other hand, replacing Chris Borland is doable.

Before Borland retired, he was supposed to take Willis’ spot in the starting lineup. But Borland wasn’t fast enough to run sideline to sideline or cover tight ends or do half the things Willis could. Borland merely was a partial replacement, a two-down run-stopper. Those are easy to get.

The 49ers got Borland in the third round last year. They could get a Borland-like player in the third round this year. Denzel Perryman is short and slow like Borland; they’re both good run defenders incapable of playing on third down.

Guard

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Round 1: Andrus Peat, Stanford University

The last time the 49ers drafted an offensive lineman with a top-15 pick was 2010 when they selected Anthony Davis, a 20-year-old tackle.

If the Niners decide to spend another top-15 pick on an offensive lineman, they probably will draft another young tackle. Young, talented tackles are valuable and rare, while guards are a dime a dozen. Peat (21) is the most talented young tackle in the upcoming draft. He can play left guard until Davis gets hurt or Joe Staley retires.

Round 3: Ali Marpet, Hobart 

If the Niners don't want to spend their first-round pick on an offensive lineman, they can get one in Round 3.

Ali Marpet is a small-school guard prospect who is stronger and faster than Mike Iupati. At the combine, Marpet bench-pressed 225 pounds 30 times and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.98 seconds. Iupati posted 27 reps on the bench and ran a 5.31 at the combine in 2010.

Marpet is strong and fast enough to play in any blocking scheme. His speed makes him a good fit for a zone-blocking scheme, which the 49ers may use next season. They recently hired offensive line coach Chris Foerster, who coached a zone-blocking scheme with the Washington Redskins the past five seasons.

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