San Francisco 49ers Last-Minute 7-Round Mock Draft and Top-100 Big Board

The San Francisco 49ers are in a great position at pick No. 7 in the 2016 NFL draft.

If they want, they can stay there and take one of the top-tier players in the draft—either Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner, Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil or Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley. One of them probably will fall to pick No. 7 on Thursday night.

Or, the Niners could trade down, pick up another second-rounder and draft someone from the second tier of prospects in Round 1—either Houston cornerback William Jackson III, Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd or Ohio State’s Darron Lee.

Or, the Niners could trade up in Round 1 and get someone special. Someone transcendent. A once-in-a-generation player.

This mock draft explores the trade-up scenario.

Top-100 Big Board

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This is how I think the 49ers will stack their big board. This is not how I think every team will stack its big board. Every team ranks players differently based on scheme, fit and need.

For example, some teams will rank Jared Goff the top quarterback in the draft, and those teams probably have finesse, pass-first offenses. The Niners have a physical, run-first offense, which doesn't suit Goff. So, I rank him low on this board. Got it?

Here's the board:

San Francisco 49ers Big Board

Rank	Player	Position	School
1	Jalen Ramsey	CB/S	Florida State
2	Joey Bosa	EDGE	Ohio State
3	Ronnie Stanley	OT	Notre Dame
4	Laremy Tunsil	OT	Ole Miss
5	Shaq Lawson	EDGE	Clemson
6	Darron Lee	ILB	Ohio State
7	Leonard Floyd	EDGE	Georgia
8	William Jackson III	CB	Houston
9	Jack Conklin	OT	Michigan State
10	DeForest Buckner	DT	Oregon
11	Reggie Ragland	ILB	Alabama
12	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Ohio State
13	Myles Jack	ILB	UCLA
14	Sheldon Rankins	DT	Louisville
15	Chris Jones	DT	Mississippi State
16	Taylor Decker	OT	Ohio State
17	Jarran Reed	DT	Alabama
18	Andrew Billings	DT	Baylor
19	Josh Doctson	WR	TCU
20	Corey Coleman	WR	Baylor
21	Cody Whitehair	G	Kansas State
22	Eli Apple	CB	Ohio State
23	Emmanuel Ogbah	EDGE	Oklahoma State
24	Vernon Butler	DT	Louisiana Tech
25	Sterling Shepard	WR	Oklahoma
26	Jason Spriggs	OT	Indiana
27	Noah Spence	EDGE	Eastern Kentucky
28	Mackensie Alexander	CB	Clemson
29	Vernon Hargreaves	CB	Florida
30	Shilique Calhoun	EDGE	Michigan State
31	Carson Wentz	QB	North Dakota State
32	Paxton Lynch	QB	Memphis
33	Tyler Boyd	WR	Pittsburgh
34	A'Shawn Robinson	DT	Alabama
35	Karl Joseph	S	West Virginia
36	Joe Thuney	G/T	North Carolina State
37	Laquon Treadwell	WR	Ole Miss
38	Michael Thomas	WR	Ohio State
39	Jonathan Bullard	DT	Florida
40	Ryan Kelly	C	Alabama
41	Kevin Dodd	EDGE	Clemson
42	Kalan Reed	CB	Southern Mississippi
43	Hunter Henry	TE	Arkansas
44	Nick Martin	C	Notre Dame
45	Robert Nkemdiche	DT	Ole Miss
46	Su'a Cravens	ILB/S	USC
47	Paul Perkins	RB	UCLA
48	Kenneth Dixon	RB	Louisiana Tech
49	Jeremy Cash	S	Duke
50	Keanu Neal	S	Florida
51	Derrick Henry	RB	Alabama
52	Austin Johnson	DT	Penn State
53	Adolphus Washington	DT	Ohio State
54	Jordan Howard	RB	Indiana
55	Joshua Perry	ILB	Ohio State
56	Artie Burns	CB	Miami
57	Darian Thompson	S	Boise State
58	Vonn Bell	S	Ohio State
59	Kenny Clark	DT	UCLA
60	Kyler Fackrell	EDGE	Utah State
61	Justin Simmons	S	Boston College
62	Leonte Carroo	WR	Rutgers
63	Jared Goff	QB	Cal
64	Joshua Garnett	G	Stanford
65	Hassan Ridgeway	DT	Texas
66	Cyrus Jones	CB	Alabama
67	Kyle Murphy	OT	Stanford
68	Shon Coleman	OT	Auburn
69	Xavien Howard	CB	Baylor
70	B.J. Goodson	ILB	Clemson
71	Nick Kwiatkoski	ILB	West Virginia
72	Carl Nassib	EDGE	Penn State
73	Kamalei Correa	EDGE	Boise State
74	Sheldon Day	DT	Notre Dame
75	Jerell Adams	TE	South Carolina
76	Michael Thomas	WR	Southern Mississippi
77	Thomas Duarte	TE	UCLA
78	Bronson Kaufusi	DT	Brigham Young
79	Javon Hargrave	DT	South Carolina State
80	Rashard Higgins	WR	Colorado State
81	Isaac Seumalo	G	Oregon State
82	Christian Westerman	G	Arizona State
83	Keyarris Garrett	WR	Tulsa
84	Maliek Collins	DT	Nebraska
85	Alex Collins	RB	Arkansas
86	Will Fuller	WR	Notre Dame
87	Charone Peake	WR	Clemson
88	Devontae Booker	RB	Utah
89	Darius Latham	DT	Indiana
90	Malcolm Mitchell	WR	Georgia
91	Will Redmond	CB	Mississippi State
92	Devin Lucien	WR	Arizona State
93	Jayron Kearse	S	Clemson
94	Kevin Peterson	CB	Oklahoma State
95	Braxton Miller	WR	Ohio State
96	Steven Daniels	ILB	Boston College
97	Kentrell Brothers	ILB	Missouri
98	Jack Allen	C	Michigan State
99	Austin Hooper	TE	Stanford
100	Yannick Ngakoue	EDGE	Maryland

Round 1

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TRADE: Picks 7, 68 and a fourth-rounder in 2017 to Dallas for Pick 4

The Dallas Cowboys need a running back and could target Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott, but they don’t have to take him at No. 4. They can trade down a few spots and still can get him.

San Francisco could be Dallas’ ideal trading partner. The Niners own No. 7 and may want to trade up. They currently have 12 selections—one in Round 1, one in Round 2, one in Round 3, two in Round 4, three in Round 5 and four in Round 6. The Niners don’t need all of those picks.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller thinks the Niners will “try to move up” in Round 1 if Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey falls. For the Niners to move up to No.  4, they probably would have to trade Dallas a first-rounder this year, a third-rounder this year and a fourth-rounder next year.

Round 1, Pick 4 (from Dallas): Jalen Ramsey, CB/S, Florida State

The Niners need superstar talent, and Ramsey could have Hall of Fame potential.

Ramsey is both the best cornerback and the best safety in the draft. He has the athleticism to play man coverage, the awareness to play zone, the speed and instincts to play single-high safety and the strength and toughness to play strong safety or even linebacker. He’s rare.

On the 49ers, Ramsey could play the first few seasons of his career at cornerback and eventually replace Eric Reid at free safety when Reid hits 30.

Round 2

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Round 2, Pick 37: Emmanuel Ogbah, OLB, Oklahoma State

In terms of edge-rushers, Oklahoma State’s Emmanuel Ogbah is exactly what the 49ers look for. He’s tall (6'4"), he’s fast (4.59 40-yard dash at his Pro Day), he has long arms (35 ½"), he can bull rush, he can convert speed to power and he has a terrific outside rip move.

Basically, he’s a souped-up version of Aaron Lynch, the 49ers' left outside linebacker. Lynch and Ogbah would make a great tandem.

Ogbah probably will fall to Round 2 because he struggles at times against the run. The Niners can play him in the sub-packages as a pass-rushing specialist his first couple of seasons until he improves at stopping the run.

Round 4

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Round 4, Pick 105: Jaylon Smith, ILB, Notre Dame

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that some team will draft Notre Dame inside linebacker Jaylon Smith before Round 4. “Even with the catastrophic knee injury,” Schefter tweeted, “Smith is expected to [be] gone by end of round 3, maybe earlier, per league sources.”

Schefter is one of the best, but I’m skeptical of this report. According to Schefter himself, “Smith is not expected to play in 2016, and teams are unsure when he will play again.” How could any team spend a Day 1 or Day 2 pick on a player who may not play for a long time?

Smith seems like a Day 3 risk, similar to running back Marcus Lattimore in 2013. The Niners will take a Day 3 risk. If Smith is available at the beginning of Round 4, I expect they’ll take him, and he’ll get to rehab with the same trainers who helped NaVorro Bowman return from a gruesome knee injury in 2013.

Round 4, Pick 133: Daniel Lasco, RB, Cal

Carlos Hyde isn't a “bell cow” running back like his predecessor, Frank Gore. Gore could carry an offense for an entire season. Hyde isn’t durable enough to do that. He needs a quality backup.

Cal’s Daniel Lasco is one of the most talented running backs in the draft, but he’ll fall because he missed most of last season with hip and ankle injuries. He almost certainly isn’t a “bell cow” back, either.

But Lasco is an electric change-of-pace back who can catch passes on third down. He’s 6'0", 210 pounds and ran a 4.4 at his pro day. He and Hyde can split carries and keep each other healthy.

Round 5

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Round 5, Pick 142: Kevin Hogan, QB, Stanford

Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan seems to have everything head coach Chip Kelly looks for in a quarterback.

Hogan has accuracy, mobility and intelligence. He makes great decisions before plays and during them, he throws with anticipation, he’s poised under pressure, he graduated from college and he set a school record in wins.

Hogan could play Week 1 next season, but the Niners probably won’t need him to. They still have Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert. So Hogan can sit for a year, develop and shorten his throwing motion.

Round 5, Pick 145: D.J. Reader, NT, Clemson

One player the 49ers interviewed at the combine, according to the Independent Mail's Dan Hope—Clemson nose tackle D.J. Reader.

Reader may be the best nose tackle in the draft. He’s big (6'3", 327 lbs), strong (30 reps on the bench), and long (33 ⅝-inch arms)—long enough that he can play head-up against offensive tackles as a 4-technique defensive end if the Niners need him to.

But the Niners primarily would draft Reader to play nose tackle, a position of need. The top two nose tackles on the depth chart—Ian Williams and Glenn Dorsey—currently are rehabbing injuries.

Round 5, Pick 174: Roger Lewis, WR, Bowling Green

Even though the Niners must replace Anquan Boldin, they can afford to wait until Day 3 to draft a receiver.

The Niners still don’t know what they have in Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington or DeAndre Smelter—three former fourth-round picks who haven’t played much. (Or at all, in Smelter’s case. He spent his rookie season on injured reserve.) Those three should get a chance to play and prove themselves next season.

While they’re playing, the Niners can develop a Day 3 pick who has potential. Bowling Green’s Roger Lewis is one of the most talented receivers in the draft. He averaged 16.7 yards per catch in college and caught 23 touchdown passes in two seasons. He could fall to Day 3 because he was charged with two counts of first-degree felony rape in 2012, although he was convicted of neither charge.

Round 6

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Round 6, Pick 178: Rees Odhiambo, G/T, Boise State

The Niners need a right guard to pair with recently signed left guard Zane Beadles in Kelly’s zone-blocking scheme.

The Niners seem to be looking for guards roughly Beadles’ size. When Beadles entered the draft in 2010, he was 6'4" and 310 pounds. According to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, the Niners have met with Boise State guard Rees Odhiambo, who is a Beadles-esque 6'4" and 314 pounds.

Both Beadles and Odhiambo are quality zone-blockers who can run downfield and block linebackers and safeties. But Odhiambo broke his ankle last season, which is why he may fall to Round 6.

Round 6, Pick 207: Dadi Lhomme Nicolas, OLB, Virginia Tech

In 2015, the 49ers defense recorded just 28 sacks, which ranked 29th in the NFL. San Francisco needs as many pass-rushers as it can get.

Virginia Tech’s Dadi Lhomme Nicolas may never have a position in the NFL, but he can rush the quarterback. He recorded 8.5 sacks as a junior in 2014.

Nicolas is “merely” 235 pounds, so he may be too small to set the edge as an outside linebacker. Perhaps the Niners can play him at inside linebacker on running downs and move him to defensive end on passing downs.

Round 6, Pick 211: Brandon Shell, OT, South Carolina

Former seventh-round pick Trent Brown played well enough as a rookie last season to merit the starting right tackle job in 2016. But he needs a backup.

South Carolina right tackle Brandon Shell started four seasons in the SEC, and last season allowed zero sacks and only one quarterback hit, according to the 2016 Pro Football Focus draft guide.

Shell may not be athletic enough to play left tackle in the NFL, but he certainly has the power and the length (34 ¾-inch arms) to play right tackle.

Round 6, Pick 213: Taveze Calhoun, CB, Mississippi State

Both 49ers general manager Trent Baalke and Coach Kelly like big cornerbacks.

Last year when Kelly was with the Philadelphia Eagles, he signed Byron Maxwell, a six-foot corner with 33 ½-inch arms who excels in press-man coverage.

Mississippi State’s Taveze Calhoun is similar to Maxwell. Calhoun is 6'0", his arms are 31 ⅞ inches and he excels in press-man coverage. But he ran a 4.58 40-yard dash at the combine, which could drop him down to Round 6.

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