San Francisco 49ers' Mock Draft and Big Board: Updated Day 3 Predictions

With Pick 5 in Round 3, the San Francisco 49ers drafted Mississippi State cornerback Will Redmond, a first-round talent who dropped to Day 2 because he tore his ACL in October. If his knee recovers, Redmond will be a big-time player who fills a major need in the Niners defense.

But not the biggest need. Ever since Patrick Willis and Chris Borland retired in 2015, the biggest need has been inside linebacker. The Niners need a guy who can play next to NaVorro Bowman, and Michael Wilhoite doesn’t count. He isn’t good enough. Neither is Gerald Hodges.

Which inside linebacker could the Niners target on Day 3 of the draft? Follow along to find out.

Top-100 Big Board

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This is how I rank the top 100 remaining prospects for the 49ers. Disclaimer: I emphasized fit and need with these rankings. They apply to the 49ers only.

You’ll notice I rank Jeremy Cash No. 1 and Nick Kwiatkoski No. 2. Both would play inside linebacker and fill a top need for the Niners, so I bumped them up the board.

San Francisco 49ers Big Board

Rank	Player	Position	School
1	Jeremy Cash	S/LB	Duke
2	Nick Kwiatkoski	ILB	West Virginia
3	Paul Perkins	RB	UCLA
4	Kenneth Dixon	RB	Louisiana Tech
5	Andrew Billings	NT	Baylor
6	Kalan Reed	CB	Southern Mississippi
7	Jordan Howard	RB	Indiana
8	Hassan Ridgeway	DT	Texas
9	Kyle Murphy	OT	Stanford
10	De'Vante Harris	CB	Texas A&M
11	B.J. Goodson	ILB	Clemson
12	Sheldon Day	DT	Notre Dame
13	Jerell Adams	TE	South Carolina
14	Michael Thomas	WR	Southern Mississippi
15	Thomas Duarte	TE	UCLA
16	Rashard Higgins	WR	Colorado State
17	Christian Westerman	G	Arizona State
18	Keyarris Garrett	WR	Tulsa
19	Alex Collins	RB	Arkansas
20	Ronald Blair	DE	Appalachian State
21	Charone Peake	WR	Clemson
22	Devontae Booker	RB	Utah
23	Darius Latham	DT	Indiana
24	Malcolm Mitchell	WR	Georgia
25	Devin Lucien	WR	Arizona State
26	Jayron Kearse	S	Clemson
27	Kevin Peterson	CB	Oklahoma State
28	Scooby Wright III	ILB	Arizona
29	Steven Daniels	ILB	Boston College
30	Kentrell Brothers	ILB	Missouri
31	Jack Allen	C	Michigan State
32	Pharoh Cooper	WR	South Carolina
33	Joe Dahl	G/T	Washington State
34	Jerald Hawkins	OT	LSU
35	Jalen Mills	CB	LSU
36	Caleb Benenoch	OT	UCLA
37	Charles Tapper	EDGE	Oklahoma
38	DeAndre Houston-Carson	FS	William & Mary
39	Daniel Lasco	RB	Cal
40	Dean Lowry	DE	Northwestern
41	Miles Killebrew	S	Southern Utah
42	Tyler Ervin	RB	San Jose State
43	Kevin Hogan	QB	Stanford
44	Kenny Lawler	WR	Cal
45	Willie Beavers	OT	Western Michigan
46	Jordan Payton	WR	UCLA
47	Vadal Alexander	G	LSU
48	Alex Lewis	OT	Nebraska
49	Zack Sanchez	CB	Oklahoma
50	Willie Henry	DT	Michigan
51	Tyler Matakevich	ILB	Temple
52	Demarcus Robinson	WR	Florida
53	D.J. White	CB	Georgia Tech
54	Matthew Ioannidis	DT	Temple
55	Dak Prescott	QB	Mississippi State
56	Harlan Miller	CB	Southeastern Louisiana
57	Jack Allen	C	Michigan State
58	Trevone Boykin	QB	Texas Christian
59	Connor Cook	QB	Michigan State
60	Jatavis Brown	ILB	Akron
61	Cooper McGovern	G	Missouri
62	Jonathan Williams	RB	Arkansas
63	Jhurell Pressley	RB	New Mexico
64	Joe Schobert	EDGE	Wisconsin
65	Justin Burris	CB	North Carolina State
66	Ricardo Louis	WR	Auburn
67	Aaron Burbridge	WR	Michigan State
68	Kolby Listenbee	WR	Texas Christian
69	Stephen Anderson	TE	Cal
70	Devon Cajuste	TE	Stanford
71	Joe Haeg	OT	North Dakota State
72	Deiondre' Hall	CB	Northern Iowa
73	Brandon Allen	QB	Arkansas
74	Joshua Perry	ILB	Ohio State
75	Dominique Alexander	ILB	Oklahoma
76	William Ratelle	ILB	North Dakota
77	Sebastian Tretola	G	Arkansas
78	Eric Murray	CB	Minnesota
79	Tajae Sharpe	WR	Massachusetts
80	Evan Boehm	C	Missouri
81	Josh Ferguson	RB	Indiana
82	Aaron Wallace	EDGE	UCLA
83	Dadi Nicolas	EDGE	Virginia Tech
84	Victor Ochi	EDGE	Stony Brook
85	Beau Sandland	TE	Montana State
86	Kavon Frazier	CB	Central Michigan
87	Jared Norris	ILB	Utah
88	Jakeem Grant	WR	Texas Tech
89	Blake Martinez	ILB	Stanford
90	Cody Core	WR	Ole Miss
91	Nick VanHoose	CB	Northwestern
92	Tyvis Powell	S	Ohio State
93	De'Vondre Campbell	ILB	Minnesota
94	D.J. Reader	NT	Clemson
95	Josh Forest	ILB	Kentucky
96	Keith Marshall	RB	Georgia
97	Beniquez Brown	ILB	Mississippi State
98	Daniel Braverman	WR	Western Michigan
99	Moritz Boehringer	WR	International (Gemany)
100	Jake Coker	QB	Alabama

Round 4

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Round 4, Pick 133: Scooby Wright III, ILB, Arizona

Duke’s Jeremy Cash, West Virginia’s Nick Kwiatkoski and Clemson’s B.J. Goodson—the top three inside linebackers left on my big board—probably will get picked before the Niners’ draft in Round 4.

In which case, Arizona’s Scooby Wright III probably would be the best inside linebacker available. He may be the best run defender among this year’s inside linebackers. But, he’s a below-average athlete who can’t cover or play on passing downs.

That shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for the Niners. They can play Wright in the base defense and replace him on passing downs with Jaquiski Tartt, a safety who played linebacker in sub-packages last season.

Round 5

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Round 5, Pick 142: Tyler Ervin, RB, San Jose State

The 49ers are a run-first team—that’s why they traded into the first round to get the best run-blocking guard in the draft, Stanford’s Joshua Garnett.

As much as they want to run the ball, they can’t if Carlos Hyde gets injured again. The running game depends on one injury-prone running back.

Tailback is the Niners’ second-biggest need after inside linebacker. Hyde just isn’t enough. The Niners need a serious backup. At Pick 142, San Jose State’s Tyler Ervin will be the best running back available. He rushed for 1,601 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2015 and ran a 4.34 at his pro day.

Round 5, Pick 145: Kevin Hogan, QB, Stanford 

Now, the Niners are drafting backups and players who may have the potential to develop into quality starters down the line.

Stanford’s Kevin Hogan should be a quality backup quarterback in the NFL for a long time. He’s smart and ran a complex pro-style offense in college. He probably could start for the Niners as a rookie if they needed him to.

Round 5, Pick 174: Joe Haeg, OT, North Dakota State 

Another backup. This time, a swing tackle—someone who can play on either side of the offensive line.

Joe Haeg played both left and right tackle for North Dakota State, and last season he gave up just four total pressures, according to the Pro Football Focus 2016 Draft Guide. If Haeg gets stronger, he could become a starting right tackle after a few years.

Round 6

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Round 6, Pick 207: Dadi Nicolas, EDGE, Virginia Tech

The Niners defense ranked fourth-worst in sacks last season, so San Francisco should draft edge-rushers with its next two picks.

First, the Niners should take Virginia Tech’s Dadi Nicolas, an explosive speed rusher who weighs just 235 pounds. The Niners can experiment with playing him at inside linebacker if he can’t set the edge on the outside.

Round 6, Pick 211: Victor Ochi, EDGE, Stony Brook 

Next, the Niners should take Stony Brook’s Victor Ochi, who definitely can set the edge in the run game. He would complement Nicolas.

Ochi isn’t just a run defender, though. He recorded 11 sacks as a junior and 13 sacks as a senior in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Round 6, Pick 213: Moritz Boehringer, WR, International (Germany) 

The Niners seem to like super athletes with little-to-no football experience.

In 2013, they signed Lawrence Okoye, an Olympic discus thrower, and tried to make him a defensive lineman. Okoye currently is on the Jets’ practice squad.

Last year, the Niners signed Rugby League star Jarryd Hayne and tried to make him a punt returner. Hayne currently is on the Niners’ practice squad.

The Niners’ next project could be Moritz Boehringer, a wide receiver who had 1,232 yards and 13 touchdowns in the German Football League last season. He’s 6’4”, 227 pounds and runs a 4.43.

Round 7

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Round 7, Pick 249 (from Kansas City): Clayton Fejedelem, S, Illinois

Sure, it’s possible to draft a starter in Round 7. The Niners accomplished that last year when they took Trent Brown, who is in line to start at right tackle next season.

Most of the time, though, Round 7 is the place to find someone who plays special teams. Those players are important, and you can find good ones in Round 7.

Illinois safety Clayton Fejedelem is a hard-hitting box safety who’s probably too small to play that position in the NFL. He’s 6’0”, 204 pounds. But, he ran a 4.54 at his pro day, so he’s athletic enough to become a core player on special teams.