Five questions for the 49ers before the draft: What’s the deal with Deebo and Alex Mack?
The NFL draft has been where the San Francisco 49ers have found the majority of their important players, making this week another key one for head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
Players such as tight end George Kittle (round 5, 2017), Fred Warner (round 3, 2018), Nick Bosa (round 1, 2019), Deebo Samuel (Round 2, 2019) and others have all been key for San Francisco reaching the NFC title game in two of the last three seasons.
This time last year, the talk surrounded the team’s No. 3 overall pick. They used that on quarterback Trey Lance to eventually replace Jimmy Garoppolo as the face of the franchise. There’s much less intrigue for the 49ers in the first round this spring given they dealt away their first round pick — along with a third-rounder this year and their first-round choice next year — to move up for Lance.
San Francisco’s brass has a clear plan to give Lance the best chance to succeed, which starts with our first question involving his best weapon.
1. Will the team trade Deebo Samuel?
Lynch was peppered with questions about Samuel’s uncertain future Monday, offering little details about his reported trade request from last week while the two sides appear at odds over a contract extension. Though he mostly avoided saying much of anything, one of the few things Lynch offered was, “I can’t ever imagine wanting to move on from Deebo.”
All signs indicate the 49ers do not want to trade their star “wide back” who was named a first-team All-Pro last season. But what if another team comes up with an offer they can’t refuse? Will the 49ers be willing to take a rookie receiver to replace the veteran and recoup some of the draft capital they gave up for Lance?
Continuing a theme from recent drafts, this year’s class appears replete with options in the first round that could provide an instant impact. But the production would very likely be nothing like what Samuel brought to San Francisco’s offense last season, when he had 1,770 yards from scrimmage with 14 total touchdowns.
“There’s just a lot of volume to the class,” Lynch said about the incoming wideouts. “And there’s a little bit of everything, if you like speed, there’s some guys who can flat out get it. Some of the faster players that have been around since I’ve been doing this, these guys can fly. And their speed transfers to the football field.”
Samuel is known more for his physicality than flat-out speed (though he has proven to be explosive when he has space). So there might not be a one-for-one replacement available. The prospect with arguably the closest skill set to Samuel’s is Arkansas’ Treylon Burks, who is expected to go midway though the first round.
Others that could make sense for San Francisco, if they trade Samuel and end up picking in the first round Thursday, include Jameson Williams (Alabama), Chris Olave (Ohio State), Garrett Wilson (Ohio State) and Skyy Moore (Western Michigan). Some evaluators believe Williams is the most likely star of the draft, but he tore his ACL in January, though he’s reportedly expected to be able to play at some point during his rookie season.
2. Is Alex Mack going to retire?
The 49ers have made a habit of addressing their biggest needs in the early rounds of the draft in recent seasons, including when they took right tackle Mike McGlinchey in 2018 (when they decided to part with Trent Brown), Bosa the following year, and defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (to replace DeForest Buckner and Emmanuel Sanders).
This year, a case could be made for center being their most pressing need. Former All-Decade team member Alex Mack, who turned 36 in November, has not committed to returning for a 14th season. In fact, reading between the lines from Lynch’s news conference, it sounds as though the team is not expecting Mack to return.
“We’ve been in discussions with Alex, communicating with him and I think I would say, the common theme here today, I’m not going to speak for Alex on that,” Lynch said. “I think at the appropriate time, Alex will comment on that.”
The hint here is players generally don’t “comment” if their plan is to return, which means a retirement announcement could be coming, similar to how left tackle Joe Staley walked away in 2020 after San Francisco traded for his replacement, Trent Williams, during the draft.
It could be the team’s first pick in the draft, No. 61 overall in round 2, could be used to find a center to replace Mack. Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum is likely the top center in the draft who could go in round 1 or early in round 2, meaning the 49ers might have to trade up. Others that fit include Cam Jergens (Nebraska), who has worked with Staley leading up to the draft, and Dylan Parham (Memphis), who played guard in college but projects to center in the NFL.
The 49ers have plenty of ammo to move up in round 2, if they need to. They have two third round picks in this draft and three next year after getting compensatory picks for other teams hiring away San Francisco’s minority candidates to head coaching jobs and front office positions.
3. What about nickel?
The 49ers this offseason lost one of their most underrated players, defensive back K’Waun Williams, to the Denver Broncos, leaving a void in the slot. The team has been mum on potential replacements, though it would make sense to put Emmanuel Moseley back at nickel, where he played when he first joined the team as an undrafted rookie in 2018.
Another option, who Warner mentioned Monday, is Darqueze Dennard, a 30-year-old former first-round pick of the Bengals who re-upped with the 49ers this spring. Deommodore Lenoir could be in the mix as well, though he struggled last season as a rookie.
Which means the 49ers could use an early-round pick to find a long-term contributor in the slot. One name to keep an eye on during rounds 2 and 3 is Jalen Pitre from Baylor, who has experience in the slot and at safety. He led the Big 12 in tackles for loss and forced fumbles in 2021, and could step in for Williams right away.
4. Can they keep striking gold on Day 3?
The 49ers found Kittle, one of their best players, in the fifth round. The same round they landed linebacker Dre Greenlaw in 2019 before he became one of the heroes of the season. Defensive back D.J. Reed eventually turned into a starter (with the Seahawks) after the 49ers tapped him in the fifth round in 2018. D.J. Jones, the nose tackle who signed a $30 million deal with the Broncos last month, was a sixth-round choice in 2017.
Offensive lineman Jaylon Moore could be a starting guard next season after going in the fifth last spring, same for strong safety Talanoa Hufanga.
And running back Elijah Mitchell, who had 963 yards as a rookie in 2021, was a sixth-round pick.
The pattern here is San Francisco has found gems on day 3 of the draft. It’s where the 49ers can identify players who fit their system who might have fallen under the radar. In Kittle’s case, he only had 48 catches in his college career. Greenlaw’s combine speed wasn’t ideal, though tracking data indicated he was one of the fastest linebackers in his class. Hufanga also didn’t test well in a straight line but had a knack for making plays at USC.
Finding core contributors in the late rounds has been crucial for the San Francisco’s success. And with the roster turning over year after year, it’s the most sustainable way to keep the roster strong.
5. What other needs have to be addressed?
The 49ers are coming off a second trip to the NFC title game in three seasons. The roster does not have many glaring holes. We’ve mentioned some earlier (like center and nickel corner), but there are a couple others to make the case for.
Pro Bowl left guard Laken Tomlinson’s departure in free agency to the New York Jets leaves an obvious void in the starting lineup. Perhaps that’s where the 49ers believe 2021 second-round pick Aaron Banks will slot in. But he didn’t show much as a rookie by playing only five offensive snaps the entire season. Is there a guard in this draft the 49ers feel better about?
What about right guard? Is Daniel Brunskill good enough to maintain his hold on the starting job? This where Moore could come in, or Colton McKivitz, a fifth-round pick in 2020.
Safety is another spot to highlight. Jaquiski Tartt remains an unsigned free agent who could come back if the 49ers don’t like their remaining options, though Hufanga and Tarvarius Moore, who missed all of 2021 with a torn Achilles, seem like possibilities to replace Tartt as a starter.
The 49ers also lost running back Raheem Mostert to the Miami Dolphins. And given the way Shanahan runs through his backs, adding another to complement Mitchell and Jeff Wilson Jr. would certainly make sense. Though finding a running back might be more difficult with long-time position coach Bobby Turner taking the year off, making way for newcomer Anthony Lynn.
San Francisco will always be in the market for edge rushers, though they are entering the draft with arguably more depth at defense end than any point of the Lynch-Shanahan tenure. Behind Bosa is Samson Ebukam — who had 5.5 sacks in the last five regular season games and three playoff contests combined — Jordan Willis, Charles Omenihu, Kemoko Turay and Kerry Hyder, who returned to the 49ers after leading the team in sacks in 2020.
Dee Ford is likely on his way out because of ongoing back issues, which could mean another early draft pick in a deep edge class to find a long-term running mate for Bosa.
