San Francisco 49ers: Complete 7 Round Mock Draft
Aug 30, 2014; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Arik Armstead (9) reacts after making a defensive play against South Dakota Coyotes at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
The last year or so has been fairly depressing to be a 49ers fan. The San Francisco 49ers went from being a Super Bowl contender, to a mediocre team, to a giant question mark very quickly. The 49ers started their offseason by firing their very successful head coach and, in turn, hired a fairly unknown replacement, in Jim Tomsula. Then Patrick Willis retired, followed by the retirement of rookie sensation Chris Borland. Mike Iupati signed with their division rivals. Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox both signed else where.
Even though this is all very bad news for Niner fans, the NFL draft is on the horizon and it should be something to feel optimistic about.
With that said, the 49ers have quite a few needs heading into the draft, so before jumping straight into the mock draft, here is a brief run down of the 49ers team needs:
Inside Linebacker: With Borland and Willis both gone and Bowman recovering from injury, the 49ers need to address this need early in the draft.
Defensive End: With Justin Smith gone, Tomsula and company will need to find a replacement early in the draft.
Offensive Guard: The Niners lost Mike Iupati and could use a young, talented player to replace him.
Cornerback: The Niners lost both Perrish Cox and Chris Culliver. While they were able to sign Shareece Wright and re-sign Chris Cook, the 49ers need to draft another cornerback, even if for only depth purposes.
Outside Linebacker: Aldon Smith is a monster, IF he is on the field. The 49ers may want to draft a solid backup with the uncertainty surrounding Smith.
With their team needs established, let’s jump into this mock draft!
Arik Armstead. 15. player. 42. Being a head coach for the first time, this will be Tomsula’s first time leading a war room and having a large amount of control when it comes to player selection. Tomsula is a defensive line coach by trade, so he starts off his first draft by taking a player at a position he knows very well. Armstead is a very talented player, but he is fairly raw. He gets great push as a pass rusher, but could use improvement against the rush. Armstead will get plenty of time with Justin Smith out-of-town and he has the potential to be a rock on the 49ers defensive line for years to come.. Defensive End. Oregon
Next: Rebuilding the Linebacking Corp