San Francisco 49ers mock draft: Mac Jones leads a deep class
By Kyle Edmond
An injury-riddled 2020 season has put the San Francisco 49ers in an interesting spot heading into the 2021 NFL Draft. Just a year removed from a Super Bowl appearance, the 49ers made the interesting move to jump up to the third spot in the first round, and one that wasn’t exactly a cheap move.
The direction that this pick goes will not only set the tone for San Francisco’s draft this year but the direction of the franchise moving forward. If they go quarterback, then questions will surely arise about Jimmy Garoppolo and his future with the team. If they go with any other position, then the huge price paid to move up will be heavily questioned.
In totality, the San Francisco 49ers will be able to let the draft come to them. There are few glaring needs that should be addressed immediately, so they can work on finding the right fit with each pick and shouldn’t have to reach at any point.
Note: This mock draft was completed by using “The Draft Network.”
Round 1, Pick 3
QB. Alabama. player. 829. Scouting Report. Mac Jones. 1. Pick Analysis
This pick will be the first big question mark of the 2021 NFL Draft. With the price that the San Francisco 49ers paid for this pick it should be a quarterback, but even then which one? Both Mac Jones and Justin Fields have been in the mix and while he hasn’t been mentioned as much, Trey Lance is still in the conversation. However, given the offensive scheme of Kyle Shanahan, Jones seems like the better fit.
Shanahan runs a rather complex system that takes time to learn, which makes sense why they would want to keep Garoppolo to allow the rookie to learn. Jones was originally meant to be a game manager at Alabama, but he learned the game so quickly that he’s turned into a top prospect. That football IQ is exactly what Kyle Shanahan needs from his quarterback.
While quarterback seems to be the clear answer here I wouldn’t be shocked to see Kyle Pitts taken by the San Francisco 49ers. Jumping ahead of the Falcons to get him would make sense, but the price they paid was a quarterback price, not a tight end price. With that being said, imagine an offense with George Kittle and Pitts as well as the fantasy football team names (Kittle and Pitts).