San Francisco 49ers 2022 Mock Draft: Ushering in the Trey Lance Era
By Hunter Haas
Round 2, Pick 61: Channing Tindall, LB, Georgia
This might be a little out of the box, but allow me to explain. The San Francisco 49ers need some reinforcement on the defensive side of the ball and there was not a secondary player available that I viewed as a better prospect than Channing Tindall. With Fred Warner under contract and leading the linebacker corps, adding Tindall would be a bit of a luxury pick this late in the second round. He would pair well with Warner’s play style and could immediately challenge for the starting role at SAM linebacker.
Tindall played in situational roles the first few seasons at Georgia before becoming a breakout star in 2021. Starting 15 games, he helped lead the Bulldogs to their first national title since 1980. He was not only a tone setter for the unit, he had some great production to back it up. Racking up 67 tackles (26 more than he had in his CAREER coming into the season), 7.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
Channing needs to improve upon his play recognition ability, but he has great athleticism to make up for mental errors. He has shown the ability to stick with pass catchers but has room to grow in that area as there is a tendency of getting lost out in coverage downfield. A lot of the time on tape he is playing off “vibes” and while that worked in college, it will take better mental processing when it comes to identifying play action and watching running backs out of the backfield.
If Demeco Ryans remains in tow, he is a great coach to develop the traits that Tindall is lacking right now. He has good size and moves extremely well for his frame. Sideline-to-sideline mobility is vital to the style of game today and Channing has that trait in spades. He loves hunting down a ball carrier.
He is one of those prospects that will make an impact day one, but he is far from his ceiling and you couldn’t ask for a better spot to grow. Tindall fits the San Fran philosophy perfectly and would be in an optimal position to contend for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Round 3, Pick 93: Marcus Jones, DB, Houston
The San Francisco 49ers need a complete overhaul in the secondary department and this is where Marcus Jones comes into play. Marcus is 5’8 and 185 pounds on his best day and this limits his potential as an outside cornerback. He’s extremely versatile so he can take snaps outside but where he is going to thrive in the league is covering players out of the slot.
Do not let his slight frame fool you, Marcus has the edge necessary to play in the 49ers system. He is surprisingly stout in the run game and is not afraid to stick his nose in any play he can. Jones is extremely fluid in his movements and is smart in ways that can only be learned through experience.
Jones is an older prospect, and he will turn 24 years old during his rookie season and plays a position that is not considered premium. All of these factors could lead to the Niners getting a starting nickelback late in the third round, ala Elijah Molden with the Titans in 2021 draft.
Round 3, Pick 97 (via PIT): Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan
The San Francisco 49ers have some of the best weapons in all of football with Deebo Samuel entering superstardom and George Kittle’s standing as a top-three tight end in the NFL. This should not stop them from adding to it, though. Former first-round pick Brandon Aiyuk has been inconsistent at best and in Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse at worst. Jauan Jennings showed flashes, no doubt, but more competition could go a long way. Couple that with the fact that the 49ers will likely lose Mohamed Sanu to free agency and it makes a lot of sense to add some fresh blood to the group.
Western Michigan’s Skyy Moore is rumored to run in the 4.2 range and honestly his game speed looks even faster. Moore posted some insane numbers in his final collegiate season, hauling in 94 catches and 1283 yards through the air. He also added ten touchdowns, which is a major plus considering he isn’t a prototypical red zone target. It shows his ability to make a house call at any time. Moore continues to break the “burner” label by flashing elite hands. He rarely ever drops the ball and is not scared to finish the catch with contact coming. He’s also quite advanced in his route tree and is so tough to contain in coverage.
One major concern is his lack of elite competition and there are questions about how his small frame will translate against the bigger, more physical cornerbacks in the league. Moore also needs to improve his blocking to stay out of Shanahan’s dog house and give himself an opportunity for immediate action in three wide receiver sets.