The San Francisco 49ers head to the “frozen tundra” to square off against Aaron Rodgers. The 49ers were once a Packer foe that stomped the Packers 37-3 and 37-20 in back-to-back matchups. After the Packers were once petrified of the 49ers, the Packers have edged out the 49ers in each of the last two matchups. It’s still safe to say that the 49ers have impressed well in the past two games and the NFC West squad has strong goals of winning the divisional round and winning Super Bowl LVI.

The 49ers will look to take a step up in the 2022 offseason with Trey Lance (most likely), regardless of how the rest of the playoffs shape out. It’s worth noting that Jimmy Garoppolo may not even play against the Packers because of an injury on his throwing shoulder. Jimmy G has impressed against the LA Rams and in moments of the 2021 season, but his inconsistent play, injury issues, and lack of a high ceiling have derailed the 49ers passing offense. It’s clearly a big offseason for the team in the brutal NFC West and team that is holding a question mark at the QB position.

The biggest opportunity for the 49ers to carry a bright future clearly lies in the NFL draft. In this outlook, I’m going to unveil the 49ers seven-round mock draft. Let’s begin.

Round 1, Traded away for Trey Lance in 2021

Round 2 (54), Brandon Smith – LB – Penn State

The Penn State LB Brandon Smith would be a nice addition to the 49ers intimidating, yet versatile defense. This may be a bit of a surprise pick, but I’d love to see the 49ers upgrade the LB group amid a very talented front seven featuring Nick Bosa (15.5 sacks in 2021) already. Fred Warner, Brandon Smith, and Dre Greenlaw would be an impressive group behind Nick Bosa and company. Warner and Smith could be the best duo since the days of 49ers legends Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman.

The 49ers LB duo of Willis and Bowman was the best LB duo in 49ers history and one of the best LB duos in NFL history. Fans in the Bay area started to even name their children after the legendary defenders.

Smith’s ability was on clear display in 2021 as he recorded two sacks, 81 total tackles, and five pass deflections. The 6’3 240 LB’s physical play was specifically impressive against Ohio State where he gathered 5 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. Smith can help the 49ers keep the Rams offense a step below them and he can help track down Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson (if he stays in the division).

Round 3 (86), Kyler Gordon – CB – Washington

Kyler Gordon is a mean, athletic machine for Washington and he would fit in well for the 49ers secondary. The 49ers will hope Gordon can be similar to the former Husky CB legend Marcus Peters. Gordon is the second Husky to enter the 2022 NFL draft. Gordon is also a standout in the run game at the CB position. He can nicely aid the potent run defense that SF aims to display.

Let’s face it, the Jason Verrett experiment is finished. Unfortunately, Verrett’s injury habits have followed him in 2021, as he missed a whopping 15 games. The 49ers second has also been a league-leading pass interference machine. The 49ers could get a Day 1 starter in Kyler Gordon and a player that can keep up with any WR in the league. If the 49ers can strike gold with Smith and Gordon, the 49ers defense could soon be on its way to being a cream of the crop NFL defense across 17 games.

Round 4 (124), Alontae Taylor – CB – Tennessee

The cornerback Alontae Taylor would be a nice follow-up pick after Kyler Gordon. Taylor can be another physical CB that can beat up big body WRs like OBJ, Hopkins, and DK Metcalf especially. The CB that started his career as a WR is also a very scrappy player, as he’s battled through minor injuries late in his career.

The 49ers need CB talent and they need it now. Taylor is a talented CB and that was evident with his 2021 All-SEC fourth team selection. The Tennessee CB registered 60 combined tackles, 2 interceptions, and a pick-6 on the season. Taylor is slated to be a 3-5 round pick and he would honestly fit perfectly in this range for SF.

Round 5, (153), projected trade for Saints QB/RB/WR/TE Taysom Hill

I fully believe that the former NDSU stud Trey Lance will get the reigns as the starting QB and the recent admirable Jimmy G will be out the door in the 2022 offseason. Still, it would be ideal for the 49ers to add a modest QB2 that can run a very similar playbook as the second-year QB Lance. The free-agent Houston Texans dual-threat QB Tyrod Taylor or Andy Dalton would make a lot of sense as the QB2 for SF, but I’d like Shanny to get ultra creative and acquire the likes of Taysom Hill. The Saints swiss army knife could really push Lance for the starting gig (6-2 as a starter), be a quality QB2, and potentially be very productive in a slot WR/TE2/joker role for the 49ers.

The 49ers like to mow down defenses with their run game at will. If the 49ers could incorporate Taysom Hill into the mix, it would be game over for defenses. Hill showed his rushing ability at 31 years old when filling in for Jameis Winston this season, as he unraveled a plethora of hurdling and tackle-breaking highlights. Meanwhile, the Saints grand hopes of Taysom Hill being the “next Steve Young” have realistically faded. Sean Payton will be eyeing Seahawks QB Russell Wilson or Jameis Winston at worse this offseason and Hill would be tempting to trade at this point in his career.

Round 5, (191), Zonovan Knight – RB – NC State (projected trade up in sixth round/49ers give up both 2022 seventh-round draft picks (252 and 253)

The 49ers can never ever have enough talent at Kyle Shanahan’s favorite position. To be honest, the 49ers 2021 rookie Trey Sermon has been a bit of a disappointment. Sermon was even inactive in favor of Jamycal Hasty and Jeff Wilson in the NFC wildcard playoff game. It’s obvious that Elijah Mitchell hasn’t just outperformed Sermon, but he’s taken over the backfield and he desperately needs more juice by his side. The 49ers were fifth in the league in rushing attempts last season, so they want to pound the rock. Zonovan Knight could bring a lot more juice to the 49ers backfield and help yield a strong 1-2 punch with Mitchell.

Knight and Mitchell could be a brutal dose for the NFC West defenses, as they both are very downhill, strong runners. Knight was a third-team All ACC selection and that was largely due to his insane yards per carry stature and consistent TD count on the season. The 20-year-old would help Lance make a smooth transition to being a quality starting QB in 2022.

The post 2022 49ers 7 round mock draft appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

The San Francisco 49ers carry a 9-7 record and stress heading into Week 18. It’s unclear if the 49ers will beat the Los Angeles Rams for the sixth straight time, or if the new-look Rams led by the revenge-seeking Sean McVay will notch a much-needed victory. As widely enunciated, here is the playoff scenario for the 49ers: 

1. If the 49ers win, they are in the playoffs.

2. If the Rams win and the Saints win, the 49ers are out of the playoff picture.

3. If the Rams win, but the Saints lose, the 49ers are in the playoffs.

It’s not clear if the 49ers will be in the playoffs and how competitive they could be in the NFC gauntlet. Nonetheless, they will have to focus past the season and on the offseason at some point. With that said, Kyle Shanahan has another pivotal offseason. The 49ers added their future QB in Trey Lance last offseason, so now they need to figure out what pieces they want around the former NDSU signal-caller moving forward. The most glorious and optimistic aspect of the 2022 offseason isn’t the NFL combine (that most NFL nerds watch), but it is the NFL Draft. So, which direction could the 49ers look to go in the first three rounds? Let’s go under the scope and see what could pique Shanny’s interest.

Round 2: CB – Alontae Taylor – Tennessee (trade back in late 2nd/or early 3)

John Lynch and Shanahan should be pleased with the team’s performance in 2021. They know with ease that the NFC West team is built to win now. If the 49ers can get Lance to adjust a bit more mentally to the pro level and able to hit wide-open WRs that Jimmy G likes to miss in big games, they should see a spark from the offense. On the flip side, the 49ers have been a flag machine in the secondary ”“ notably at the CB position. Jason Verrett went from the most pleasant surprise in 2020 to Jason Verrett in 2021 (one game played).

They should be creative as usual in the 2022 draft. I would love to see them move back and select CB Alontae Taylor. They may be able to obtain a second-round draft pick next season and mid-round draft pick this season. Alontae Taylor was ranked fifth in coverage grade according to PFF in 2021. He has the frame and quickness to cover the likes of OBJ and DeAndre Hopkins well next season. 

Round 3: QB – Bailey Zappe – Western Kentucky 

This selection makes a ton of sense. Bailey Zappe, who threw for 5,977 yards and 62 passing touchdowns in FBS record-breaking fashion, would most likely be an upgrade over a QB2 in free agency like Cam Newton and Ryan Fitzpatrick (assuming Jimmy G is out the door). They would also have a very young profile in Zappe on the QB depth chart. 

Kyle Shanahan once flirted with RG3 and Kirk Cousins on the same roster. Oddly enough, Kirk Cousins was the last QB standing. There is a chance Lance either isn’t the real guy, or Zappe is the better solution in a few years, too. 

The post 49ers 3 round mock draft appeared first on Pro Football Mania.