The mock draft mill has started churning at full speed with the 2023 NFL season wrapped up.
We’ll have some of our own mocks rolling through free agency and up to the draft, but for now we’re taking a look at a handful of mocks that have come out since Super Bowl LVIII ended.
For San Francisco the list of needs is a long one with starters at some positions and depth at others both high among the team’s priorities as they try and build another roster capable of going to the Super Bowl.
Here’s a quick look at some of the players mocked to the 49ers in post-Super Bowl projections:
ESPN | Offensive line help
OT Amarius Mims, Georgia
Mims doesn’t have a ton of playing time under his belt, but his movement skills at 6-7, 340 pounds could turn him into a devastating blocker on the right side of the 49ers’ offensive line.
PFF | Versatile offensive line help
OT Jordan Morgan, Arizona
Morgan played 41 games across five seasons with the Wildcats and started 37 of them, including a couple as a true freshman in 2019. PFF projects his long-term NFL future as an interior offensive lineman, but the 49ers need long-term help at five OL spots so Morgan may offer a solution regardless of where he winds up playing.
TDN | You guessed it... OL help
OT Kingsley Suamataia, BYU
There’s some potential versatility with Suamataia playing right tackle and then flipping back to his natural left tackle spot to be Trent Williams’ long-term replacement whenever Williams finally hangs up his pads. An OT who can play multiple spots would probably be the most desirable outcome for the 49ers in Round 1.
Draft Wire | A two-round projection
Round 1: OL Troy Fautanu, Washington
It would behoove the 49ers to invest at guard since they’ve been unable to hammer down their right guard spot at any point during head coach Kyle Shanahan’s tenure. Fautanu played left tackle in college with two starts at left guard as well. At 6-4, 317 pounds he projects as an interior offensive lineman, but his track record of success with the Huskies indicates he’s a quality OL who should quickly find a home as a starter somewhere on the line in San Francisco.
Round 2: S Kamren Kinchens, Miami
The 49ers might have a small problem looming at safety. Tashaun Gipson is a free agent, Talanoa Hufanga is recovering from a torn ACL, and Ji’Ayir Brown is the only other long-term starting option on the roster. Kichens’ physicality stands out on tape and would fit nicely in an aggressive 49ers secondary, but he also brings a ton of athleticism and ball skills that San Francisco desperately needs in the back end. In his final two seasons with the Hurricanes, Kinchens notched 11 interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns.
Sports Illustrated | We're noticing a pattern
OT Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma
Guyton might be a little bit of a project, but his athleticism and size are both elite. He played basketball in high school and spent some time at H-back at TCU before transferring to Oklahoma. With the Sooners he started 14 games across two seasons. The 49ers would have to do a little projecting with Guyton, but if they believe he can develop quickly enough to start in 2024 it makes a ton of sense to take a shot on him.
