No team in the NFL had injuries hit them worse than the San Francisco 49ers. It’s a big reason they hold the second pick in the 2019 draft.
Entering the 2018-19 season the San Francisco 49ers were a trendy playoff team. They had a coach in place in Kyle Shanahan that everyone likes. In the offseason they locked-up franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Then the front office was aggressive in signing Jerick McKinnon, and Richard Sherman while also drafting Mike McGlinchey, Fred Warner, and Dante Pettis. From the outside this sleeper picked looked like a solid bet to be playoff bound. Then the season happened and injuries struck.
Now San Francisco owns the second pick in the 2019 NFL Draft with some holes to fill. Luckily the team has very few impending free agent decisions looming. Only safety Jimmy Ward would be considered a priority for them.
Thanks to some shrewd moves over the past few seasons, the 49ers also have a robust $63 million to spend in free agency. They will be a trendy team linked to all big-name free agents this offseason. Keep an eye on San Francisco should the Steelers decide to deal Antonio Brown. Their pick atop the second round would be a great haul for Pittsburgh and could get it done.
Obviously teams never tank in the NFL intenionally but San Francisco’s two wins late in the season cost this team the top draft pick (more on that later). However, this team’s refusal to quit and finding some gems in the process speaks very highly of Shanahan and his staff. Don’t let San Francisco be forgotten when predicting playoff teams next year, especially if they can nail the draft.
This mock draft was done using FanSpeak’s On the Clock tool.