I know 49ers won’t want to hear this, but there has been a perk of the Niners being a slow-burning tire fire all season:
I have been working on NFL stuff for months now. This has been a fun class to evaluate.
Don’t worry—I am watching plenty of NFL tape, too, ahead of free agency. However, with the college All-Star games taking place this week, I figured this would be the best time to make my first public suggestion for what I think the 49ers should do come April. (What they will do will come later in the cycle.)
Let’s start with a trade-down.
Trade: Picks 11, 75, 99 to Bengals for picks 17, 49, 81, and a 2026 2nd Round Pick
[Cincinnati elects Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri]
First Round, Pick No. 17: Armand Membou, OT, Missouri
» I will admit to some bias here. I care deeply about one sports team on the planet: the Missouri Tigers football team. So, while Membou represents something of a surprise first-round talent, he’s no surprise to me.
No, Saturday after Saturday, it’s been made clear that this man was built to play on a zone-blocking offensive line.
The real win is that Membou—who is equally powerful and balanced in the run and pass game—can play both on the interior of the line and at tackle.
The potential at the latter position has him going in the first round. The ability to plug-and-play at left guard makes him go here to the 49ers. He’ll hang there until the Niners need a left tackle. Then he’ll take over there.
The 49ers could justify taking Membou at No. 11, their original pick. So, perhaps I was a bit too cute here.
Regardless, this would be a slam-dunk draft pick for a team that needs to prioritize the lines this offseason.
Second Round, Pick No. 43: Omar Norman-Lott, DT, Tennessee
The Sacramento native fits the scheme and the need. Not every defensive tackle in this class can make that argument.
At 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, Norman-Lott lives up to his name — he’s a gap-filler with a great burst off the line. He’ll penetrate into the backfield plenty, but his real gift is holding ground against forward-pushing offensive linemen. He’s exactly what the Niners have been missing for the last five years.
Trade: Picks 49, 256 to Jacksonville for picks 70, 88, and 105
[Jacksonville selects Alfred Collins, DT, Texas]
Third Round, Pick No. 70: Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
Few players have more buzz than Emmanwori, who unquestionably looks the part of an elite defender.
He’ll turn 21 in February, and at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, with elite-level straight-line speed, he is the perfect vessel. Some suggest he could be the first safety taken in this draft.
I think he’ll be the fourth because teams will see what I’ve seen on the All-22 film: a player who doesn’t seem know what he’s doing out there.
Emmanwori is every hockey player you’ve ever hated — he’s floating out there, looking for something to do.
He might have gotten away with it at South Carolina, but that’s the last thing a safety at the next level can do, so he’s going at No. 70.
This is a huge risk, huge reward play for the 49ers. If all that indecision is merely an issue of coaching and the 49ers can get him to play as an incisive, game-changing player, he has the potential to be one of the best picks in recent team history.
And if it fails? Well, at least you didn’t spend a top-50 pick on him.
Round 3, Pick No. 88: Zy Alexander, CB, LSU
Alexander is a perimeter zone cornerback if I’ve ever seen one. Tall, long, and willing to help out in the run game. I loved his tenacity in one-on-one drills at the East-West Shrine Game and his ability to seamlessly move from the FCS level other the SEC bodes well for his transition to the NFL.
Round 4, Pick No. 104: JJ Pegues, DT, Ole Miss
He might be the fourth-best Ole Miss defensive lineman in this draft, but Pegues has all the makings of a game-wrecker in the middle of the defensive line. A man this large shouldn’t be this quick.
A former tight end, Pegues was used as a short-yardage back. I doubt the Niners will do the same, but he represents a blank slate for the Niners’ coaching staff. If they can’t turn a player like this into a rotational lineman, then you need new coaches.
Round 4, Pick No. 111: Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson
Carter was made to be an off-ball linebacker. He has exceptional coverage skills and a nose for the football in the run game. He is only here because he lacks prototypical linebacker size at only 6-foot-1. I don’t think that matters when you make plays like him.
Round 4, Pick No. 137: Emery Jones Jr, T, LSU
A standout at Senior Bowl practices, Jones, like Membou, can play inside or outside on the line. While he might not be a day-one starter, he could be, and that’s what really matters.
Round 4, Pick No. 138: Trevor Etienne, RB, Georgia
A one-cut-and-go back who has outstanding pass-catching skills out of the backfield. He’s a perfect depth running back for a team that can use one.
Round 5, Pick No. 149: Fadil Diggs, DE, Syracuse
Diggs, a Texas A&M transfer, broke out in 2024, but he has enviable athleticism and really impressed at Shrine Bowl practices. Moving to a strictly pass-rushing role (he stood up a lot in college, dropping him into coverage) should bring out his best.
Round 6, Pick No. 192: Oronde Gadsen Jr, TE, Syracuse
Yes, the Orange again. Gadsen, the son of the former NFL wide receiver, shows that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. No tight end in this class has better hands or shows better ability on contested catches. The Niners need a No. 2 tight end, and while Gadsen isn’t much of a blocker, he could be a lethal red-zone option.
I want to be very clear: if the 49ers do not draft him, the Chiefs will, and he will become Travis Kelce 2.0 with them. Don’t let that happen.
Round 7, Pick No. 242: Robert Longerbeam, CB, Rutgers
A tough, no-nonsense corner who might not have the physical traits to be an every-down player but unquestionably has the temperament you want for the job. A player like this will find a way to help your football team, even in the worst-case scenario.
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