There are no wrong answers in a mock draft.
However, if the San Francisco 49ers execute their real draft the way they do in a two-round projection from our friends at the Draft Wire, it will signal a massive shift in organizational philosophy that would send up some red flags about the team’s long-term vision for its roster.
The 49ers’ first selection at No. 11 overall is University of South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori.
Emmanwori burst on the pre-draft scene when he put on a show at the NFL combine that featured the 6-3, 220-pound defensive back running a 4.38 40-yard dash with a 43-inch vertical leap and an 11-foot-6-inch broad jump. His combination of size and athleticism is rare, but the 49ers have never prioritized the safety position highly in the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch era. The earliest they’ve selected one was in 2023 when they picked Penn State’s Ji’Ayir Brown late in the third round.
What jumps out about the choice is that Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou is available. Membou would offer a potential upgrade at right tackle with upside to play left tackle after Trent Williams retires. It seems like an ideal choice for the 49ers that fills short and long-term needs. If he’s available and the 49ers pass on him for a safety, even if Emmanwori projects as a Will linebacker, it would be a massive shock.
In the second-round they go off the beaten path once again by selecting Alabama interior offensive lineman Tyler Booker.
Booker is a good player with tremendous size at 6-5, 321 pounds. Athletically he doesn’t quite stack up with what San Francisco typically asks of its guards. Plus, the 49ers have a couple of affordable options to start at that spot this year. It’s hard to envision them using a second-round pick on a player who isn’t going to eventually play left tackle after not addressing other glaring needs on the offensive and defensive lines in the first round.
Again, the Booker pick is a head-scratcher with a player like Ohio State defensive end JT Tuimoloau on the board. Tuimoloau has great size and length to go with athleticism that should allow him to play multiple spots on the defensive line. That would solve more problems for San Francisco than an interior offensive lineman.
In a vacuum, Emmanwori and Booker are good prospects. If they’re so far and away the best players on the board for the 49ers when they pick, then that’s not a bad route. Getting good players no matter the position has to be the priority in this year’s draft.
Given some of the other quality players available when the 49ers picked in this mock, it would be a massive whiff on their biggest needs and a departure from what we know about their roster construction under Shanahan and Lynch if they make these two picks early in the 2025 NFL draft.
