49ers 2022 Mock Draft 1.0

As of February 2nd, 2022, the 49ers have yet to trade Jimmy Garoppolo, so these picks are what San Francisco has to work with. In this mock draft, I will not be doing any trades, however, it is likely that the 49ers are able to add another pick somewhere if they trade Garoppolo before the draft. The 49ers must prioritize corners in a draft filled with secondary talent all the way through, and if they do they can set Trey Lance up for a great 2022.

Round 2, pick 61

CB Trent McDuffie, Washington — McDuffie is everything that the 49ers are looking for in a corner. He is an aggressive tackler who actually enjoys the physical aspect of playing corner, has a high football IQ, and actually plays the ball surprisingly well. The only things stopping him from being a lock first-round pick are his 5'11 size and that he struggles in press coverage. Luckily for him, the 49ers rarely run press coverage and only need their corner to stay with their man for a few seconds before their pass rush gets to the QB. Although his competition was not great, he only allowed 16 catches for just 11 yards with no TDs in 2021 and has 3 years of experience starting.

Player Comp: Casey Hayward

Round 3, pick 93

LB Smoke Monday, Auburn — Monday is a risk for the 49ers that is absolutely worth taking at the end of the third round. He struggled with downfield coverage as a safety at Auburn, which is why he would be used as a gadget player on defense for the 49ers, similar to how they used Talanoa Hufanga. While I don’t expect him to be an immediate starter, he can sub in during red-zone defense situations for the 49ers, thanks to his physicality at the line of scrimmage. He is a bit of a project, who will need to work on his ball skills if he wants to be a true safety. If not, though, he can still be an important gadget piece for this 49ers defense.

Player Comp: Jonathan Abrahms

Round 4, pick 130

WR Skyy Moore, Western Michigan — As much as I love Deebo Samuel, the 49ers lack a receiver with Tyreek Hill-like speed. Moore is rumored to run a 4.2 40 which would add another element to the 49ers offense that defenses would have to prepare for. He had 94 catches for 1283 yards and 10 touchdowns in his senior season and was not afraid of being hit while catching the ball. His hands are as good as nearly anyone in this draft, although his struggle to run block against bad teams may turn Shanahan off, as that is the presumed reason why Brandon Aiyuk barely saw the field for the first half of the season. That being said, with Moore the 49ers get a receiver who can be a downfield threat thanks to his speed, even if he can’t play bully ball like Deebo.

Player Comp: Curtis Samuel

Round 5, pick 170

CB Marcus Jones, Houston — Jones is an undersized corner at 5'8, 185 pounds who will surely fall due to his small frame. However, he is an incredibly versatile player who can easily get off blocks and allows very few yards after the catch. He was arguably the best punt returner in the FBS last season and will help a special teams unit that, outside of the Packers game, struggled a ton in 2021. He isn’t the type of guy that the Niners would have cover DK Metcalf, but he is the perfect guy to cover Cooper Kupp or Davante Adams who thrive after the catch since his best attribute is following a receiver's route and staying in their hip pocket.

Player Comp: Nickell Robey

Round 6, pick 186 (From Denver)

OL Zach Tom, Wake Forest — Tom has played both center and left tackle for Wake Forest, and has 35 games of experience under his belt, so he will be able to fill in for any injuries on the offensive line, similar to how Dan Brunskill did during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He is not the world's greatest pass blocker and seems to struggle to stay behind the line of scrimmage, but he clearly embraces the physicality of football in the run and is very athletic for his size.

Player Comp: Jonah Williams

Round 7, pick 251 (Comp)

RB Tyler Badie, Mizzou — With the possibility of Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson both leaving in free agency, plus the fact that Trey Sermon is clearly in Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse, the 49ers will need to pick up another running back before training camp. Although Badie is not the typical 49ers running back, he does play positionless football and has 330 receiving yards on top of his 1,600 rushing yards in 2021. He would be a nice compliment to Elijah Mitchell.

Player Comp: Kareem Hunt

Round 7, pick 254 (Comp)

QB Bailey Zappe, West Kentucky — With Garoppolo gone, the 49ers will need a backup for Trey Lance, and Zappe will be one of the best. He threw for nearly 6,000 yards in 2021 and 62 touchdowns. His decision making is not the best and he has only played one season at the lower level D1 level which will make him fall to the 7th round, but he can certainly challenge Nate Sudfeld for the backup QB spot, and at this point in the draft, that’s all the 49ers are looking for.

Player Comp: Case Keenum

Round 7, pick 260 (Comp)

WR Deuce Watts, Tulane — At this point, it makes sense for the 49ers to draft the highest risk player with the highest reward, and that is what they get with Watts’ skillset. He was not very productive in college but is an extremely raw athlete and a good student who could have gotten into Tulane with just his grades. It makes perfect sense for the 49ers to bring him into training camp and see if he has any potential.

Player Comp: Darnell Mooney