The 2021 NFL Draft is officially a week away, and then we finally know who will take the San Francisco 49ers with the No. 3 overall roster.
Draft experts have the Niners consider Mac Jones, Justin Fields or Trey Lance as the quarterback of the franchise of the future. Jones gets some buzz for his accuracy and deep ball, but Fields and Lance expect higher ceilings as professional quarterbacks.
Mel Kiper Jr., a longtime NFL Draft insider and colleague Todd McShay, have released their latest triple trial on ESPN.com and San Francisco adds a cornerback in Round 2. For their latest piece, Kiper is choosing odd numbers. , so he was tasked with making the selections of both 49ers.
Kiper went number 3 with Fields.
You should know how much I love Fields now. He has all the tools to become a superstar, and he would thrive on Kyle Shanahan’s insult.
It is interesting to note that with Fields, Kiper is about Jones, of whom he had the Niners record his previous mock draft. Kiper believes Fields is the second-best available QB prospect behind only Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, who looks set to become No. 1 overall for the Jacksonville Jaguars. McShay recently said he thinks the 49ers should go with Lance because of his huge advantage.
San Francisco also has the 43rd overall roster and will likely try to add to the secondary roster. The Niners lost to Ahkello Witherspoon in free agency, and the old All-Pro Richard Sherman remains unsigned. General manager John Lynch had Jason Verrett, Emmanuel Moseley and K’Waun Williams make new deals off-season, but the 49ers are short of long-term options on the position.
To meet this need, Kiper went with Georgia to Tyson Campbell’s corner.
Campbell appeared in 31 games over the three seasons with the Bulldogs, finishing his collegiate career with 89 tackles, an interception, and 10 defended passes. Pro Football Focus has ranked Campbell at number 108 on its 2021 NFL Draft big board.
Here’s Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline’s summary of Campbell as a prospect.
Campbell has the size and underlying ball skills to get to the next level, but needs to keep developing his game. Athletic and physical, he can line up in zone or man-off coverage. Campbell’s potential is tantalizing and if coached properly, he could easily grow into a No. 2 corner on Sunday.
Campbell is the ideal size and has a firm movement for an angle. He has also shown that in his three seasons with Georgia, he plays with only five missed tackles. But Campbell will have to add some bulk and will likely need a season or two to refine his game if he will be successful at the NFL level.
Would you be happy if Fields and Campbell ended up being the 49ers’ first two picks? What other corners of Day 2 would you like to see the Niners target at number 43?