San Francisco 49ers: EDGE rusher
The 49ers have their franchise quarterback in the fold and now will look to build a defense to compete in what figures to be a wide-open NFC West race in 2018. San Francisco ranked 26th in the NFL in sacks last season, meaning that finding a pass rush threat from the edge will be priority number one come draft day.
This draft offers a number of intriguing edge prospects and general manager John Lynch would love to pair one of these high-upside prospects with last year’s first-round selection, Solomon Thomas. UTSA’s Marcus Davenport is one player who may fit the mold for Kyle Shanahan’s defense, offering outstanding size (6-foot-6 and 264 pounds) to go along with excellent athleticism (4.58 40-yard dash and 124-inch broad jump). Davenport is raw as a prospect and will face a steep learning curve at the NFL level, but there’s no denying his upside as potentially one of the best pass rushers in this entire class.
San Francisco added some edge to their defense with ultra-motivated former Seahawk Richard Sherman, and the Niners could be looking for that attitude to become infectious to the players they bring in on defense. With a number of safeties headed towards free agency following next season, the team could also pounce on Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick or Florida State’s Derwin James if they happen to fall to the ninth overall pick.
The Niners proved they could win (albeit in a small sample size) with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback and now must shore up the defense if they want to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.