49ers mock draft: Evaluating Johnny Newton, Luke McCaffrey and the 10-player class (2024)

Are you sure the San Francisco 49ers will open the NFL Draft by picking an offensive lineman — or at least an offensive player after they’ve spent most of free agency working on their defense?

Many fans seem to be treating that as a foregone conclusion, butThe Athletic’sDane Brugler sees it differently. In his seven-round mock draft for every team, the 49ers’ first two picks are spent on defensive players. Brugler does select a pair of offensive linemen, but not until the fourth round, and he includes wide receiver Luke McCaffrey, one of numerous prospects with family ties to the 49ers.

Brugler took team needs, recent workouts and visits into consideration. Last year, he correctly predicted that the 49ers would select Alabama tight end Cameron Latu. Here’s his 10-pick haul for 2024:

To begin, the 49ers grabbed Illinois defensive tackle Johnny Newton, whose 103 pressures over the past two seasons were the most of any college interior lineman. Newton is the reigning Big Ten defensive player of the year. He’s a twitchy lineman who embodies a recent movement in the NFL that’s seen smaller-yet-quicker defensive tackles. Burst and agility have given these players legs up against most offensive guards.

Newton racked up 17 1/2 sacks and 28 tackles for loss over his college career. With Maliek Collins only under contract for two seasons, defensive tackle qualifies as a position of need for the 49ers. Newton would immediately slot into the rotation, perhaps taking the spot of Kevin Givens, with the goal of joining Javon Hargrave as a starter in the near future. Remember how deficient the 49ers were at defensive tackle in 2022 — they combined for only four sacks there. The team must plan ahead to avoid similar struggles in the future.

Cornerback is also a longer-term need for the 49ers because their top four players at the position — Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, Isaac Yiadom and Rock Ya-Sin — are all under contract only through the 2024 season. So Brugler drafted 5-foot-10 Kentucky corner Andru Phillips, who played both outside and inside during college. The 49ers can use immediate depth at slot cornerback, where Lenoir is the favorite to start, and Phillips would further bolster their offseason focus on special teams.

A potential issue with this pick: Phillips didn’t log a single interception in college, and the 49ers have been emphasizing ball hawk ability in their recent acquisitions on the back end. Safety Ji’Ayir Brown, the team’s 2023 third-round pick, had more interceptions (10) than any other draft-eligible player over his final two college seasons. So Phillips might not fit that criterion unless the 49ers project him to generate more takeaways within the context of their defensive system.

TCU tight end Jared Wiley, Brugler’s third-round pick for the 49ers, was a very productive receiver in college. He caught 47 passes his senior season, including five touchdowns in the red zone — the most of any FBS tight end. Wiley dropped one pass over 120 career targets at TCU, and his 6-6 size indicates his potential to develop into a powerful blocker. The 49ers seem hungry to complement George Kittle with a viable receiving threat. Consider that Charlie Woerner, who left in free agency to the Atlanta Falcons, caught only 11 passes over four seasons with them. Wiley would be a strong bet to finally address a long-standing issue at the second tight end spot.

The O-line picks that so many have been craving finally came in the fourth round, where Brugler drafted Texas tackle Christian Jones and Michigan guard Zak Zinter.

Jones was a soccer player — think good footwork — who didn’t begin playing offensive line until his senior year of high school. That relatively late introduction to the position suggests there’s room for Jones to grow, which could fit the 49ers’ situation up front with both 2023 starting tackles — Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz — still on the team. The line could use a swing tackle for 2024, and Jones has experience playing on both sides. That being said, hoping for a mid-round draft pick to develop into a productive NFL starter at tackle is always an ambitious ask.

Zinter was a strong, dependable presence at right guard for coach Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. Zinter broke his tibia and fibula against Ohio State last season, so the draft price for him might be discounted. The Wolverines prepared Zinter to play center, which could be appealing to a 49ers team that might eventually be interested in upgrading a position manned by Jake Brendel. As it stands now, the 49ers’ two starting guards — Aaron Banks and Jon Feliciano — are both under contract only through this season.

The youngest McCaffrey joins the 49ers at the end of the fourth round. He started his college career as a quarterback at Nebraska before transferring to Rice, where he reinvented himself as a wide receiver. The athleticism here — a 4.46 40-yard dash, 1.56 10-yard split and 6.70 three-cone — is what one has come to expect from a McCaffrey. But perhaps the most appealing part of the receiver’s background to the 49ers is his history as a QB. That’s helped McCaffrey quickly refine his timing as a wideout, which is paramount in coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

There’s still meat on the bone here, too. Assuming McCaffrey continues improving at his relatively new position, the 49ers can add another versatile offensive weapon from a bloodline that’s already been eminently productive for them. And yes, McCaffrey would be a candidate at punt returner. That’s a position of need for the 49ers, although they reunited Tuesday with free agent Trent Taylor — a 2017 fifth-round pick who spent four seasons in San Francisco.

Temple linebacker Jordan Magee is fast, which seems to be a prerequisite for this position. Many of his 14 tackles for loss in 2023 came via backside pursuit. He also broke up four passes. Even with Dre Greenlaw recovering from a torn Achilles, the 49ers don’t immediately need another starting linebacker. They signed veteran De’Vondre Campbell for that fill-in job and they also drafted two players at the position, Dee Winters and Jalen Graham, last year. But Magee can keep the pipeline open and perhaps earn a 53-man roster spot thanks to his extensive special teams experience.

Then there’s Memphis running back Blake Watson, whom Brugler mocked to the 49ers in the sixth round. That’s where they picked Elijah Mitchell in 2021 and he’s now entering the final season of his rookie contract. The 49ers want to replenish their backfield depth with players who can also catch the ball, and Watson’s 113 college receptions suggest he’s capable of that.

Kansas State edge rusher Khalid Duke and Tennessee cornerback Kamal Hadden round out Brugler’s draft. We know that it will be difficult for rookies to crack the relatively stocked 49ers’ 53-man roster, so it would probably be an uphill climb for both players.

Duke packs an energetic burst coming off the ball. That might be defensive line coach Kris Kocurek’s most coveted asset in an edge rusher. If the 49ers see Duke as a real developmental candidate, he can compete with the likes of Drake Jackson and Robert Beal Jr. for a spot in the rotation — or he might be a candidate for the practice squad.

Meanwhile, Hadden doesn’t have great speed (he ran 4.57 at his pro day) but he produced in college. Hadden broke up 11 passes in just seven games as a senior before going down with a shoulder injury. Hadden’s decisiveness on tape will earn him a shot with an NFL team. We’ll see if it’s with the 49ers.

(Top photos of Johnny Newton, Andru Phillips and Luke McCaffrey: Michael Reaves / Getty Images, Jordan Prather / USA Today and Tim Heitman / USA Today)