San Francisco 49ers NFL Draft 2024 guide: Picks, predictions and key needs (2024)

“The Beast”, Dane Brugler’s expansive guide to the NFL Draft, is here.

The San Francisco 49ers have the 31st pick in the NFL Draft when Round 1 begins April 27 in Detroit. The 49ers own 10 total picks in the seven-round draft. That includes a fourth-round pick they received from the Dallas Cowboys in last summer’s trade of Trey Lance and four compensatory selections. Their original fourth-round pick was moved to the end of that round because of an accounting error that also cost them their 2025 fifth-round pick.

49ers’ draft picks

Full draft order

Every pick in the seven-round NFL Draft.

NFL Draft details

• Round 1: April 25, 8 p.m. ET
• Rounds 2-3: April 26, 7 p.m. ET
• Rounds 4-7: April 27, Noon ET

All rounds will be televised on ESPN/ABC and NFL Network and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes.

About the 49ers

• Head coach: Kyle Shanahan (eighth season with team)
• Last year’s record: 12-5

There were times last season when the 49ers looked like the NFL’s top team. They steamrolled the Cowboys early on and throttled the Philadelphia Eagles so badly in early December that they never recovered. The talented 49ers, however, also could look flat, as they did during a three-game losing skid and even to start the playoffs. One of the issues was a defense that struggled to get consistent pressures off its edges and often had trouble stopping the run. The 49ers replaced coordinator Steve Wilks with an in-house assistant, Nick Sorensen, and they revamped their defensive line, including adding veteran edge rusher Leonard Floyd. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch hope the changes lead to a more consistent unit in 2024.

49ers’ key position needs

Offensive tackle: Left tackle Trent Williams will be 36 when the season begins, and Colton McKivitz is a serviceable but not elite right tackle. The 49ers could take advantage of an unusually deep draft at the position and find someone to compete with McKivitz now and perhaps take over for Williams later. The 49ers might even trade up into the first round to find a tackle they like.

Receiver: All signs point to the 49ers going through 2024 with their top receiver triumvirate — Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings — intact. But for 2025, Aiyuk wants a big contract extension, Jennings is scheduled for unrestricted free agency and the 49ers have an escape hatch in Samuel’s hefty contract. All of which points to the team taking a receiver early and grooming him for a sizable role next season.

Nickel cornerback: As it stands, the team’s top nickel option for 2024 is Deommodore Lenoir. But he’s also one of the 49ers’ top two outside cornerbacks. One solution is to use a Day 2 pick on a nickel cornerback, which would allow Lenoir to remain at one spot. Led by Michigan’s Mike Sainristil, it’s a good draft for quick, tough nickelbacks.

49ers draft analysis

Matt Barrows’ Draft Crush

49ers NFL Draft big board: 41 prospects across 7 rounds

10 offensive line prospects to consider

49ers’ top five NFL Draft needs

How the 49ers’ first wave of free agency sets up the NFL Draft

49ers depth chart: An early 53-man projection ahead of the draft

How our beat writers would build the 53-man roster

The Athletic’s most recent mock drafts

April 17:Dane Brugler’s full seven-round mock
Our draft expert projects all 257 picks, including 10 to the 49ers.

April 11:David Lombardi’s mock draft
Ten rookies are unlikely to make this team anyway, so packaging picks to move up makes sense.

April 8:Nick Baumgardner’s mock draft
A lineman with guard/tackle flexibility gives the 49ers options.

April 4: Matt Barrows’ mock draft
A trade up 10 spots nets an offensive lineman and a familiar family name is added in a later round.

April 4: Bruce Feldman’s mock draft
Feldman’s coach intel has him fortifying the 49ers’ offensive line in the first round.

March 25:Ben Standig’s mock draft
A best-player-available approach lands the 49ers a cornerback at No. 31.

March 21: Beat writer mock draft 2.0
David Lombardi nabs a versatile offensive lineman.

March 5: Dane Brugler’s post-combine mock draft
Brugler also goes offensive line in a first round that sees eight tackles selected.

49ers’ last five top picks

2023:S Ji’Ayir Brown, pick No. 87 — A third-round pick, Brown took over at safety after Talanoa Hufanga tore his ACL in Week 11. Brown’s performance was rookie-like — uneven — down the homestretch, but he looked good in the Super Bowl, which included an interception. He’s in a good position to be one of the safety starters when the season begins.

2022: DE Drake Jackson, pick No. 61 — Jackson had a role as a backup defensive end when 2023 began. But as with his rookie campaign in 2022, his playing time steadily decreased. He landed on injured reserve with a knee issue at midseason and never played again. Jackson will compete with 2023 rookie Robert Beal Jr. for playing time this season.

2021: QB Trey Lance, pick No. 3 — It turns out 2021 wasn’t a great year for quarterbacks, as many of the teams that drafted one early already have parted ways with the player. That includes the oft-injured Lance, who lost out to Sam Darnold to be the top backup to begin the season. The 49ers subsequently sent him to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick — No. 125 — in this month’s draft.

2020: DT Javon Kinlaw, pick No. 14 — Finally over the knee issue that plagued him early on, Kinlaw had the best season of his career in 2023 and finished with 3 1/2 sacks. Still, he never became a full-time starter, the 49ers didn’t pick up his fifth-year option, and the New York Jets signed him to a one-year deal last month. The 49ers had hoped Kinlaw could step in for DeForest Buckner, whom they traded in 2020. Buckner has 32 1/2 sacks since the trade; Kinlaw has five.

2019: DE Nick Bosa, pick No. 2 — Before the 2023 season began, the 49ers rewarded Bosa with a five-year deal that made him the highest-paid defensive player in the league. But he didn’t ink it until early September, which might have led to a slow start. Bosa caught up quickly, however. He was strong in the Super Bowl, racking up a season-high 12 quarterback pressures.

(Photo of Tyler Guyton: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)