Baltimore Beatdown readers draft the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft: San Francisco 49ers

The last few selections in the 2018 Beatdown mock have not been close, and the pattern did not cease with the Chicago Bears 59% selection of LB Tremaine Edmunds. This is a great decision for the Bears, as Edmunds fills a need while also being best on the board.

Previous voting links:

1. Cleveland Browns — Sam Darnold
2. New York Giants — RB Saquon Barkley
3. New York Jets — QB Josh Rosen
4. Cleveland Browns — DE Bradley Chubb
5. Denver Broncos — QB Baker Mayfield
6. Indianapolis Colts — OG Quenton Nelson
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — SS Derwin James
8. Chicago Bears — LB Tremaine Edmunds

The draft heads to the west coast, as the San Francisco 49ers are on the clock!

Possible picks:

1. CB Denzel Ward — Yes, the 49ers acquired CB Richard Sherman, but let’s not act like he’s a long-term solution. The 49ers are structuring towards a successful future, and Denzel Ward can clearly be involved in the aforementioned plans. They get their pick of the litter in cornerbacks, as none have been taken off the board.
2. DB Minkah Fitzpatrick — Eric Reid isn’t on the 49ers, or any other team, as of now, maybe they want to replace the void? Fitzpatrick is a top-10 product in the 2018 NFL Draft, and if they want a versatile safety/defensive back, Minkah can bring the product.
3. CB Josh Jackson — While more fans are leaning on Denzel as the top CB, Jackson is the man who dominated the 2017-2018 college season. He racked up dominating stats, but is he the answer for San Fran?
4. DE Marcus Davenport — An incredibly high ceiling, but a low floor. As Adam Stites of SB Nation says in the most recent mock draft, “San Francisco was near the bottom of the NFL in sacks in 2017 and Elvis Dumervil was the only player on the team with more than three.” Many BB readers know, I value sacking the quarterback as the third most valuable product in the NFL, only behind having a quarterback and protecting said quarterback. Maybe the 49ers believe Denzel is less valuable than the ridiculous ceiling of Davenport.
5. LB Roquan Smith — Editor for Niners Nation, James Brady, posted his most recent mock draft, in which San Fran selects the linebacker from Georgia; while things fall differently than the fan-vote of the Beatdown, it’s still worth noting. The 49ers no longer have NaVorro Bowman, and this is a void. Replacing an impact player with another impact player is necessary.