Arizona Cardinals: 4-round NFC West mock draft 1.0

San Francisco 49ers

The theme for the 49ers’ off-season has been defense. They added Dee Ford and Kwon Alexander in free-agency, and I expect them to take one of Nick Bosa, Josh Allen, or Montez Sweat (if they trade down) to further solidify their increasingly dangerous pass-rush. This time, we give the 49ers Josh Allen — not a bad Nick Bosa sweepstakes consolation prize.

No college edge rusher was more productive than Allen in 2018. He’s a freak athlete with a developed game and an endless highlight reel. At 6-4, 262-pounds his size isn’t in question, nor is his athletisism. At the combine, Allen ran a 4.63 second 40-yard-dash and 7.15 second three-cone-drill. He finished the year number one amongst edge-rushers in PFF‘s pass-rush productivity with a 15.2 grade.

Oh, you thought we were done adding to the 49ers’ defense after picking Josh Allen? Sorry Cardinals fans, but that’s not the case. Even worse, Adderley is my favorite safety in this draft but might not be the first one selected due to his small-school status and lack of tape.

But don’t get it twisted, Adderley is worthy of the 36th selection and could very well be a first-round pick. He can play safety, cornerback, and nickel at a very high-level. However, I project Adderley as a safety due to his limitless range, comfort in zone coverage, physical brand of play, and ball skills. Simply put, adding Adderley to the 49ers might be unfair.

Like the Cardinals, the 49ers could stand to add to their wide receiver depth chart. Terry McLaurin, an Ohio State speedster could be a perfect fit within Kyle Shanahan’s offense alongside promising sophomore Dante Pettis. While he might not be an ideal choice as the primary threat, he certainly could use his 4.35 second 40-yard-dash speed to open up an evolving offense.

McLaurin enjoyed two solid final years at Ohio State and flourished in the 2018 offense that was centered around the passing attack. He’s an explosive athlete that shouldn’t have much trouble creating seperation through his route-running. However, he could slip to the third round due to a subpar catching, lack of tape, and average size (6-foot, 208-pounds).

After releasing Reuben Foster late last season, the 49ers could stand to add another linebacker. While Fred Warner was excellent during his rookie year and Kwon Alexander will be an upgrade, the 49ers will need depth in case of an injury or regression. That’s where Dakota Allen comes into play.

Allen is a rangy linebacker that excels in pass coverage. Per PFF, the Texas Tech product finished 24th amongst draft eligible 2019 linebackers in cover snaps per target with 14.05. But, he ultimately might fall to the top of the fourth due to off the field issues, block-shedding woes, and often over-eager play.