49ers could use 2023 NFL Draft to fill important needs for 2024 season
49ers could use 2023 draft to fill needs for future seasons originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The 2023 NFL Draft for the 49ers could end up being more about the 2024 season and beyond.
The 49ers enter next week’s draft with 11 picks. But their first selections don’t come until after the regular phase of the third round with compensatory selections slated for Nos. 99, 101 and 102 overall.
With starting spots tentatively filled at every position on both sides of the ball, the 49ers have the luxury of being able to look ahead to see where they might require more help in the future.
This same strategy served them well in the 2021 NFL Draft with the selections of guard Aaron Banks, cornerback Deommodore Lenior and safety Talanoa Hufanga. Those players saw little action as rookies but they all rose to prominent starting roles and big contributors in Year 2.
Again, the 49ers are in a position where they do not necessarily need rookies to step in and contribute right away. But with a roster that usually has a 40-percent turnover from one season to the next, some long-term planning is necessary.
Here are the positions where the 49ers could look to bring on a player (or two) to develop for the 2024 season:
Wide receiver
Brandon Aiyuk enters the final year of his original contract, but general manager John Lynch has already stated the club will pick up his fifth-year option for the 2024 season at a cost of more than $14 million.
Meanwhile, Deebo Samuel’s base salary jumps next year to nearly $21 million.
Can the 49ers afford to have two highly paid No. 1-caliber wide receivers on the team?
Clubs around the league, sensing the 49ers might have to make a difficult decision, have reached out to see if Aiyuk is available in a trade, Lynch said.
This is a big season for Samuel. Next year, his cap figure jumps to $28.5 million. After this year, the club will have to determine if he continues to be worth that big price. With a post-June 1 release, the 49ers would save more than $17 million on next year's cap.
As unlikely as that seems right now, the 49ers must seek to bolster their depth . . . just in case.
Behind Samuel and Aiyuk, the 49ers have Jauan Jennings, Ray-Ray McCloud and Danny Gray. Jennings is scheduled to be a restricted free agent next year. McCloud is more of a return specialist, and Gray did not make an impact as a rookie.
Safety
The 49ers’ starters are set this season with veteran free safety Tashaun Gipson and Hufanga.
Gipson, 32, returns on a one-year contract. That signaled the end for long-time starter Jimmie Ward, who signed with the Houston Texans as a free agent.
There is no obvious heir apparent for Gipson.
It’s a situation similar to two years ago when the 49ers selected Hufanga to eventually take over for Jaquiski Tartt. After one year of grooming, Hufanga stepped into the starting lineup last season and was named first-team All-Pro.
The 49ers are in a position where they could easily select a future starter at free safety with one of their pick at the end of the third round.
Tight end
It just does not seem right to even consider a 49ers team without George Kittle. But the harsh reality is: He will not play forever.
Kittle is set to enter his seventh NFL season. He thrived last season after Brock Purdy took over as the team’s starting quarterback. He caught seven touchdown passes in the final four games of the regular season.
The 49ers' potential need at tight end has more to do with the depth behind Kittle, but it is fair to note that Kittle’s salary cap figure is scheduled to rise to $19.8 million for the 2024 season.
Defensive tackle
The 49ers seem to have things figured out on the defensive line with how they have used the draft and cycled in veteran free agents on one-year deals while locking up their better players to multi-year contracts.
Edge rusher Nick Bosa, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, figures to be in line this offseason for a contract that could make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league.
The 49ers need immediate help at edge rusher. At defensive tackle, they could require some help a year from now.
The club invested in free-agent Javon Hargrave this offseason. Three years ago, they came through with a big contract for Arik Armstead, whose cap figure rises to $25.6 million 2024.
Javon Kinlaw was a first-round pick in 2020 who has yet to realize his potential due to knee injuries. He enters the final year of his rookie contract, and the club does not figure to pick up the fifth-year option to automatically retain his rights for the 2024 season.
Offensive tackle
Left tackle Trent Williams is the best player on the team.
But at 34, it is reasonable to wonder how much longer he wants to play or can continue to play at a high level?
The 49ers have an unknown at right tackle. Colton McKivitz appears to be first in line to replace Mike McGlinchey, who signed a huge contract to join the Denver Broncos as a free agent.
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Jaylon Moore and Matt Pryor could place themselves in positions to compete for the job, too.
A year from now, the 49ers could find themselves in a position where they might feel urgency to replace one or both offensive tackles for the 2024 season. Adding a talented, young player to spend a year developing under offensive line coach Chris Foerster would be a wise decision.
