The San Francisco 49ers would love to see something crazy happen in the top 10 of this year's NFL draft.
With the No. 11 pick, the 49ers are in a prime spot to take advantage of an outside the box move from a team ahead of them. If that happens, a player like Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou, LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell, or Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham could slide out of the top 10 and into San Francisco's lap.
Advertisement
That sort of scenario plays out in a mock draft from CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin. Two trades move some things around with the Carolina Panthers leaping up to No. 3 overall and the New York Giants moving to No. 8. The New Orleans Saints also jump up to No. 5 with the Jacksonville Jaguars moving back to No. 9.
Chaos in the top 10 left the Chicago Bears selecting Michigan tight end Colston Loveland. He would be a surprise top 10 selection based on virtually every other projection. That selection allowed Georgia defensive end/linebacker Jalon Walker to drop to San Francisco with the 11th pick.
It may not be an exact scheme fit between the 49ers and Walker. However, he's a long, athletic, violent football player who can conceivably play as a Will linebacker and edge rusher. A Swiss Army knife type of defender would be a nice weapon for defensive coordinator Robert Saleh to have.
If the 49ers don't believe Walker would work on their defense, he's a nice player to dangle in a potential trade back with so many other teams needing pass rush help who might be a better fit for Walker's skill set.