NFL Mock Draft: 49ers Take Defensive Player from Georgia in Round 1

The NFL Draft is almost a week away and we still have no clue which player the 49ers will take with the 11th pick.

They could take a linebacker to replace Dre Greenlaw. They could take an offensive tackle to eventually replace Trent Williams. Or, they could take a defensive lineman to help out Nick Bosa.

NFL.com Next Gen Stats analyst Mike Band expects the 49ers to go with the third option. That's why he projects them to take Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams with the 11th pick.

"In his first four drafts as GM (2017-2020), John Lynch used three first-round picks on defensive linemen, establishing that front as a foundational pillar of the 49ers’ team-building philosophy," writes Band.

"Early-round investments on the unit slowed thereafter -- but now, with aging depth and uncertainty opposite Nick Bosa, that trend could swing back to prominence. Williams fits the prototype San Francisco typically covets: long, explosive and scheme-versatile, while possessing untapped upside."

Williams also is quite similar to 49ers defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, who has the sixth-highest cap hit on the team this year. I'm skeptical that the 49ers will spend the 11th pick on a better version of a player they're already paying relatively big money when they have so many other needs to address.

In addition, defensive end and defensive tackle are two of the deepest positions in the upcoming draft. So in Round 1, the 49ers might prefer to take a position that lacks depth and then wait until Rounds 2 and 3 to address their D-line.

We'll find out soon enough.