Eight players on the San Francisco 49ers' wish list for the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft

Mims’ 86" and 3/4 wingspan, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, is only a quarter-inch smaller than that of Milwaukee Bucks’ star Giannis Antetokounmpo. In space, Mims is in need of refinement but he has demonstrated alluring upside as a run blocker on the move that was illustrated by his 40-yard dash of 5.07 seconds at the Combine. 

Pass protection on the right side of the O-Line was a huge problem for the 49ers last season, but Mims’ tape from his eight starts is so good as to suggest he would fix that instantly. As far as bets go, there are significantly worse ones to make the backing the 21-year-old to excel in pass protection and quickly develop as a run blocker under the tutelage of All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams.

Johnny Newton, IDL, Illinois

The 49ers were in attendance at Newton’s pro day, which only happened this month after he successfully recovered from foot surgery. As is the case with Mims and potentially DeJean, the Niners may have to execute a trade up to land Newton, who has the skill set to immediately provide a huge boost to San Francisco’s interior pass rush.

Depth on the interior proved a problem for the 49ers late in the 2023 season and the reality is that it still looms as a potential issue this season. The Niners traded for Maliek Collins to partner Javon Hargrave on the starting D-Line after parting with Arik Armstead, while they signed Jordan Elliott essentially as a replacement for the departed Javon Kinlaw. Beyond that, the 49ers are relying on longtime rotational player Kevin Givens and 2022 sixth-rounder Kalia Davis. 

Newton would give the Niners a much-needed extra option but, even more importantly, has all the tools to be a long-term starter at defensive tackle. With Hargrave 31 years old and Collins set to turn 30 before the season starts, there is an underrated need for the Niners to at some point find a young player who can man that position for at least half a decade. 

Newton is brimming with the talent that should enable him to do so. He wins with primarily with the force in his hands, which are key in him shedding blocks against the run and play an obviously critical role in a well-refined pass-rush arsenal. With a surprising amount of flexibility at the top of his rush and quickness to win inside, Newton can play anywhere on the defensive line and succeed. For the 49ers, that makes him a perfect fit.

Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama

San Francisco held a formal interview with McKinstry at the Combine but they have not since been reported as following up on that clear show of interest by inviting him to Santa Clara for a top-30 visit.

McKinstry’s pre-draft process was complicated somewhat by the medical check revealing a Jones fracture in his foot that prevented him from working out at the Combine. He is expected to be fully healthy in time for training camp but, even if that timeline proves a little inaccurate, the 49ers are in a position where they could be patient with a prospect with the skill set to be a star in the secondary. 

The 49ers have Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir as their top two at corner, while the signings of Isaac Yiadom and Rock Ya-Sin have put them in a strong position in terms of depth. All four of those players are free agents next offseason, however, so this would be a case of the Niners drafting a year ahead and planning for the possible departure of Ward or Lenoir.

In McKinstry, they would be getting a scheme-diverse corner who plays with great awareness in zone and can get excellent drive on the ball from depth. Boasting the athletic traits and the physicality to thrive playing press-man, McKinstry would represent an astute selection at 31 that would set the 49ers up very well for the present and the future in the secondary.

Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State

There’s a very good chance McKinstry will still be available at 31, but the uncertainty is greater with Robinson, who did not meet with the 49ers at the Combine and was not on the list of reported top-30 visits.

Indeed, Robinson’s physical traits are so enticing that it would be no surprise if he is off the board well before the 49ers come to make their pick. By the same token, the production — 9.5 sacks in two seasons with Penn State after transferring from Maryland — is so disappointing that he could fall right into their lap. 

If the latter scenario comes to pass, it will be very hard for the 49ers to resist taking a prospect who, save for arm length, fits the profile of what they look for among outside pass rushers. Robinson possesses a tremendous get-off, can translate speed to power with devastating ease and has an ability to bend around the edge that has been sorely lacking from the 49ers’ edge rush rotation for a long time. 

With the chance to learn from Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd as well as the 49ers’ renowned defensive line coach Kris Kocurek while playing as a designated pass rusher on third down as a rookie, San Francisco represents the perfect landing spot for an incredibly promising but still unrefined talent.

Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU

The 49ers gave a clear signal that Suamataia is in the conversation for their first-round pick when they hosted him for a top-30 visit. Excluding the COVID-19 years of 2020 and 2021, the Niners have selected 18 players with whom they have held such visits since Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch assumed their roles in 2017.

Suamataia is the cousin of an already hugely successful NFL right tackle, Penei Sewell of the Detroit Lions. While he has not received anywhere close to the same level of hype as some of the other first-round tackles in a stacked class at the position, Suatamatia has both the most polish and the most room to grow of any tackle likely to be available at this point in the draft. 

Having only turned 21 in January, Suamataia’s game is defined in large part by his composure. In pass protection, he uses his blend of foot quickness and power to great effect. He is quick but controlled into his pass set and can land punishing strikes with his hands while staying alive to the threat of counters, with his wide base allowing him to anchor effectively and on a consistent basis. 

In the run game, Suamataia can access the second level of the defense with little difficulty, a point evidenced by his 10-yard split of 1.74 seconds at the Combine. He can drive defenders off the ball and has no issue executing reach blocks. There is a mean streak to Suamataia’s game that the 49ers should love and, with experience at both right and left tackle, he could serve as a starter on the right side as a rookie and perhaps be the long-term successor for Williams on the left.

Marshawn Kneeland, DL, Western Michigan

Kneeland was another player the 49ers had at their facility for a top-30 visit, showing their hand with a MAC prospect who is viewed as a fringe first-rounder.

His closest comparison on MockDraftable is Frank Clark, a defensive lineman with whom the 49ers have previously been credited with an interest. However, if the 49ers were to select Kneeland, it would be a move to replace a current member of the Kansas City Chiefs, Charles Omenihu, who left San Francisco in free agency last year. 

Omenihu was hugely valuable to the 49ers with his inside-out versatility, and that is something Kneeland can offer. Able to produce incredible power with his bull rush, Kneeland still needs refinement as a pass rusher but has demonstrated the ability to bend and flatten at the top of his rush when attacking the edge and win with lateral quickness on stunts. 

A burgeoning pass-rush repertoire features a long arm move, a two-hand swipe, a rip move and, most intriguing of all, a spin move. Kneeland marries his hand usage with clever footwork and has an understanding of the importance of attacking half a man as a bull rusher. An over-reliance on that bull rush will need to be fixed at the next level and greater consistency against the run will be required, but Kneeland has proven himself an impactful defender attacking around the outside and to the interior of the offensive line.

He doesn’t have a huge amount of experience playing lined up on the interior, but it’s not difficult to envisage the 49ers employing Kneeland in the Omenihu role early in his career.

Roger Rosengarten, OT, Washington

The 49ers did not host a top-30 visit with Rosengarten, but John Lynch and offensive line coach Chris Foerster flew up to Seattle to attend a private workout at the Huskies’ campus. So consider that box checked.

Rosengarten was mocked twice to the 49ers at pick 31 by ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr, and the links between him and the Niners make it easy to see him as a slightly surprising first-round selection for San Francisco. 

He was coached by former 49er Ed McCaffrey in high school. McCaffrey is, of course, the father of 49ers running back and Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey and has an intimate knowledge of the zone-blocking scheme run by Shanahan, having played for Mike Shanahan in San Francisco and Denver. 

Since finishing his college career, Rosengarten has been training with former 49ers left tackle Joe Staley. In other words, Rosengarten has received an in-depth education in the league's pre-eminent offense, which, from the perspective of what the Niners look for at tackle, he fits like a glove. 

Rosengarten boasts tremendous foot speed in pass protection and thrives in space as a run blocker. He did not allow a sack in 625 pass block snaps last season, per Pro Football Focus, a lack of archetypal size and arm length not a barrier to his ability to lock on to pass rushers and anchor. It would be considered a reach, but Rosengarten hearing his name called on night one by San Francisco would not be a stunner.