NFL Draft Mock: Niners Grab Edge Rusher, WR

0:00It's March 24th. This is NFL News Today football coverage, powered by AI. The NFL draft is coming up fast, and ESPN analyst Field Yates just dropped a two-round mock draft spotlighting the San Francisco 49ers. At pick 27, he has them grabbing Keldrick Falk, an edge rusher from Auburn. This 6-foot-6, 276-pound prospect brings versatility and strong run defense to a 9ers group that could use the help. Falk showed seven sacks in 2024, but dipped to two last season. Still, his pressure rate stayed solid around 11-13 percent, and his quick pressure jumped. He will not even turn 21 until September, so there's plenty of upside for development into a consistent past rusher. The 49ers' edge rotation took hits from injuries to Nick Bosa and Michael Williams, so adding Falk makes sense. In this mock, several other edge rushers and wide receivers went off the board just before them, like David Bailey and Arvel Reese in the top rounds.

1:00Moving to the second round at pick 58, Yates sends the 9ers' Jeremy Bernard, a wide receiver from Alabama. Bernard is smooth in his routes, great after the catch, and fits perfectly in Kyle Shanahan's scheme, with his speed and agility from a 4.4. 840 yard dash. These picks bring youth to key spots, blending immediate potential with long-term growth as the draft buzz builds toward the real event.