Packers 2016 Draft: Last minute NFL mock draft

Pick #7 — San Francisco 49ers

Laremy Tunsil

This one is pretty obvious, in my opinion.

I keep mentioning how there is a small group at the top of the draft considered a tier above the rest; of them, only Tunsil remains.

Plus, this team needs just about everything.

In the past two years, we’ve seen what was one of the perennial contenders devolve into a talent-deprived mess that couldn’t even put a dent in their cap space if they wanted to. They ran off one of the most successful coaches in the league in a power struggle between coach & management, then followed it up with an overmatched former offensive line coach handling head man duties. During this time, they also were hit by a rash of quality players young and older deciding it would be better to retire than keep playing football at all, much less for a faltering team. Add in the further cratering of their QB, and we see a team that’s as depressing as any in the NFL west of Ohio.

So for a team that needs everything, you kind of can’t responsibly make a draft pick without it being on the best available guy.

Tunsil won’t be an exciting pick for a team that needs excitement, and he plays a spot which is one of the few where San Francisco actually has at least something to work with (Joe Staley isn’t exceptional but he’s still a good left tackle, while the retired Anthony Davis may still decide to return at right tackle).

Should he reach his potential though, he’ll be one of the top left tackles in the league, and you don’t pass that up in this situation.

GM Trent Baalke may not be the most beloved guy due to the way he’s handled situations in San Francisco in recent years, but it is undeniable that he has consistently been one of the best at talent acquisition through the draft.

Knowing that — and understanding that the current situation for the 49ers is certainly a multi-year rebuild back to foreseeable success — Tunsil is the only option left worth considering, period.