14. San Francisco 49ers – Original Pick: Javon Kinlaw
Javon Kinlaw gained a lot of hype prior to the draft due to his explosive first step and freaky physical gifts. His tape was somewhat inconsistent but in the end, the 49ers couldn’t pass on his natural abilities and massive size on the d-line.
Kinlaw showed flashes of dominance in his rookie year in San Francisco but like in college, wasn’t all that consistent. Javon only logged 1.5 sacks on the season but he did generate 19 QB pressures. At 324 pounds with a quick first-step, Kinlaw has the ability to be an elite DL if he can become consistent.
New Pick: CJ Henderson
CJ Henderson’s slip from #9 doesn’t last too long as the Niners wouldn’t pass on the opportunity to bring in a young, skilled corner to replace Richard Sherman. Henderson is 6’1, 204 pounds and has all the tools to be a lockdown corner in the NFL.
While Henderson faced some struggles, he left a positive impression with coaches and has all the talent in the world to turn it around next season. It’s normal for a rookie corner to deal with some growing pains and Henderson should be viewed as a potential breakout candidate prior to his sophomore campaign.
15. Denver Broncos – Original Pick: Jerry Jeudy
Jerry Jeudy was viewed as the #1 WR by multiple teams coming into the draft. In his final season at Alabama, Jeudy hauled in 77 passes for a total of 1163 yards and 10 TDs over the span of 13 games.
Jeudy didn’t have a terrible rookie season but the Broncos really struggled to move the ball all season, especially when Drew Lock was out. Hopefully Denver can find Jeudy a new quarterback so he can truly reach his potential.
New Pick: Chase Claypool
Claypool was one of the sleeper prospects coming into the draft. Teams were really intrigued with his size and some even questioned whether he was more of a tight end than a receiver. What some teams and scouts didn’t realize was how skilled he is.
In Claypool’s excellent rookie campaign, he caught 62 passes for 873 yards and 9 touchdowns. He emerged as the #1 WR on the outside for Pittsburgh but his production tailed off towards the end of the year as Ben Roethlisberger’s play regressed. That being said, Claypool showed everyone that he was clearly deserving of being selected in round 1.