While the San Francisco 49ers are on the outside looking in on the NFL playoffs, the focus immediately shifts to draft season.
A 2-14 record in 2016 has secured the No. 2 overall pick for the 49ers in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns, who finished 1-15, own the top selection.
Here's how the rest of the top 10 shakes out:
- Browns (1-15)
- 49ers (2-14)
- Chicago Bears (3-13)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (3-13)
- Tennessee Titans (from Los Angeles Rams, 4-12)
- New York Jets (5-11)
- San Diego Chargers (5-11)
- Carolina Panthers (6-10)
- Cincinnati Bengals (6-9-1)
- Buffalo Bills (7-9)
Click here for the full top 20.
Last year, the 49ers used the seventh overall pick on Oregon defensive lineman DeForest Buckner. In 2015, San Francisco selected another Oregon defensive lineman, Arik Armstead, with the No. 17 pick.
Buckner had a standout rookie season with 71 tackles, six sacks, two fumble recoveries and one pass defended.
As far as the No. 2 pick goes, there have been some very notable players taken second overall in recent memory. Last season, the Philadelphia Eagles traded up to take Carson Wentz with the second selection. Wentz showed signs of his potential as a franchise quarterback with 3,782 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, leading the Eagles to a 7-9 record.
The Tennessee Titans took Marcus Mariota with the No. 2 pick in 2015. The signal-caller has flourished into a marquee player with 3,426 passing yards and 26 touchdowns this season.
This year's draft is still more than four months away, but it's never too early to sink your teeth into rankings of this year's eligible prospects. Here's a comprehensive list by position from Sports Illustrated’s Chris Burke.
We'll have you covered on 49ers.com throughout the draft process, beginning next week with our first "Mock Draft Monday."
