What positions do the 49ers need to draft? Exploring San Francisco's needs in 2024 NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers were one victory away from taking home the championship in February, but they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. With the draft fast approaching, the San Francisco club will try to fix the last few holes on their roster to overcome their Super Bowl crash.

The Niners will have to wait a long time to make their first NFL Draft selection because they were among the top teams in the league last season.

We know the positions San Francisco will probably target, but it's difficult to anticipate who will be available when they eventually make their selection with the 31st overall pick.

The 49ers' main position needs going into the 2024 NFL draft are listed below:

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Breaking down the 49ers' needs in the 2024 NFL Draft

1) Offensive lineman

The 49ers will be hoping that a top offensive lineman of their choosing is still available on the board when they make their first pick at No. 31 in the first round of this month's draft.

Fans of the team would prefer to see San Francisco add a player to eventually replace Trent Williams when the 35-year-old great chooses to retire and also contend with Colton McKivitz for the right tackle position.

QB Brock Purdy would be considerably protected by the fact that there would be a second guy bookending the offensive line.

The Niners' first priority in the draft may be to select an offensive tackle, but how they use their first-round pick may depend on what happens with the first 30 picks before them. The Niners may potentially choose to trade up to get an OT who could have an impact.

Joe Alt of Notre Dame, JC Latham of Alabama, Taliese Fuaga of Oregon State, Olu Fashanu of Penn State, Tyler Guyton of Oklahoma and Amarius Mims of Georgia are a few of the options the 49ers are expected to draft from with their first-round choice.

2) Cornerback

The contracts of starting cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir of the San Francisco 49ers expire at the end of this campaign. Thus, it makes sense that the team would use its second-round pick to choose a cornerback.

The Niners also need a starting cornerback to start opposite Ward, with Lenoir taking over the slot completely.

There is disagreement among mock draft experts over the 49ers' potential selection of a cornerback in the second round. Some predict the Niners will take Nate Wiggins of Clemson in the first round, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. of Missouri in the first round, or Dru Phillips of Kentucky in the second round.

Others have them selecting Georgia's Kamari Lassiter in the second round.

3) Safety

The 49ers should try to address one of their underrated needs on the second day of the draft: the safety position.

The 49ers have had a decent amount of success at safety the past several seasons, even after Jimmie Ward left the organization in free agency in 2023.

Talanoa Hufanga and Tashaun Gipson are still the team's main options at the position, but given the ACL injury Hufanga sustained in the previous campaign, it could be smart to select a different player in the draft.

When Hufanga was injured last season, Ji'Ayir Brown filled in and had a strong performance until he was injuref too. Logan Ryan, who is now retired, had to be brought in by the team.

How Hufanga's recovery from his ACL injury affects his productivity is unknown, which creates doubt about this position entering the 2024 campaign.

The Niners won't likely be able to select one of the best safety prospects in the draft. But if they can select a mid-tier player with promise, it may provide them with an impressive set of safeties to work with heading into the next campaign.