The 2020 NFL Draft begins in less than two weeks. The 49ers will use their draft picks, including two in the first round, to fill what holes remain on the roster. But they don't have to wait until then to do so.
Free agency is ongoing.
Yes, the vast majority of the top names have been accounted for. Outside of a few individuals, you're unlikely to find a top-tier starter still available on the open market. At this stage in the process, however, most teams can't afford those higher-salaried players anyway. So, now's the time to go bargain shopping.
With that in mind, Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox recently suggested one still-available free-agent signing for all 32 teams in the NFL. For San Francisco, he sees veteran defensive tackle Mike Daniels as a potential fit.
Daniels, 30, is coming off a down year and probably isn't the player he once was, but that's also why he would make sense as a relatively cheap defensive line addition, particularly in the wake of DeForest Buckner's departure.
"Daniels disappointed with the Lions in 2019 -- he had only 10 tackles and a sack in nine games -- but before that, he was a reliable five-year starter for the Packers," Knox wrote. "While the 30-year-old may no longer be a starting-caliber defender, he would be a high-level backup for perhaps the NFL's strongest defensive front.
"Though Daniels isn't as impactful as Buckner, he plays a similar penetrating style and would be a great fit in San Francisco's rotation."
San Francisco 49ers
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The 49ers possess the No. 13 and No. 31 overall picks in the 2020 draft, both of which could be used to select one of the best defensive line prospects available. However, if San Francisco addressed that position in free agency -- say, with Daniels -- that would allow the Niners to turn their attention to other positions early in the draft, namely wide receiver, cornerback and offensive tackle.