SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Much like the NFL itself, NFL mock drafts have become something of a year-round proposition. So, yes, not long after the actual 2017 NFL draft was complete, many began unveiling their first guesses at the 2018 NFL draft.

Last week, ESPN NFL draft analyst Todd McShay joined that group by releasing what he calls a "way-too-early" mock draft. Was it way too early? Of course. Will it mean anything come this time next year? Probably not.

But it's worth taking a long-term look to get a feel for who might be the top names coming down the pipe and to get a further look at some of the remaining pressing needs for each team.

And McShay makes it clear that he hasn't done full tape study of the prospects and his draft order is based on Football Outsiders' projected win totals for each team.

As followers of the San Francisco 49ers already know, this was a busy offseason in which they began a massive rebuild of the roster. But even with the money and draft capital spent to improve the roster, there are still plenty of needs remaining, including the biggest one of all: a franchise quarterback.

Which is why McShay has the Niners selecting Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen with the No. 2 overall pick.

While that draft is a long way off, it's worth noting that Allen is one of three quarterbacks McShay has pegged for the top three picks in the draft. He sent USC's Sam Darnold to the Cleveland Browns with the first pick and UCLA's Josh Rosen to the New York Jets with the third selection.

Of course, it's also worth pointing out that quarterbacks considered to be the next big thing always don't turn out to be that. Remember, it was just a year ago when many believed Clemson's Deshaun Watson would be the clear-cut No. 1 pick this year and he ended up going 12th to the Houston Texans. The opposite is also true where a player -- such as North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky -- comes out of nowhere and becomes the No. 2 overall pick.

Still, from a Niners perspective, it has to be encouraging to see so many highly-regarded quarterbacks potentially available in next year's draft, even if it's possible the names and rankings will change. Part of general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan's approach this offseason was based on their belief that being patient to find the right quarterback was the proper approach.

Lynch and Shanahan followed through by signing stopgap veterans Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley and spending a late third-round pick on a developmental prospect in C.J. Beathard. They also positioned themselves to find the right guy next offseason when, in addition to the aforementioned college prospects, veterans such as Kirk Cousins and Jimmy Garoppolo could be available as free agents.

The Niners would certainly prefer not to be drafting No. 2 overall next year but if they are, an ideal scenario would be to sign someone like Cousins and then be in position to draft another blue-chip player at a different position (receiver, perhaps?) or auction that pick for a boatload of choices for a team seeking one of those top quarterback prospects.

And if the 49ers aren't in the top three and can't sign one of the veteran quarterback options? They acquired additional second- and third-round picks so if they had to make a move up the board for a quarterback, they'd have some additional trade chips to make it happen.

In other words, a potentially loaded class of quarterbacks in the 2018 draft has the potential to benefit the 49ers, one way or another.