Day 3 Watchlist
/fullback
While it may take place during Saturday morning cartoons (are these still a thing?), the third day of the draft is critically important—especially for us. Of the 24ish players we could consider starters, exactly half of them were found on the third day of the draft or later. We’ve drafted this day as well as any team in the NFL, which is a big reason why we’ve been able to offset the many misses we’ve had in the first three rounds. As a perfect example of this, after signing Trent Taylor last week, all eleven of our fifth-round picks since Shanahan and Lynch took over seven years ago are currently on contract in the NFL. Five of them start for us. That’s an absurd stat.
I think one of the reasons why we’ve done so well in unearthing late-round and undrafted talents is that once the third day rolls around, we have historically swung more on players whose traits may be in question but whose character is not. Hufanga was too slow to play safety. Lenoir was too small to play corner. Greenlaw was a bit undersized and ran a slow forty (lol). Kittle, uh… yeah, not sure what happened there. But the fact remains that these guys have vastly overperformed their draft position because they were scheme fits and because high-character dudes are much more likely to put in the work to vault above their selection. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t take any swings on guys with tantalizing traits (there are many listed below). The dream is always to get guys like Greenlaw and Kittle who have sky-high potential and character. But the latter seems to power our late-round decision-making more than the former.
Continuing to find legitimate contributors out of the last four rounds will play a big part in our ability to sustain our success. That said, the depth of this draft is clustered in its top 100-150 and some believe there is a steep drop-off after that. Add in the fact that we have ten total picks for 5ish (max) roster spots and we should be expecting to wheel and deal a lot of these late-round picks to maneuver positioning and (ideally) add picks for next year.
I’ve clustered players by the best-guess round that they’ll be selected below. This is always an inexact science on day 3, but probably more so in a year when there’s said to be a steep talent drop-off before the last rounds. Don’t be surprised if someone listed in the sixth round winds up going in the fourth. That could mean it’s a reach, but—in this class more so than others—it may simply point to a lack of late-round depth and variance in scouting opinions.
4TH ROUND
When your nickname is Bort, you are required to have a mullet
While the three-day draft split has drawn an imaginary line between the third and fourth rounds, I still believe you should be able to consistently find contributors in the fourth. While it seems unlikely that we’ll keep all of them, we have three picks within a 12-pick span at the end of this round (124, 132, 135). The names below aren’t typically listed in any particular order, but I am going to lead off with players who may be able to start as rookies.
Offensive line mentions will continue until morale improves. Even if we snag a guy in the first two days we are almost certain to take either (A) a developmental player later in the draft or (B) another dude (likely on the interior) who can at least push for starting time now. As a four-year starter at right tackle, OT, Caeden Wallace (Penn State) is more the latter. He’s a high-floor player with a workmanlike approach to the game who tested better athletically than many expected and one of the few potential rookie starters at right tackle who might still be around at this point in the draft.
Another guy who could play sooner rather than later on the OL is OG, Zak Zinter (Michigan). He’s not huge nor the most impressive athlete, but he’s strong, smart, does a great job with his hands, and would only be around at this point in the draft because he suffered a broken tibia and fibula in late November. While the talk with our linemen is almost always more about mobility due to our affinity for stretch running, that’s a bit more relevant on the outside. At guard, we often prioritize strength (Aaron Banks, Laken Tomlinson) over a guy who lacks punch in the run game. Besides, we are running more and more gap schemes each year.
If you’re drafting Zinter for his floor, you’re taking C, Tanor Bortolini (Wisconsin), aka “Bort” (lol), for his ceiling. He started 28 games in his four years in Wisconsin, playing every position along the OL except for left tackle. Entering the year, he expected to be a starting guard before an injury forced him inside to center. The last-second move led to some expected hiccups, and his shorter arms and lack of power mean he must do everything else better to compensate, but his athletic potential is truly sky-high.
That’s as a guard. When compared to other centers he gets a perfect 10 out of 10 grade. According to Next Gen Stats, Bortolini is only the 5th interior lineman to record a 99 athleticism score since 2003, a group that includes Jason Kelce, the man whose 3-cone record (for interior OL) Bortolini just beat. But he’s not all traits. He’s also one of the smartest linemen in this class, is plenty skilled, and offers some positional flexibility if he doesn’t start right away. We could do much worse this late in the draft than swing on a dude with elite upside at the pivot position.
Every year we look for a guy who could be the heir apparent to Juice and/or a reliable backup to Kittle with some pass-catching ability. TE, Ben Sinnott (Kansas State) is one of the better options we’ve seen. He’s got average size and length and will always be more of a positional blocker in the NFL, but he’s a super smart, fluid athlete, with good change of direction skills (topped all TEs in three-cone, vert, and broad jump at the combine) and the ability to play out of the backfield, in-line, or anywhere else in the formation. He may not be for everyone, but he’s a slam-dunk scheme fit for us.
LB, Trevin Wallace (Kentucky) is a speedy linebacker who could wind up in the late third round, especially after running a 4.51 and posting a 37.5” vertical at the combine. His size, length, and athleticism are undeniably impressive, but–at the moment–he’s a traits guy, which is why I put him here. His consistency, instincts, and awareness are not there at the moment. A lack of instincts on tape doesn’t always mean you won’t get there. Sometimes a player just needs more reps and/or the right coaching to unlock them mentally. But lack of instincts scares me in linebackers like lack of vision scares me in running backs.
Another rangy development linebacker is LB, Cedric Gray (North Carolina), a tackling machine (100+ tackles each of the last three seasons) who stuffed the stat sheet through college. He’s not particularly strong, which can be a problem when he has to take on and shed blocks, but he’s got sideline speed and is an ascending talent in coverage. Even if he has to be protected, he’s got plenty of tools to work with.
While it may seem surprising that USC’s defense had any draftable players last year, S, Calen Bullock (USC) was a Freshman All-American back in 2021, before following that up with second-team and first-team All-Pac-12 selections. With 32 starts over three years, he’s a long cover man with excellent athleticism who plays the ball like a receiver, has the positional flexibility to line up at safety or nickel, and will only be 20 years old by draft day. But he is very skinny for a safety (6’2” 188 lbs.) and–while a willing tackler–that lack of size has shown up in the run game. He’s got genuine ballhawk potential in the NFL, but he’ll need to improve his strength, pursuit angles, and tackling technique to avoid being a liability versus the run.
Now that we’re out of the first two days, we can look more closely at pure slots, and there are a lot of them in this draft. WR, Jacob Cowing (Arizona) is a diminutive player with excellent speed and athleticism, which he routinely shows after the catch. He’ll always be limited by his size and lack of play strength, but a guy who can get open underneath, push vertically, and run after the catch is intriguing on Day 3. And he at least seems willing to block in the run game.
If you’re looking for a different kind of body and a whole different skill set, WR, Brenden Rice (USC) has the size and physicality to make grabs in traffic and in the red zone (one TD for every 5.2 catches in college) but he lacks the quickness and burst we usually require of our receivers to get open underneath. The son of the GOAT is still putting the pieces together and could be a better pro than a college player, but he might find a better fit in a different scheme.
5TH ROUND
Finding a starter in the fourth is a big (yet possible) ask, but finding one in the 5th is simply unrealistic. Yes, Greenlaw, Kittle, and Huf all started as rookie fifth-rounders, but you never want to enter the round expecting that sort of outcome. We only have one pick in this round (176) and will likely be looking for someone with developmental upside who we can bring along slowly. This is also where the ability to play special teams becomes hugely beneficial to any pick’s chances at making the active roster.
We just left the fourth round with a legacy name, so let’s start the fifth with another (kind of). WR, Luke McCaffrey (Rice) is a former QB turned wideout with nice quicks and short-area burst and shockingly good contested catch ability given how new he is to the position (his contested catch rate was second-best in FBS behind only Rome Odunze of Washington).
Despite being CMC’s brother, his athleticism doesn’t always turn into separation at the moment and he’s got a lot of stuff to shore up considering he’s only played the position for two years. But his growth during that time has been explosive, and his upside is legitimately intriguing. McCaffrey is 6’2” 198 lbs., had the fastest short shuttle among all wideouts and the second fastest 3-cone, and already shows great hands, toughness, and work ethic. He also has some experience returning punts. This is more than a legacy play. There’s something here.
WR, Tajh Washington (USC) is more of a slippery, athletic slot who can create after the catch. That YAC ability–plus his knack for getting behind defenders–made him an excellent pairing with Caleb Williams as one of USC’s top big-play threats. While vastly undersized, he was remarkably durable in college and his ability as a return man and gunner would help his chances of making the roster.
We know we’re interested in adding a tight end, and If we’re looking to try and “build one” out of traits, TE, Tip Reiman (Illinois) could be the way to go. At 6’5 271 lbs., he dwarfs a lot of the other tight ends in this class, but he also happened to run a 4.64 at the combine (and–according to NFL.com–his full athletic testing ranked 1st of all tight ends). His character and work ethic are lauded, he played largely in-line (also not common in college) and is a physical blocker both in-line and in space. But he isn’t particularly sudden and–despite starting the past two years–he’s only seen 59 targets in his career(!). Are we likely to be scheming up YAC looks for him anytime soon? No. And he might just top out as a bigger Charlie Woerner who presents little to nothing as a receiver. But with his size and speed, there’s at least some potential for him to be a guy who can bang in the box and threaten with the occasional seam, corner, or crosser in the passing game.
CB, Kalen King (Penn State) is projected anywhere from the 4th to the 7th round, which is wild considering this time last year he was largely considered a first-round pick. A horrid junior year and some poor testing numbers have plummeted his stock, but somewhere in there is the guy who had 21(!) passes defended as a sophomore. At this point in the draft, the upside is high and the downside is minimal.
While King’s stock has been falling, CB, Elijah Jones’ (Boston College) has been rising. With his height (6’1” 185 lbs.), athleticism (4.44 forty, 42.5” vertical), and ball skills (28 broken-up passes and 7 picks over the past two seasons), it’s easy to see why. But he’s got a good amount of sloppiness and inconsistency in his game so is more of a developmental guy—albeit one with tremendous potential.
CB, DeCamerion Richardson (Mississippi State) is another tall (6’2” 188 lbs.) and athletic (4.34 forty, 6.96 3-cone) developmental prospect. His physical tools are as impressive as anyone in the class and he’s an excellent tackler, but you really shouldn’t have as many tackles as he did in college at corner because that means you’re giving up a lot of receptions, and his ability to find and play the ball in the air is a major question. He’s got the right size, tools, and physicality to fit well in our scheme, but if he can’t find the ball in the NFL the floor is quite low.
When is it too early to draft a running back? For us? At any point earlier than right now. RB, Isaac Guerendo (Louisville) is this draft’s size-speed darling, and–in that regard–he is undeniably impressive.
As the chart makes clear, Guerendo’s combination of size, speed, and burst is rare and he’s a home run threat from anywhere on the field, but his career production leaves a lot to be desired. He has a single career start (this year’s bowl game), doesn’t play as big as his size, and his instincts, vision, and patience are all lacking. Yes, those traits can develop, and yes they’re likely easier to develop in a zone and stretch scheme such as ours, but there’s a lot of projection needed for him to move from prospect to player. The intrigue is obvious. If he puts it together he could be like a bigger Mostert in our scheme. But—like linebackers with subpar instincts—running backs with subpar vision have very low floors.
RB, Rasheen Ali (Marshall) is another good schematic fit for us, as his burst, wiggle, and explosiveness (FBS-leading 7 plays of 50+ yards this season) can spring big plays in our zone/stretch-based scheme. He’s undersized, lacks power, runs upright, and has fought injury issues throughout his career, but he’s got a little Matt Breida in him.
If you want tools and upside DE, Jalyx Hunt (Houston Christian) is from a school I quite literally have never heard of, but his length, athleticism, and closing speed are all intriguing. Right now he’s more of an athlete than an edge and is facing a massive jump in competition, but–if we can afford to–he’s an interesting stash and develop guy.
While Hunt likely wouldn’t contribute as a rookie, it’s not hard to see DE, Mohamed Kamara (Colorado State) carving out a subpackage role early. His size (6’1” 248 lbs.) and length are way under what NFL teams are looking for in a full-time starter, but he tested well, has a non-stop motor, and was super productive in college. Just last year he was a Second-Team All-American and he’s racked up 45+ TFLs and 30+ sacks over his college career. While it’s hard to see him being a full-timer at his size, it’s easy to see him being at least a serviceable sub-package edge rusher, and it’s impossible to have too many of those.
6TH ROUND
Dude plays primarily defense and this is his team photo
With picks 211 and 215 in a draft in which the back-end talent is questionable, we’re really just looking for someone with a fighting chance to make the practice squad. Given our roster crunch, it’s honestly easier if this guy can be stashed for the year without getting swooped up by someone else, which means we’ll be looking at a lot of developmental projects and a sprinkling of productive college guys who we’re willing to bet on despite subpar size/speed ratios. The later you get in the draft the more special teams become important (and the more likely I am to pitch every player as a potential fullback), which is why I’m going to lead off this round with…
S, Sione Vaki (Utah), who everyone and their mother has been mocking to the Niners, and—to be fair—we haven’t exactly been hiding our interest. Vaki spent three years on a Mormon mission before joining Utah and–in his second and final year in college–he was named a second-team All-American and a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award for college football’s most versatile player. While starting full-time at safety, he also played running back, rushing for 317 yards and two scores on 7.5 ypc and catching 11 passes for 203 yards and three scores. Against Cal, he rushed for 158 yards and his 72-yard touchdown was the longest of the season for the Utes (lol). He’s fast, aggressive, tough, and wired right, but he doesn’t have the fluidity, instincts, and experience in coverage quite yet. If those tools don’t develop he may never get major reps at safety. But maybe he’s a subpackage box safety? If his frame wasn’t likely maxed out I’d say maybe he’s a future starting linebacker. Or maybe we’re talking the wrong side of the ball and he’s a fullback? Honestly, this late, we should probably just draft him and find out. At worst, he’s an excellent special teamer, and even if he never starts, a special team mainstay with some positional flexibility as a depth piece is a win in the sixth round.
WR, Ainias Smith (Texas A&M) is another smaller slot who started five years at A&M, lining up inside, outside, and even–a little–in the backfield. That sort of versatility, plus his return skills, could intrigue the Niners–even if he has a lengthy injury history and may top out as a special teamer and gadget player in the NFL.
If you squint hard enough, you might be able to see some Kendrick Bourne in WR, Bub Means (Pittsburgh). He’s a good-sized dude (6’1” 212 lbs.) with strong hands and long arms to highpoint the ball and sneaky speed once he gets going. He’s not a dynamo after the catch but he can get yardage with a runway and he has kick return experience. You might have to rebuild his route-running ability from the ground up, but he’s a stash-and-develop player who gets an uptick in value for having the build to play inside or out.
At just under 6’1 and 246 pounds and lacking elite burst and closing speed, DE, Javon Solomon (Troy) was never going to be that high up on anyone’s draft board, but he’s got the arm length of a much bigger dude and leaves Troy with the single season (16) and career (32.5) sacks records. This is the rare player with TWO double-digit sack seasons on his college resume, and it could be worth taking a swing on him as a special teamer and rotational pass rush specialist.
He may be more of an H-back or move tight end in the league, but TE, Erick All (Iowa) is a nice athlete who—in the most Iowa sentence of all time—led the Hawkeyes in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns despite being a tight end and missing the final seven games with an ACL tear. He’s got good movement and ball skills all over the field and is at least capable as a blocker, but the medicals are a massive question mark after missing 18 games over the past two seasons with season-ending injuries.
If you told me there was an undersized white running back playing for New Hampshire named Dylan Laube whose closest comp was Danny Woodhead, I would say it was a bit on the nose. But RB, Dylan Laube (New Hampshire) does exist and his two-way ability is intriguing. He’s short but stocky (5’10” 206 lbs.), quicker than he is sudden, and doesn’t have the power or the deep speed and elusiveness to be a full-time running back. But he’s got return game value and–most importantly–is a highly capable receiver who can run routes out of the backfield or in the slot. While the level of competition is a concern, in his one game against an FBS opponent, he recorded 12 receptions for 295 yards (yes, neither of those are typos) and two scores.
All jokes aside, we are constantly looking for a way to take some of the load off CMC with another back who can contribute in the passing game. While a lot of guys have shown signs of contributing through the air, Laube has already done it.
Speaking of guys who can run and catch the ball, RB, Dillon Johnson (Washington) played three years in Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense before becoming the lead runner during Washington’s 2023 National Title game run. The result is a guy who may not be a homerun threat but excels as a pass blocker and receiver (173 career grabs, 0 drops in 2023) and has the quick feet and feel to be effective in zone/stretch concepts.
Most corners coming out of college have the caveat that they “get grabby” at the top routes, but not CB, Chau-Smith Wade (Washington State). Listed as Bleacher Report’s top-rated slot corner(!), Wade had zero penalties as a senior and is a smooth cover man who breaks hard on the ball and is physical run support. He only played outside in college, and at 5’10” 184 lbs. he’s undersized for the position, but he’s got a little DeMo/DJ Reed undersized feistiness in him and that’s worked well for us in the past. Potential sleeper for sure.
If you’re looking for a developmental stash player along the OL, how about a dude who didn’t play OL (not even in high school) until three years ago? OT, Josiah Ezirim (Eastern Kentucky) certainly looks the part, plays with power in the run game, and was good enough to be named Second Team All-American (FCS) in just his third year ever playing the position. He’s got some questions in terms of lateral quickness and A LOT of technique to hammer out, but if there’s any way he can be stashed on the practice squad or IR, the returns could pay dividends down the road.
7TH ROUND/UNDRAFTED
Three of our seventh-round rookies were on the active roster at different points last season and both our starting QB and (almost) Super Bowl MVP Jauan Jennings were seventh-round picks. So this round is nothing to scoff at, even if simply making the active roster at some point down the road is a more reasonable goal for players picked in this range.
With Josh Dobbs and Brandon Allen competing for QB2 and QB3, picking a quarterback in this draft is far from a given. But there’s always a chance that the loser of the backup battle gets swooped up by a QB-needy team, and–this late in the draft–picking someone can’t hurt. Once considered a potential first-round pick, QB, Kedon Slovis (BYU) lit it up as a freshman at USC before falling down to Earth and bouncing between schools in the ensuing years. With solid size, underrated athleticism, decent arm talent, and a breadth of starting experience, there’s reason to think he could develop into a serviceable backup.
Despite this being his first year as a starter, RB, Emani Bailey (TCU) was a bright spot in a largely disappointing season for the Horned Frogs. He’s undersized (5’7” 202 lbs.) but is a well-built, quick-footed, and decisive gasher in the run game who shows some nice potential as a receiver (0 drops on 25 targets). The scheme fit is nice and we could do much worse this late in the draft.
Speaking of scheme fits, the diminutive RB, Keilan Robinson (Texas) will likely go undrafted but his speed, all-purpose special teams ability, and receiving potential could make him an intriguing practice squad stash.
Converted safeties who can run have been a pipeline for us at linebacker and LB, Michael Barrett (Michigan) fits that mold. Aided in part by the extra COVID year, Barrett set a school record by playing in an unimaginable 64(!) college games. A former safety, he slid down to linebacker and started the past two seasons. He doesn’t do anything splashy, nor is he as athletic as many other converted safeties, but he’s got range and smarts and never left the field for a reason.
Sticking with the whole safety turned linebacker thing, LB/S, Jamal Hill (Oregon) played safety/nickel for his first four years before moving over to inside linebacker as a super senior. Unsurprisingly, at 6’0” 216 lbs. and with a background as a safety, he had some issues dealing with bodies in the box. But he’s got great range (4.45 forty), is an experienced cover man, and flies around as a consistent, powerful tackler. He’d need developmental time and–if he can’t pack on pounds–could top out as a subpackage LB on passing downs or a Marcell Harris-type matchup-dependent tweener, but he projects well on special teams right away.
Another linebacker with 60+ college games under his belt, LB, Tatum Bethune (Florida State) is undersized (5’11” 229 lbs.) and lacks the high-end speed and athletic traits to make scouts disregard that, but he finds the ball well, plays bigger than his size, and processes incredibly well. He does the “read key -> attack” thing awfully well, and if he can stick in the NFL it’s likely because of that.
An XXL high school quarterback turned walk-on tight end turned offensive tackle, OT, Tylan Grable (UCF) is understandably raw and unrefined but he’s got excellent athleticism and has improved vastly in his short time along the OL. He’s a stash player with highly intriguing upside who may wind up at center.
OT, Garrett Greenfield (South Dakota State) has considerably more experience, with 55 starts over six years in college. A two-time FCS First-Team All-American, Greenfield is a smooth mover with good athleticism who is at his best blocking zone and stretch plays. He’s an older rookie and lacks heft and length, but he’s a nice scheme fit with some swing tackle potential down the road.
Another 25-year-old but one with a vastly different college story, CB Shon Stephens (Ferris State) was a student at five different schools over a seven(!) year period, with family health problems, eligibility, and NCAA issues causing much of the movement and preventing him from ever playing D-1 (despite mutual interest). He’s undersized but very athletic and has a knack for big plays. He started 22 games over the past two seasons (at two different schools) and was named All-American at both as he recorded 26 pass deflections and 16(!) interceptions. He also returns kicks.
WR, Isaiah Williams (Illinois) is another slot type with return capabilities. A former QB who led his team in receiving all three years that he’s played receiver, he’s savvy and good in space but is quicker than fast and his lack of top-end speed and size/strength have capped his draft stock. But he stuck out on an Illinois offense that was otherwise severely lacking in weapons and could carve out a subpackage role as an underneath guy.
Of all the Texas pass catchers in this draft WR, Jordan Whittington (Texas) is–by far– the least talked about. Despite being a five-star(ish) recruit, injuries ravaged his first three years of college before he finished his last two largely healthy. A good-sized target with decent athleticism, his professionalism, physicality, and toughness are the qualities most likely to earn him a roster spot, but he’s got some YAC ability as well.
If we’re still looking for a Juice-type, TE, Jack Westover (Washington) is a former walk-on who was third on the Washington team in receptions this year despite them having three wideouts likely drafted in the top 100 picks of this draft. He’s not a plus athlete or a powerful run-blocker, but he could carve out a niche in a scheme that asks its H-backs to do a bit of everything.
Let’s close out the watchlist with one of the more interesting deep sleepers in this draft. DE(FB?), Joe Evans (Iowa) is a quarterback turned linebacker turned rush end who didn’t get a combine invite despite leading the Hawkeyes’ top-ranked defense in sacks (9.5) and finishing his career with the fourth-most all-time in school history (28). He’s small (6-1, 246 lbs.) and pretty stiff, but he’s a high-effort guy and he put on an absolute show at his pro day, with a 4.67 forty, 6.98 three-cone, 24 bench reps, and a 41.5” vertical(!). Is he that athletic on the field? Absolutely not. But those traits plus the intangibles he’s known for could make him worth a flier, whether that’s as a subpackage DE or–potentially–at fullback (where he’s been training a bit leading up to the draft).
TLDR
We currently have seven picks on the third day but don’t expect us to use all of them. Addressing any remaining urgent needs from the first two days is the top priority before filling out the rest of our draft with guys who can contribute immediately on specials or get stashed for a year for their upside. While some argue that the third day of this draft features a steep talent dropoff and that there are fewer “draftable” players this year than in the past few, there are a bunch of guys in these latter rounds who look like possible scheme fits.
Those scheme fits include—but are not limited to—running backs with pass-catching ability, zone/stretch specialists, rangy linebackers who have potentially been converted from safeties, subpackage edge rushers, undersized but scrappy overachieving corners, bigger developmental corners, and—of course—potential fullbacks.
Go Niners 🏈👍
Day 2 Watchlist
More big guys and maybe some small ones too
With two picks (No. 63 and No. 94) on the second day, we should be looking to add two guys who can either play significant snaps this season and/or fill major holes a year from now. The positions we’ll be targeting will obviously depend in part on who we picked on day one, but I think our goal should be to address three of these four positions by the end of day 2: OL, CB, DL, and WR. Filling only two of those positions is fair game if we find tremendous value somewhere else. The only position we 100% HAVE to address within these first three rounds is offensive line. If not, I will lose my shit.
With this class having notable depth at OL and WR, plus a cluster of cornerbacks with 2nd-to-3rd round grades, it would make a lot of sense for our first three picks to be at those positions. But we don’t want to reach for need and there are more than a few defensive linemen who seem to be hovering a bit under the radar given their talent level
For this write-up I’m going to look (mostly) at players ranked in the consensus top 100 (# next to their name). Anyone outside the top 100 will be labeled with an estimated selection round. Players will be clustered based on their positions for ease of discussion and reading (and so you can skip entire sections depending on who we drafted the day before).
OFFENSIVE LINE
We’re starting with the big boys again simply because if we didn’t draft an offensive lineman in the first round I will be shitting bricks consistently until we do on day 2. After the Top 9 offensive tackles mentioned (or alluded to) in the day 1 watchlist, only three tackles remain in the top 100 (with a few others knocking on the door).
First up, two mammoth tackles with ideal frames and plenty of athleticism. Kiran Amegadjie (Yale, #66) is one of the great question marks of this draft. He didn’t play football until midway through high school, had one year of college ball canceled due to the pandemic shutdown, and only played four games last year before going down with an injury that kept him out of nearly the entire pre-draft evaluation process. The red flags are obvious and it’s unlikely he could contribute as a rookie, but the traits teams covet are equally as apparent.
I dunno where the shit Morgan State is, but pancakes in pass pro off redirects are always chill. Amegadjie’s size, length, and athleticism are all elite, his work ethic and smarts are universally lauded, and there’s no question his best football is ahead of him.
Meanwhile, Patrick Paul (Houston, #67) has a slightly bigger frame and slightly worse athleticism, but—despite starting four straight years at Houston, three of which he was named First-Team All-Conference—he’s also got plenty of technique work to clean up. He plays too high, struggles on redirects, and can get sloppy, lunge, and lose balance—particularly in the run game—which has led to several penalties throughout his career. Like Amegadjie, he seems to be wired right, but he’s not as game-ready as you’d expect after 44 collegiate starts.
Blake Fisher (Notre Dame, #75) is a naturally talented and athletic tackle who is at his best blocking on the move in zone and stretch run games. He has the athleticism to deal with redirects and countermoves, but he needs to shore up his technique and angles and can sometimes struggle to shift to plan B when things get dicey. Due in part to that, his projection is more positive as a run blocker than a pass blocker.
Rounding out the tackles, Roger Rosengarten (Washington, 2nd-3rd round) is an athletic and aggressive tackle with great quicks in the trenches and ability in space, but his lack of play strength is always going to be an issue. Mel Kiper keeps mocking him to us in the first round, which is, uh… a bit high. Brandon Coleman (TCU, 2nd-3rd round) is a tough brawler who plays well in space but could benefit from cleaning up his technique so he doesn’t have to brawl as much.
The interior line has a few more options, including two high-floor guard prospects. Cooper Beebe (Kansas State, #62) is a savvy and accomplished 48-game starter whose lack of length and ideal athleticism may cap his potential, but his floor is starter-level. Comparatively, Christian Haynes (UConn, #61) has a bit more size and athleticism but gives up some consistency to Beebe. Both are safe prospects. Both are likely starters.
At center, Zach Frazier (West Virginia, #46) could be a sneaky find despite being a four-year starter in a major conference. A four-time state champ in wrestling, Frazier’s got a good first step and (unsurprisingly) super strong hands. He rarely makes mistakes, erases dudes once he latches on, and is well-versed in both zone and gap schemes. Despite his lack of length and middling athleticism, in most other classes he’s probably the first center off the board. He just happens to be in a class where two centers who could go in the first round overshadow him.
Finally, if versatility is what you’re looking for, Dominick Puni (Kansas, #87) has started games at both guard and tackle in his six(!) years in college and has even played snaps at center. He probably doesn’t have the athleticism to line up outside full-time, but could be a starter on the interior and has the power and versatility to be the rare swing for all five spots along the OL.
Shot in the Dark: I like the kid from Yale but think he may go overdrafted by a team out of contention who has more time to develop him. It’s easy to see him and Patrick Paul going off the board before we get our first pick on day 2. Fisher and Rosengarten are both nice scheme fits and are especially intriguing if we can snag them in the third round after the mad run on tackles. The interior guys aren’t sexy but they all seem safe, with Frazier being the most appealing.
WIDE RECEIVER
Like cornerback, wide receiver is a position that we may not need immediately but could desperately need a year from now. Unlike cornerback, it’s a little harder for us to pinpoint exactly what we want this position group to look like moving forward, which in turn makes it difficult to determine which type of prospect we’re looking for.
With how many snaps tight ends and fullbacks get in our system and how run-heavy and physical we are, my guess is that the Niners don’t want to pay multiple receivers big money at the same time and that they’d rather spend their cap on a single alpha (Aiyuk) and surround him with a deeper crop of receivers whom they can mix and match situationally. Think of it like the Packers receiving corps but with a true No.1.
Because of that, I don’t think we’ll be as interested in pure slot guys without game-breaking gadget play speed and/or excellent YAC ability. That could drop Ricky Pearsall (Florida, #49) and Jalen McMillan (Washington, #81) on our boards, but I wouldn’t quite close the door on Roman Wilson (Michigan, #44). While Wilson has a slot body like the others and didn’t show a ton of wiggle in the open field in college, he’s got legit burner speed, cuts on a dime through his routes, and–super important for any slot trying to cut it with the Niners–is already a physical and willing blocker. Once he learns to tempo and sell his routes, he could vastly overperform his college production and shape himself into a genuine three-level threat. While the best place for him to do that would likely be in a wide-open offense that likes to throw vertically, he may appeal to the Niners more than most slots.
When it comes to bigger-bodied X receivers, Tez Walker (North Carolina, #74) is a smooth, long-striding vertical threat, but when he has to break down, make hard cuts, and basically do anything short of 15 yards, he’s a different (much worse) player. Intriguing, but likely too one-dimensional for us. Javon Baker (UCF, #88) is another strong athlete who can win both down the field or on screens and other schemed-up “room-to-run” plays. He averaged an FBS-second-best 21.9 ypc this season, but his game has a lot of inconsistencies and inefficiencies. Interesting talent but a developmental one, so the price has to be right.
If I had to guess, I’d say our most likely day 2 receiver would be one of the three names below—all of whom have vastly different skillsets.
Ja’Lynn Polk (Washington, #69)—the third Washington wideout to be in the top 100 this year—isn’t anywhere near the kind of athlete that Tez or Baker is, but he’s a much more polished and physical presence and thrives on the underneath routes we love so much. His lack of top-end speed and burst are question marks in terms of separation—and some wonder if he’ll be relegated to a zone-beater role because of it—but his footwork, physicality, and route-running skills are advanced and his ability to play strong from his route through the catch point means he can get by with less separation than most. He’s cut more from the Pierre Garcon/Anquan Boldin mold.
If you’re interested in size-speed combos then Xavier Legette (South Carolina, #58) is your man. At 6’1” 223 lbs. he looks more like a power running back than an X receiver and his game has a lot of DK Metcalf to it. Dude is an absolute athlete (4.39 forty, 40” vertical), is a load to bring down in the open field, and flashes some truly impressive ability at the catch point. I don’t know how quick and slippery he is and there’s a legitimate real chance he never becomes a good route-runner. That’s typically not the sort of guy we look at, but—given his vertical ability and YAC skills—we may just call a fuck it and deploy him as a “three S” (streak, slant, screen) guy, knowing we can scheme up those kinds of looks as good as anyone in football.
The last wideout I’ll mention has been mocked to us a bunch, and–when you see his highlight–it’ll be easy to see why. Malachi Corley (Western Kentucky, #56) is the closest thing to Deebo Samuel that you’ll find in this draft. At 5’11” 215 lbs., he looks and runs like a running back, fully earning his “YAC King” nickname.
As the most talented dude on the Western Kentucky offense (by far), Corley mostly played out of the slot and had a high percentage of his targets schemed up for him so that he could get the ball as much as physically possible. Like a HIGH percentage. As in nearly half of his catches occurred BEHIND the line of scrimmage.
Due to that, his route-running needs plenty of work. He’s also had drop issues and–due in part to his average catch radius–hasn’t shown that he can thrive catching in traffic or stretching the field vertically. Is Corley the closest thing to a 1-for-1 Deebo replacement? Yes. And it would be endlessly entertaining to see him deployed in our offense. But it’s worth noting that the last two players drafted as “Deebo Samuel types” were Laviska Shenault and Lynn Bowden Jr. so… replacing Deebo is easier said than done.
Outside of the Top 100, Malik Washington (Virginia, 3rd-4th) is definitely just a slot receiver, but he’s twitchy, tough, forced more missed tackles than any other wideout in FBS, and (unlike the dudes mentioned earlier) is highly likely to be around at the end of the third round. Jermaine Burton’s (Alabama, 3rd-4th) on-field highlights belie his inconsistency and won’t offset his off-the-field lowlights. Pass.
Shot in the Dark: As someone who realizes how entertaining it would be to see him in red and gold, I’m legally required to say Corley, but Polk seems like just as good a fit—if not more so—and is probably getting slept on in this class due to how many “high ceiling” types he’s surrounded by. While perhaps the most exciting of the prospects, Legette is likely in third, with our best chance of landing him likely involving a slide to the third round and daydreams involving him becoming a vertical threat, elite blocker, YAC guy, and the mythical Lisan-al-Jumbo Slot all in one.
I’d be more than happy with any of those three, and if they’re off the board and we’re picking a wideout at the end of the third, I’d likely be cool with Malik Washington as well.
CORNERBACKS
How much do we value the nickel corner position? We certainly know what can happen when play there is poor (Isaiah Oliver) and we’ve gotten a considerable boost when we’ve had a genuine stud at the position (Jimmie Ward, K’Waun Williams). We also just brought in a guy who knows a thing or two about deploying big-time players to the best of their abilities in the slot (Jalen Ramsey, Derwin James) and how that can open things up schematically. But then again we’ve also started some random vets off the street in big-time games (Dre Kirkpatrick, Logan Ryan) and haven’t missed a beat.
Outside corner will ALWAYS be a higher priority, and—if we’re taking a corner on the second day—we’ll likely be looking for someone who can start outside in nickel packages and—potentially—be a full-time starter a year from now. But nickel corners who are versatile and can be plus disruptors rather than just “guys we don’t want getting beat deep and missing tackles” are still a valuable weapon defensively, so they shouldn’t be written off.
At 6’1” 189 lbs. and with long arms, T.J. Tampa (Iowa State, #57) is an outside corner through and through. He’s physical, sees plays develop, breaks hard on the ball, and his length regularly muddies up the catch point. He has press-man potential but is at his best in zone coverage, with his weaknesses (lack of top-end speed and average athleticism) showing up most often in off-man trail technique—where he can give up too much separation down the field. So his strengths fit our scheme and his weaknesses show up most in the coverage we rarely play. As long as he passes our athletic minimums for the position, he feels like a good fit.
Conversely, Mike Sainristil (Michigan, #65)—at 5’9” 182 lbs.—is a nickel through-and-through. While his size will be an issue and will take him off some draft boards, he is massively impressive in basically every other way. Despite not moving over to defense until 2022(!), Sainristil immediately became a full-time starter, team captain, splash play specialist, and first-team All-American by 2023. He’ll give some stuff up against bigger wideouts, and there are some red flags regarding his forced incompletion rates and down-to-down consistency, but his instincts, ball skills, and knack for generating big plays at timely moments are as good as anyone in this draft.
If you’re looking for someone with positional flexibility, Max Melton (Rutgers, #71) has plenty of reps as an outside corner and in the slot and is adept at both press man and off coverage. When playing off zone, he does a good job of seeing routes develop and breaking on them with his plus ball skills (30 pass deflections, 8 picks over his last three years). He also presents immediate special teams value (4 blocked punts). He’s a little tight/linear, could stand to add some play strength, and he was arrested and suspended in 2021 for a paintball incident that led to multiple injuries, so we’d have to do our homework.
There are six corners in the final dozen spots of the consensus Top 100. Andru Phillips (Kentucky, #89) is an inconsistent but ascending corner with a physical presence and some inside-out versatility, but his ball skills leave much to be desired (10 PD, 0 picks in college) and he was charged with robbing a frathouse(!?) two years ago. The charges were later dropped and frat houses are kind of set up to be robbed, but still… it bears investigating. Renardo Green (Florida State, #92) is all over the place on peoples’ big boards but he has enough supporters to land in the consensus top 100. Those supporters all likely saw the excellent work he did against LSU last September. He’s a press-man specialist who gets a bit too grabby and lacks ideal top-end speed or athletic traits but is probably coverage-savvy enough to stick in the NFL for a while.
DJ James (Auburn, #93) has a projectable blend of athleticism but his lack of size and strength may keep him off the field initially and relegate him to long-term nickel work. Similar story for Kris Abrams-Draine (Missouri, #91), whose got great ball skills (three straight years with 10+ PDs) and has both return and gunner value on special teams, but—like James—is thin-framed and plays at under 180 lbs.
If you’re looking for bigger, more developmental guys then Cam Hart (Notre Dame, #98) has the size (6’3” 202 lbs.) and athletic ability that teams covet. He needs to clean up his technique and footwork and doesn’t show elite burst at the break point, but it’s worth wondering if his size and athletic makeup would fit better in a zone scheme like ours versus the man-heavy defense he ran in college. At 6’3 194 lbs., Khyree Jackson (Oregon, #99) is another “looks the part” guy, but he didn’t really play the part until this past season. Jackson was part of the class of 2017 and will be 25(!) by the time he plays in his first NFL game. His story—which includes leaving his JuCo squad as a freshman to go home, bag groceries, and train for NBA 2k tournaments—is fascinating and so is his vast potential, but these types of prospects—who bounce around, sit out of football for a while, and have clear maturity issues that you can only hope are in the rearview—flame out more often than not.
Shot in the Dark: Looooot of character checks are needed for these middle-round corner prospects. The most obvious match—but probably also the most coveted player—is TJ Tampa, who seems to fit our scheme like a glove. I also like Sainristil, but I assume he’s swooped up before our third-round pick, and—despite loving the player—that’s a bit high for a nickel unless our plan is to highlight that position more in our scheme.
In the third round, Abrams-Draine intrigues me—especially if we think he has the frame to gain any weight/strength whatsoever. I could also be convinced to swing on the developmental upside of Cam Hart in hopes that he’s a better fit in our defense than the scheme he ran in college. But I’ll admit that his lack of ball skills scare me and I’d rather take that kind of player on Day 3.
DEFENSIVE TACKLES
I’m gonna split the DL up. The interior guys feel a bit more proven than the edges in this class, and—due to that—the depth through the second day looks quite strong.
While scouts often disagree on prospects, how they disagree on Braden Fiske (Florida State, #43) is quite fascinating. As a sixth-year senior who was productive in his first year in Tallahassee but is still raw in many ways (like hand usage) and has short arms, some believe he’s a low-ceiling player. But as a guy who shows excellent hustle, played only one year of Power 5 ball, and tested out of his mind at the combine, others believe there’s another level to unlock with time and the right position coach. I’d tend to agree with the latter. He could be pretty filthy.
Another high-effort DT with the athletic traits to take another step in the NFL is Kris Jenkins (Michigan, #54), the son of a former Pro Bowl defensive tackle whose professional work ethic and athletic traits earned him the nickname “The Mutant” in Ann Arbor. Despite his great movement skills, they don’t always show up on tape, and his game is currently rooted more in power. He’ll enter the league immediately as a plus run defender and has the versatility to play inside in a one-gap scheme or outside in a two-gap scheme, but he’ll need to develop his hand usage and pass rush plan to hit his ceiling as a pass rusher.
For better or worse, Ruke Orhorhoro’s (Clemson, #63) play-style can be considered messy. His high effort, strong first-step, and impressive athletic traits help him muck up the works along the line of scrimmage, but he rarely beats blockers cleanly and his wins require a considerable amount of effort. The effort is great. The technique and pass rush plan? Not so much. If he can put it all together and stop making every snap a dogfight, he’s got an impressive ceiling as a two-way defender.
The latest pupil from renowned defensive line coach Larry Johnson, Mike Hall (Ohio State, #76) has impressive movement skills, a great first step, and—on a pound-for-pound basis—good strength. His splash plays are impressive and it’s not hard to see how he could translate into a productive NFL pass rusher. You only wish he was a little bit bigger. He’s a bit of a tweener, which could cause issues against the run and be particularly problematic against NFL size. Our scheme is better than most at hiding some of those issues, but if he could get better with his hands and more adept at keeping blockers off him when he doesn’t beat them off the snap, it would go a long way to making him a lineup fixture rather than a rotational pass rusher.
Speaking of tweeners, Brandon Dorlus (Oregon, #82) is a long, smooth athlete with excellent movement skills and good strength, but his size (6’3” 283 lbs.) makes him difficult to place. He could wind up a power end, but does he have the appropriate burst and closing speed? He seems too small to play the three-tech full-time. He might fit best in one of those amorphous front defenses like the Ravens, but the dream (from our perspective) is that he could become an Armstead/Key/Omenihu-like inside-out threat. The tools are there. It would just require a very specific developmental plan.
If you asked two years ago, Maason Smith (LSU, #83) might have been slotted for a top 15 selection. But following the former five-star recruit’s Freshman All-American season, he tore his ACL ten snaps into the first game of his sophomore year and spent the majority of his junior season working back to full strength. His size is excellent and he’s got a great first step, but he’s obviously a developmental project—albeit one with an impressive ceiling.
Finally, I’ll mention T’Vondre Sweat (Texas, #47)—the only guy on this list I do NOT want the Niners to draft on Day 2. I don’t know what the hit rate is for overweight defensive tackles with maturity issues who only put it together right before they can score an NFL payday, but it ain’t good. And it’s much harder to convince yourself that something clicked and he “finally figured it out” given he just got a DWI last week. Hard pass.
Shot in the Dark: I am much more excited about this position group after completing their write-ups. Fiske seems like the best value in the second round, but I wouldn’t be against Orhorhoro either. At the bottom of the third, Mike Hall seems like a nice scheme fit, and a flier on Maason Smith is quite intriguing considering we’ve got one of the top DL coaches in the world and we don’t need a DT to play meaningful snaps this year. Realistically, I would be happy with any of these guys other than Sweat.
DEFENSIVE ENDS
I wouldn’t consider the defensive end crop to be nearly as deep as the defensive tackles, either in this round or in the draft as a whole, but the position group still presents plenty of intrigue and some high-upside talent.
Tasked with the unenviable position of replacing Will Anderson, Chris Braswell (Alabama, #51)—in his first season as a starter—led the SEC in pressures (56) and is only scratching the surface of his potential. A former five-star prospect, Braswell can squat upwards of 700 pounds and has been clocked at running 21.9 miles per hour, so… yeah. He’s an athlete. He’s got a great first step, can convert speed into power, and is a rugged, high-effort player. But his size (6’3” 251 lbs.) is a concern—particularly against the run—and needs to find more ways to string together rush moves to win when he can’t blow by people. There’s a world where he’s better as a stand-up edge in a 3-4 scheme, but it’s not hard to picture him slotting immediately into our Turbo sets.
Going from a former top twenty player to a guy who was ranked 3,427th nationally out of high school, Marshawn Kneeland (Western Michigan, #59) is a small-school end whose college production doesn’t jump off the stat sheet (28 TFLs, 13 sacks over four years). But the scouting community is high on him because he’s got good size and athleticism and his tape looks much better than his numbers. There’s projection and development needed, but most signs point to a late bloomer whose best football is ahead of him.
Bralen Trice (Washington, #60) was the tone-setter for the Huskies’ defense this year and he was all over the place on film, leading his team in sacks and being named the CFP Semifinal defensive MVP. A team captain who brings a physical presence, a non-stop motor, and refined hand usage, you’d think he’d be higher on lists, but there are genuine concerns about his lack of burst, length, and fluidity capping his potential in the league. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him become either a try-hard rotational rusher or a dude who vastly outplays his draft position.
The last three guys are on the smaller side. Both Adisa Isaac (Penn State, #64) and Jonah Elliss (Utah, #77) are high-effort outside rushers with good first steps and the potential to develop into productive pass rushers, but both are undersized, are good—not great—athletes, and may be better suited for stand-up 3-4 duties. Look, we played Dee Ford on the edge, so the wide 9 can absolutely find snaps for a smaller dude if he’s fast and slippery enough. But guys of that size always have a lower floor because they run the risk of being relegated to subpackage rushers if they can’t outplay their size.
Finally, Austin Booker (Kansas, #85) is also in the ~240 range, but—unlike the guys just mentioned—he’s got the length and frame to add considerably more weight. Also unlike the guys just mentioned, he’s only played 505 career(!) snaps of college football. He sat on the bench in Minnesota for two years before transferring to Kansas and leading the team in sacks… off the bench. His sample size is insanely thin and truly alarming, and you have to wonder how in the hell a guy like this couldn’t have seen the field in Minnesota. But you rarely see that type of length with those type of movement skills and the ceiling is quite high.
Shot in the Dark: I have faith in Coach Kocurek, so I rarely question our defensive line picks, and—unless there’s a true pass rush technician on the board—I often lean towards swinging for traits and character on the edges and hope the rest comes together. Plus, while 2025 could be a different story, none of these guys will be asked to start this season. At best, they’ll be our first end off the bench in Bravo sets. So we’ve got a year to develop a guy if need be.
EVERYONE ELSE
Round 2 seems pretty high for a safety given our roster, scheme, and team-building approach. Honestly—given our current depth chart and the veteran safeties available—so does round 3. But there will likely be some options. Both Cole Bishop (Utah, #86) and Jaden Hicks (Washington State, #68) are physical, scheme-versatile types. Tyler Nubin (#45) was a four-year starter with good coverage range and impressive ball production (24 PDs, school-record 13 career INTs). Whereas Javon Bullard (Georgia, #55) could be more of a slot/star/nickel type. Again, I doubt we’re interested in any of them unless they fall to the bottom of the third (or lower).
Tight end is another position we’re clearly interested in and one that’s been floated as a possibility on the back end of the second day. There is an absolute talent chasm at the position after Brock Bowers, but a cluster of options late on day 2/early on day 3.
Ja’Tavion Sanders (Texas, #50) is the best of the non-Bowers bunch, almost entirely for his receiving ability. He’s an excellent athlete, is silky smooth, shows great burst, and has good top-end speed. He’s undersized, is a meh blocker, and will need to improve his route running beyond spamming seams and RPOs, but the physical tools, adjustment ability, and reliable hands (only player in FBS with 45+ catches and 0 drops) make for a prospect with genuinely impressive potential in the passing game.
Potential and upside are also the primary pitching points for Theo Johnson (Penn State, 3rd round), whose size and testing numbers would indicate he’ll immediately be one of the most athletic tight ends in all of football. I know he’s green and is just scratching the surface of his potential, but I just don’t see the athleticism on tape. Maybe it comes with time, comfort, and confidence. But that’s a gamble.
Jared Wiley (TCU, 3rd round) isn’t nearly the athlete Johnson or Sanders are, but he’s got great size, a frame to hold more weight, and the wingspan, adjustment ability, and hands to excel as a post-up man and redzone threat. Now, does he have the burst to get himself free on anything underneath? TBD. But if you’re looking for a dude who could grow into a solid blocker and still threaten teams on seams, posts, and corners once in a while, Wiley can do that with his size—even if his athleticism and separation ability are lacking.
Another reliable—albeit unspectacular—option around the end of day 2 could be Cade Stover (Ohio State, 3rd-4th round). The former linebacker catches everything smoothly and is adept at getting open on underneath routes, but he won’t wow anyone with his explosiveness as a receiver or ability as an in-line blocker. There are two more tight ends who have been often linked to the Niners but they're cuspy here so I’ll leave them for the Day 3 write-up.
Finally, with Dre Greenlaw in rehab and entering the final year of his contract, it’s worth noting a few linebackers. Junior Colson (Michigan, #48) is a rangy, physical, tackling machine with plus athleticism who continues to make strides in coverage. His ball production and turnover-generation are lacking but he’s a rock-solid, high-upside type.
Edgerrin Cooper (Texas A&M, #39) is another speedy guy with coverage ability. He has more splash plays than Colson, racking up 8 sacks last year and leading the SEC in tackles for loss (17.0), but also has more whiffs and overruns. Given the pass rush numbers I would assume he finds his way to a 3-4 team that utilizes heavy blitzing or sim pressures.
Last but not least, Payton Wilson (NC State, #42) has truly impressive athletic traits (4.43 forty) and big-play production (15 career sacks, 20 pass deflections, 7 interceptions), garnering more than a few Leighton Van Der Esch comps. Unfortunately, Wilson’s lengthy injury history and lack of size make that comp accurate in more ways than one.
Shot in the Dark: Drafting any of these positions isn’t likely until—at the earliest—our pick at the bottom of the third round. At that point, I’d guess tight end becomes the most probable, and when we draft tight ends we typically look more for traits than immediate pro-readiness. There’s some data to back that up.
I like Sanders a lot, but he will almost certainly be off the board at this point, which seems to point to someone like Theo Johnson, who… I don’t love. At that point, I’d rather take a dude in the rounds that follow or one of the safeties—who all seem like future starters. My guess is none of these positions get picked until Day 3.
TLDR
Right tackle continues to be the position of choice in the first round, and we’re all but certain to address the OL somewhere in the first two days. That would leave two other picks, which—if I had to guess—I’d say would go to DT and WR due to the depth at the two positions. Depending on how the draft shakes out, DE is always a possibility instead of DT. Drafting either would be operating with an eye toward the future. The recent signing of Rock Ya-Sin seems to signal that drafting a cornerback in the first two days is less likely than it was a week ago unless someone falls into our lap. Similar to corner, safety and tight end are highly likely selections during this draft, but my best guess would be they’re all addressed on day 3.
If we can exit the first two days of the draft with a new starter along the offensive line, a high-potential defensive lineman with immediate subpackage ability, and a scheme-fit wideout who we can imagine starting a year from now, we should be ecstatic.
Go Niners 🏈👍
Day 1 Watchlist
a lot of guys who block and some other guys
Much to the chagrin of bachelorette parties everywhere, the draft has been split into three separate days, so I’ll be splitting up the watchlist into three parts to match it.
Barring a massive trade up or down, this Day 1 primer should include our future first-round pick, but as we get deeper into the draft I’ll do more highlighting of interesting dudes rather than try and make an exhaustive list of prospects we might select.
The numbers beside each prospect denote their aggregate big board rank (not my personal ranking), and I’ve included only guys ranked 15-45 in this first write-up (with one notable exception near the end).
I’ve put marginally helpful (and consistently inconsistent) emojis under everyone’s names for shorthand purposes. Players with the ⭐️ after their names are E Wong favorites.
Now, who’s ready to watch some goddamn offensive tackle highlights? 🙋🏻♂️
16. OT, Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
6’6” 324 lbs.
🥊 = heavy hands
👊 = physical with a capital F
🚜 = road-grader
It’s probably not hard to guess Fuaga’s strengths: He might just be the best run-blocking lineman in this class. But he’s far from a one-trick pony, as his intelligence, technique, and cinder-block hands make him more than capable in pass protection as well. He’s not an A+ athlete like some of the other guys in this class, but he’s mobile enough to mirror in pass pro and climb to the second level in the running game. More than anything, he’s a body mover, and while there’s debate about whether or not he should slide inside to guard to minimize reach and quickness concerns against elite edge speed, he’s an experienced starter who will immediately improve a run game wherever he winds up.
17. OT, Troy Fautanu, Washington ⭐️
6’4” 317 lbs.
🏅= elite athlete
👊 = physical with a capital F
🃏 = versatile
The mauling tackle out of Washington was ranked eight spots lower on the big board just a few weeks ago, giving me an unrealistic expectation that we might be able to steal him late in the first. Alas, after dominating the combine’s athletic testing and assuaging length concerns by measuring in with one of the largest wingspans in the draft, GMs seem to have come around to the idea that this 30-game starter with a tone-setting demeanor and violent high-level run-blocking ability can indeed play outside in the NFL. Thus, his value has spiked well out of our range.
There’s certainly a valid argument that he projects BEST at guard, but there’s an equally valid argument that he could theoretically be a plus performer at any of the five spots along the line, which gives him incredible versatility and greatly raises his floor.
18. DT, Byron Murphy, Texas
6’1” 297 lbs.
🦶= great first step
🔋 = relentless motor
🧩 = scheme fit
A classic one-gapper, Murphy is stout, plays with leverage, and wins with an explosive first step and the ability to smoothly turn speed into power. While massive teammate T’Vondre Sweat gets more of the attention, Murphy is the consensus better prospect, and his size and length limitations would be mostly hidden in our wide 9 scheme. He’s a high-energy guy with the tools to be a very productive interior pass rusher, but you’d like to see better hand usage, since he won’t be able to blow by NFL blockers with his first-step alone.
19. OT, Amarius Mims, Georgia ⭐️
6’7” 340 lbs.
🏅 = elite athlete
🤯 = limitless potential
🐸 = a bit green
Of all the players on this list, Mims is probably the one most likely to be mistaken for a create-a-character in Madden, as his blend of size and athleticism is—quite frankly—unrealistic. A five-star recruit out of high school, he’s a little high-cut but otherwise has prototypical size and movement skills and has shown just enough high-level play on tape to think he can put it all together with more seasoning. But the man needs more reps.
Playing on a team constantly flooded with high recruits, Mims only totaled eight career starts in college–all this year–and while his vast potential is obvious, his pro-readiness is debatable. He’s got many of the large man issues you’d expect, like struggling to consistently stay low and leaning and lunging too much when he’s on the move, but he has the feet and the athleticism to overcome them with time and proper coaching. I don’t want to imply he’s all projection. His tape is quite impressive, particularly in pass protection. But there’s only so much you can take away from someone’s film when they’ve started single-digit games.
20. WR, Brian Thomas Jr., LSU ⭐️
6’3” 209 lbs.
🐆 = speed demon
😮 = big-play guy
🫨 = got that shake-n-bake
While the top three wideouts are in a class of their own as prospects, Thomas has a chance to be just as good as any of them down the road. The 2023 FBS leader in touchdown receptions (17), Thomas is big, fast (4.33 forty, 38.5” vert), and–as a former basketball recruit–excellent at the catch point on jump balls. Those sort of prospects are always coveted for their high ceilings, but what intrigues me most about Thomas’ game versus past toolsy burners is that he is unusually shifty and excels at getting open early.
Those big and fast straight-line guys are usually not great at the line of scrimmage and many require an open runway to separate—a luxury they are rarely (if ever) afforded in the NFL. But while Thomas was used mainly as a top-off speedster in college, ran mostly simple routes against off-coverage, and will need to greatly improve the precision and craft in which he runs routes, he’s got some innate “get open” qualities that should translate well. His shiftiness, short-area quickness, and elusiveness to slip defenders early off the line or late with his deep speed make me more intrigued by the package he brings than in similar height-weight-40-time heroes of past draft classes.
Is there a world where he never puts it together and becomes just another “three S” receiver (slants, streaks, screens)? Sure. That’s always the risk you run with a guy who ran a limited route tree in college and needs to clean some stuff up. But there’s potential here for much more, and—if we do take a receiver in the first round—I’d like to swing on a guy who adds something we don’t have (a top-off man) with the potential for more.
Note: A quick aside before we move into the cornerbacks. This OT crop is amazing and deep. This WR crop is amazing and deep. This CB crop lacks top-end, but is… deep at the right point in the draft to where it’s potentially useful for us. There are a lot of guys who are valued somewhere in the 20s-to-30s, all with different strengths and weaknesses and potential scheme fits. So if we do wind up with a corner at Pick 31, it’s probably because the right one fell to us.
22. CB, Nate Wiggins, Clemson
6’2” 185 lbs.
🐆 = speed demon
🏅 = elite athlete
🍄 = ideal size
Wiggins has top-tier length, quickness, and speed. He blazed a 4.28 forty at the combine (and made it look easy) and—unlike many corners who put up those fast 40 times—that speed shows up regularly on tape. Like on this chase-down tackle and forced fumble against North Carolina (which was one of two of these sort of plays he made this season):
He’s sticky in coverage, has good ball production (18 pass deflections and 3 picks over the past two seasons), and shows the chops to make the transition to the pros, but the issues that have popped up (grabby at the top of the route, late to turn for the ball, slow to trigger) point to a dude who was just a much better athlete than everyone he faced in college and developed some lazy habits because of it. His thin frame is also a real concern and it shows up in his issues shedding blocks and missing tackles. Despite those concerns, the skill, size, and athleticism are there for Wiggins to become a top-flight corner at a discount price. But there’s work to be had to make his transition a smooth one.
23. DT, Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois ⭐️
6’2” 304 lbs.
🧩 = scheme fit
🔋 = relentless motor
😮 = big-play guy
Does it make sense to take a defensive tackle in the first round given the makeover we just had at the position and the other, more pressing needs on our roster? I would normally say no, but man, oh man, does Newton fit our scheme like a glove.
Newton is a twitchy athlete with excellent lateral quickness, a wide array of rush moves, and a knack for disrupting plays all over the field (to the point where they played him at DE at times). He plays with great leverage and hand use, is relentlessly slippery and active, and tallied 103 pressures over the past two seasons, a ludicrous number that (unsurprisingly) led all interior defenders during that time. Despite his athleticism, I don’t know if he has that true S-tier Aaron Donald/Quinnen Williams sort of get-off and he lacks the ideal size, bulk, and length of a traditional DT. But it’s hard to imagine a better place for him to showcase his talents while minimizing his drawbacks than in our one-gapping, aggressive, wide-9 defense.
24. CB, Cooper DeJean, Iowa
6’1” 207 lbs.
🦅 = ball hawk (yes, I realize this is an Eagle)
🃏 = versatile
👀 = high-level instincts
Despite what the internet may say, when Cooper DeJean gets selected in this year’s draft, he will NOT be the first white cornerback drafted in the past twenty years. In fact, he won’t even be the first white cornerback drafted from the University of Iowa in the past one year (teammate Riley Moss was picked in the third round last year).
Despite missing the last month of the season with a broken leg, DeJean–who is built like and returns interceptions and punts like a running back–was still named the Big Ten’s top defensive back and return man. His ball skills, route recognition, and open-field running instincts are all top-notch, and he’s unquestionably a plus athlete, but he can look a bit stiff at times on tape—especially when moving laterally. That’s a potentially significant red flag for teams like the Patriots who ask their corners to play a lot of man coverage (let’s be honest, it’s better for everyone that he does NOT wind up in Boston). Luckily for us, we are not one of those teams.
DeJean is at his best in zone coverage, where he can read route combinations and quarterbacks’ eyes and break downhill toward the ball. When he can do that, he’s a disruptive force in the passing game, a ballhawk, and a physical force against the run. He’d honestly be at his best in a scheme whose primary coverage is Cover 2—where he can roll up, press guys at the line, and jump quick hitters—but our base Cover 3 defense isn’t too bad of a fit either.
25. DE, Chop Robinson, Penn State ⭐️
6’3” 250 lbs.
🏅 = elite athlete
🤯 = limitless potential
👷🏻♂️ = work in progress
Armed with an S-tier football name and the supreme athleticism to match it, Chop is lower on these boards than I would have anticipated. After testing out of his mind at the combine, including a 4.48 forty and a 1.54 10-yard split that set a record for fastest ever for an edge player weighing 250+ pounds, he’s drawn plenty of comps to Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett. While the athleticism is comparable, I wouldn’t go that far. Those other two guys were much more advanced and productive by the time they entered the NFL.
Right now, Chop is more traits than production (only four sacks last year), and his lack of size will likely always be a problem versus the run. There’s work to be had in his pass rush plan, counter moves, and anchoring strength, but his burst, speed, and bend come with some nice hand usage and flashes of him becoming a more complete player. That is to say, he’s not just a “bend it and send it” type of prospect who gets by entirely on athleticism and inevitably flames out in the league. He’s taking steps in the right direction. It’s just a matter of when/if he puts it all together. Ever since Dee Ford’s one healthy season five years ago, we’ve been looking for a true speed rusher opposite Bosa, and—with Leonard Floyd in the fold—Chop could be brought in to fill that gap down the road without being forced into starters’ reps right away. It’s rare to find a guy with this kind of athletic profile at this position and even rarer to potentially get him at the bottom of the first round. While I’m not as in love with his current game as the other players I’ve starred in this roundup, I am in love with the potential, the scheme fit, and the positional value at this point of the draft.
I dunno wtf a “FreakDaddy” is (nor do I want to), but you can’t teach that kind of athleticism and bend.
26. OT, Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma
6’7” 328 lbs.
🏅 = elite athlete
🤯 = limitless potential
👷🏻♂️ = work in progress
Another giant guy with small guy movement skills, Guyton has been a late riser in the draft process, as he performed well at the Senior Bowl and his athleticism was impressive throughout the testing process. There’s some injury history here and much to improve and iron out in terms of technique (otherwise he’d have been more coveted earlier in the evaluation process), but the upside is high. Some wonder if his size and lack of leverage/power will cap him as a run-blocker, but the tools are there–particularly in the passing game–for Guyton to develop into a high-level starter at right tackle with a potential future on the left side. He just may take a little time to get there.
Note: Guyton is OT7 in this draft and marks a consensus tier cut-off along the offensive line. The rest of the guys on this list either play inside—which hurts their value—have a lower ceiling, or are much more raw than the guys above. If there’s a move up to grab an offensive lineman, it will probably include moving up to grab one of the guys already mentioned.
27. CB, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
6’1” 195 lbs.
👔 = pro-ready
🃏 = versatile
🧠 = high IQ
If you thought Chop was a cool name, get a load of Kool-Aid. Long, physical, smart, and super experienced, Kool-Aid has been a starter at Bama since stepping on campus as a five-star freshman, and he plays the game with an obvious level of intelligence and maturity. A smooth mover who is physical all over the field, he’s probably at his best rolling up and pressing guys but is adept at playing off the ball as well—making him a nice fit with our style of physical outside zone coverage.
More of a technician than an elite athlete, Kool-Aid is versatile and pro-ready—even if he may not have the ceiling of someone like Quinyon Mitchell (Toledo) or Wiggins (Clemson). Despite racking up 23 pass deflections over three years, he only registered two picks in his college career, and getting his head around and finding the ball down the field is an area where he could improve. All this points to a dude who will likely be a good starter and a long-time pro but will live more on consistency rather than generating turnovers and splash plays.
28. C/G, Graham Barton, Duke ⭐️
6’5” 311 lbs.
🃏 = versatile
👔 = pro-ready
🪨 = high floor
A three-year starter at left tackle in Duke’s zone-leaning scheme, Barton’s lack of length and struggles with outside speed rushers almost certainly peg him for inside work in the pros, but there’s a ton to like about his athleticism, experience, and overall ability at either guard or center (where he started five games as a freshman). His movement skills in particular have been vastly underappreciated throughout the process.
He’s a grinder and he’s excellent in the run game, with more than a few scouting reports referring to his blocking as “stubborn,” which is a not-even-remotely underhanded comment when it comes to offensive linemen. But he’s also got the athleticism and light feet to excel on second-level and space blocks. This is a dude who had the blocking chops and quickness to hold his own as a left tackle against Jared Verse (a likely top-15 pick this draft edge rusher from Florida State) sliding down into the interior. He’s got high-end potential and a very high floor. The biggest question is whether he’s available and whether we value an interior lineman enough to take one in the first round.
29. WR, Adonai Mitchell, Texas
6’4” 192 lbs.
🏅 = elite athlete
👷🏻♂️ = work in progress
💣 = boom/bust prospect
The George Pickens comps are spot-on, but with an even higher ceiling. Mitchell looks, moves, and makes highlight reel plays like a high-level pro. His fluidity and athleticism are truly rare for a player of his size, which results in an impressive catch radius and some circus-level grabs, but right now he’s a collection of tools and highlights more so than a sum of the parts.
But goddamn, have you seen those parts? Now, can those parts coalesce into a genuine top-end receiver? It’s certainly possible. And you can bet that with his rounded routes, poor blocking, snap-to-snap inconsistency, and shared Texas connections, Shanahan would live in his ass until he got there. But not everyone gets there. What separates elite receivers from the rest is they always have a plan, they’re always able to adjust from that plan, and they’re able to do that because they don’t waste any motion. So if the Niners are going to roll the dice on a guy with a single season of college production—and as a second receiver at that—they’d better be certain he has the mental makeup and work ethic to get there.
30. C, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon ⭐️
6’3” 334 lbs.
👊 = physical with a capital F
🎶 = tone-setter
👾 = looks like a Minecraft character come to life
The positional value for centers is not particularly high–even if it’s a spot that we seem to value a bit more than others. So it’s a true testament to the ability of Powers-Johnson and Barton that two centers are considered first-round prospects in this year’s draft. Powers-Johnson played mostly guard until this past season, when he flipped over to center, was a unanimous first-team All-American, and won the Rimington Award for the country’s top interior lineman. Needless to say, the move was a success.
Powers-Johnson is smart, strong, and built like a brick wall. Or a LEGO. And I’m not even sure I mean the LEGO people. Maybe just a building block. I honestly expected him to be a bit better of an athlete given his grade, but he’s a dude with explosive power whose smarts and physicality will endear himself quickly to teammates and coaches, and the only time his athleticism is an issue is when he lunges and misses. He is relatively new to the position and you sometimes see that in his technique, but while others may test better and look better in shorts, when the pads come on, he’s blowing the barn doors off and putting asses on the ground. That makes for a guy who can start right away with high-end potential.
31. WR, Ladd McConkey, Georgia
5’11” 187 lbs.
🍔 = undersized
👔 = pro-ready
✋ = sure-handed
If Charles Dickens was from the Deep South, Ladd McConkey would be the name of an orphan child exploring the disparity of wealth through his youthful hijinks. Instead, he’s a sneaky athletic route technician who excels at getting open on short-to-intermediate routes. He’s got quick feet, great burst in and out of his routes, and excellent route-running ability. But he lacks size, bulk, and strength, which shows up regularly on the line of scrimmage, down the field, and in contested catch situations. This all points to a guy who is either a slot receiver or maybe a z-receiver in a scheme that greatly protects its outside receivers in stacks and bunches. There are schemes like this, and—back in the Trent Taylor days—we might have been one of them, but—in our scheme—the first round is a little costly for a slot receiver who can’t play full-time because he can’t play the point in a bunch set or dig dudes out in the running game.
If we were truly shifting to more empty and lighter personnel sets, I could see McConkey feasting out of the slot. The man can get open underneath and that’s something we clearly needed in the Super Bowl. But at the moment, I like the prospect more than I like the fit.
33. DE, Darius Robinson, Missouri
6’5” 286 lbs.
👊 = physical with a capital F
🦾 = go-go gadget arm length
🍄 = ideal size
Robinson has always looked the part, but “looking the part” is often code for “not living up to your physical tools.” As a grad student at Missouri last year, Robinson was moved outside the DE and finally put it all together, leading the Tigers in tackles for loss (14) and sacks (8.5). A true power rusher, Robinson is a poster child for why arm length can matter along the d-line. He’s jarring at the point of attack and uses his arms to keep blockers at bay before wearing them down and shedding them aside, which honestly makes me think he might be a better fit as a 3-4 end than in our system. While his hand usage isn’t bad, he’s still pretty new to edge play and is going to have to figure out something other than the bull rush. Even if his bull rush is…
Yeah, it’s nice.
I have some lingering questions about his closing speed and–in turn–what his ceiling is as a pass rusher, but if he can put the tools together he could resemble a bit of the inside-out flexibility that Armstead and Omenihu have given us over the years.
34. OT, Jordan Morgan, Arizona
6’4” 312 lbs.
👊 = physical with a capital F
🎓 = experienced
🚜 = road-grader
Big and strong with the kind of grip and hand strength to erase defenders once he gets latched onto them, Morgan started 38 games over five years – missing chunks of time due to various injuries (including a 2022 ACL tear) – before starting all 12 games and being named first-team All-Pac 12 as a super senior. Morgan is fluid in space, strong at the point of attack, and physical in the run game, but he’s not as quick-footed as many of the other tackles in this draft and that can show up in pass pro. When he locks on and is strong off the snap he typically does well, but when he can’t make that initial contact, he can get off on his landmarks, and–given he lacks ideal recovery speed and has arms on the shorter side–improving his landmarks will be key to him staying outside on a full-time basis. Morgan certainly could be a tackle, but some project him inside at guard. If we’re taking him here, it should be because we see him as a tackle.
35. CB, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Missouri
6’0” 188 lbs.
🥊 = Scrappy McScrappersons
🍔 = undersized
🤕 = injury risk
A long and slender corner with a feisty, physical playstyle and the versatility and athleticism to play inside or out, Rakestraw is sticky in coverage and shows good instincts in both man and zone coverages—even if his ball production and top speed are less than ideal. He’s at his best when he can be physical at the line of scrimmage, re-route receivers, and break on underneath routes, but he may need to bulk up some to continue excelling in that capacity on the next level. The additional weight would also help him against bigger-bodied wideouts and blockers and help avoid injury—which has been a concern throughout his career. The schematic fit is intriguing, but this seems a bit high given the question marks.
36. WR, Troy Franklin, Oregon
6’2” 178 lbs.
🐆 = speed demon
😮 = big-play guy
🍔 = undersized
It’s pretty clear what Franklin’s strengths are. He’s a speed merchant through and through, with elite top-end speed and the ability to accelerate quickly to get there. He’s a ready-made vertical threat and coverage top-off man with better route-running skills than you might expect from someone with that kind of profile. But his weaknesses? Those are pretty expected. He’s tall and lanky and rail thin, which shows up at the line of scrimmage when battling physical coverage and catching the ball in traffic. In general, strength is a concern and so is the catch point, where he had a 10% drop rate this season.
37. CB, Kamari Lassiter, Georgia
6’0” 180 lbs.
👔 = pro-ready
🃏 = versatile
🧠 = high IQ
A smart and savvy defender with man and zone versatility and a high football IQ, Lassiter’s a smooth mover with good feet who is rarely out of position. His athletic traits aren’t excellent and neither are his size and strength, which is part of the reason why some believe he’ll be pushed inside in the pros. There’s also the question of his lack of ball production. But he plays hard and competes and Georgia coaches rave about his leadership abilities, which points to a solid floor. But it also points to a guy who you probably don’t want to take this early—especially if his landing spot is in the slot.
38. WR, Keon Coleman, Florida State
6’4” 215 lbs.
🍄 = ideal size
✈️ = jump ball god
🫂 = separation issues
A big-bodied basketball player-type and throwback X receiver who excels with physicality, size, and his ability to box out and win big with contested catches—catches that border on insulting. Catches like this one:
The problem is what happens before the catch. His speed is okay and good enough to make him a vertical threat given his size and the way he throws that size around, but his route running is inefficient, he doesn’t have a lot of burst, and—in general—he’s going to have issues separating on the next level. Plenty of big guys who can’t separate have flamed out in the NFL and plenty have succeeded as well. We’re just not the best place for those who want to succeed.
41. WR, Xavier Worthy, Texas
6’1” 172 lbs.
🐆🚀💨 = fast as fuuuuuu
😮 = big-play threat
🍔 = undersized
You may have heard that Xavier Worthy set the combine record for the fastest forty ever (4.21). And, if you’ve ever seen him play, you wouldn’t be very surprised by that fact. Dude has jets and is a big play waiting to happen, whether it’s down the field or by blazing by defenders after the catch—even if he’s currently much better and more consistent at the latter. In general, improving consistency across the board will be paramount to his success, but his greatest hurdle (and the potential cap on his ceiling) is how massively undersized he is. He’s not a physical player, he gets knocked off routes, and he’d need a pretty significant bulking phase to fix those problems. But also…
In many ways, the DeSean Jackson comps are warranted, and Worthy is a dude who presents enough versatility that we could find ways to get him the ball. But if we’re drafting anyone in the first round at receiver he needs to be someone who can stay on the field for run plays and get himself open rather than be schemed touches. Whether Worthy can get there with his size is the big question.
53. OT, Kingsley Suamataia, BYU
6’4” 329 lbs.
🏅 = elite athleticism
🤯 = limitless potential
💣 = boom/bust prospect
Kingsley is the only prospect I included who is outside of the consensus top 45 because—due largely to his youth and incredible physical talent—he’s expected to go somewhere near the bottom of the first or top of the second at our biggest position of need. It’s easy to see how Kingsley, his size, and his five-star blue-chip pedigree could eventually shape into a top-tier tackle, especially if he’s allowed to come along slowly in the kind of run-first, tackle-friendly offense that can protect him in pass-pro early on in his career. Are there concerns with how raw he is and how much technique work he needs despite starting two straight years at tackle? Yes. Which is likely why he’s this low on the consensus board despite having the raw tools of a guy you typically find in the top half of the first round. But he’s also 330 pounds and was No.3 on Bruce Feldman’s annual freak list after it was reported he ran a GPS-tracked 21.5mph in a game last season. There’s some boom-or-bust here for sure, but if this wasn’t such a stacked OT class, he’d likely be off the board by the late 20’s.
TLDR
I don’t really want any of the corners. Not because I don’t believe in their talent but because there are a lot of guys with decent grades through the second and third round, and I’d rather take a swing on one of them on the second day than bypass an elite-level prospect somewhere else. Of course, the ideal situation is that we get an elite-level prospect at offensive tackle. Picking at No.31 in any other draft class, that would be a pipe dream. But in this draft, with a little bit of trade ammo, it’s a definite possibility.
I have my concerns about Guyton, but if we can get him or one of the other top 7 tackles we should be thrilled, particularly if we can do it without giving up a second-day pick. When we had two third-round picks to wheel and deal with I’d have been more interested in moving one to hop up a few spots and secure a top 7 tackle. Now? I still badly want one of those guys, but I don’t like the idea of picking fewer than three times in the first two days. Not in a draft this deep with talent through the top 100 picks. That said, our roster—for the next year at least—is still so loaded that we’re looking at 10 draft picks and, at max, 5(?) spots open on the active roster. That means some picks are likely on the move.
Shipping out a fourth is more amenable than a third, but it would only give us a 2-3 spot jump at best and that may not be enough to get who we need. Of course, we also have three of those to deal with. Trading a future pick is also possible, and—if we don’t love the shape of the next draft class—that could be the move. But you're almost always paying a premium when you ship out a future pick and—to move the needle all that much in the first round—that pick would likely have to come in (at least) the third round of a year where we’re destined to have more immediate needs and more roster spots available. If it wasn’t for the depth of this class, you could make a genuine argument that trading a pick in this year’s draft to move up sets us up better for the present AND the future. But it takes some mental gymnastics to get there. And this class is quite deep.
Realistically—with our glaring need along the OL, our abundance of picks, and the remarkable depth of this offensive tackle class—a move seems more likely than not. And, for the right price, it could make sense. But it has to be for the right guy (IMO, that means Mims or better) and we can’t leverage our future for it. I’ll keep hoping that some combo of fourth-rounders will do the trick, but I’m not too confident.
If we CANNOT get one of those top 7 OTs, then I want the best available player with genuinely elite potential. We’re fortunate in that “best available” will likely align with a position of need at this point in the draft. This could be a place for Chop Robinson or Brian Thomas Jr. or we could bolster the interior with Graham Barton or Jackson Powers-Johnson. Jordan Morgan has been a popular pick for us in mock drafts. I have some concerns, but if the scouting staff is certain he can stick outside—I would understand and support the pick as we have the right scheme to hide some of his potential weaknesses. But if we’re sitting at No.31, desperately want a tackle, and don’t have Morgan graded significantly above the likes of Kingsley Suamataia and/or the guys from Houston and Yale (who we’ll talk about next time), we could benefit from trading down and accumulating picks in a class this deep at the position.
Go Niners 🏈👍
Draft Strats & Musings
The first step to updating that background
The city of Rome was founded in 753 BC, marking the beginning of an empire that lasted upwards of 1,200 years. During that time, they introduced the world to roads, the news, the Julian calendar, and the idea of not drinking from the same water that you bathed and took dumps in. But—as historians are apt to note—they never got over the hump and hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. And, in the fifth century, a combination of in-fighting, corruption, and invading Visigoths quickly led to their demise. The empire of Rome was no more. Now, all we have are present-day ruins and the CGI backgrounds of bad sword and sandal movies to remember it by.
All this to say, the draft is important. While we currently have one of the most talented rosters in the league, any team that doesn’t constantly refuel via the draft runs the risk of quickly becoming the Chargers: a once-stacked roster that suddenly finds themselves old, top-heavy, lacking in depth, and burning in cap hell. We’re a long way from that nightmare scenario, but we saw hints of declining depth last season. They were simply masked by the fact that—for the first time in a decade—we ranked better than 20th in adjusted games lost due to injury. Thus, the more questionable parts of our roster could stay hidden. But soon, the Visigoths will be at the door.
This lack of depth can largely be attributed to the Trey Lance trade, and—to a lesser extent—the move for CMC midway through the 2022 season. We are more than happy with the picks we gave up from one of those deals, but the lack of high-round picks has started to permeate the outskirts of our roster. So with 10 picks in the draft, including first and second-round selections for the first time since 2021, now is the time to insert new starters, future starters, and depth pieces throughout our roster—both as assurances against a potential return to bad injury luck and to keep this party rolling into next year and beyond.
Because aqueducts are nice. And so is perennial contention.
Still getting boned by the NFL. You may have heard that the NFL dropped the Niners’ fourth-rounder a few spots and took away their 2025 fifth-round pick due to an accounting error. The error had something to do with a bonus payment through a new payroll system and didn’t affect salary cap compliance or give any competitive advantage, but the NFL decided to come down hard to prevent someone from intentionally making a more advantageous “mistake” in the future. The punishment seemed a bit severe, but at least I understood it.
But the Niners got absolutely screwed by the NFL’s last-second change to how they calculate compensatory picks. Stockpiling comp picks has been a major part of our roster-building strategy since the Trent Baalke days, and—rumor has it—some owners had grown butt-hurt about how effective we’ve become at the practice. This likely played a part in the NFL’s decision to change the comp pick formula overnight—a change that affects how void years are calculated and dropped the third-round comp pick we’d expected to get from Jimmy G (or Mike McGlinchey) to a fourth-rounder.
I won’t get into the nitty-gritty of exactly how the formula changed because (a) I don’t know the specifics, and (b) apparently, neither does anyone else. This is from Nick Korte, runner of OverTheCap, a salary cap site that correctly predicts comp picks a year before they’re awarded. For reference, the Bills were the only other team expecting a third-rounder (for Tremaine Edmunds) and got ambushed by this formula change.
Since the cancelation charts no longer make any sense, the changes must have something to do with void years counting as higher annual salaries than listed so that you can’t abuse the practice to net better comp picks. In a vacuum, I understand the change. But if your worry is competitive balance then it might be nice to (a) make this decision BEFORE all these contracts have been structured and signed, and (b) actually tell people about it when you do. Instead, the Niners had a third-round pick (99th overall) drop to a fourth-round pick (132nd overall). According to draft value charts, that equates to about a mid-fourth-round pick of pure LOST value.
John Lynch was diplomatic when asked about the change. Probably because the Niners had just been docked draft spots for the payroll mishap. Brandon Beane, GM of the Bills? Not so much:
“It did surprise me. I think us and San Francisco, we got a raw deal,” Beane said, adding the 49ers received a lesser comp pick as well. “I don’t want to give a full thing, but we had separate Zooms with the league trying to go through how it was calculated because by even their accounts, as we were checking with them through the year, we clearly had a third-rounder. It was a major blow because we had planned for it and San Fran felt the same way.”
Never mind the fact that the large majority of the prized third-round picks we’ve acquired over the past few years have not been due to free agency but because we’ve cranked out two minority GMs and as many minority head coaches as the rest of the league combined. This is not an exaggeration. While 2024 was a banner year for minority hires, from 2021 when the minority coaching initiative was enacted through 2023, we were responsible for 3 of the 6 minority head coaching hires. The other three included an internal promotion after a retirement (Todd Bowles) and two hires (David Culley, Lovie Smith) from the Texans’ “unlikeable Tommy Boy” owner—hires who were always meant to fail as the team blew up its roster and completed a multi-year organizational teardown.
It’s also worth wondering if this change does anything to aid competitive balance. Every NFL team can engage in the same void-year practices as we do regardless of on-field success, market, or franchise value because—unlike the MLB—revenue sharing in the NFL is so vast and distributed so equally that teams have nearly all of their cap money paid for before they earn a dime for themselves. Void years in the NFL don’t help wealthy franchises and big markets cheat the system through deferred contracts (see: Dodgers + Ohtani), they simply reward teams whose owners are willing to pay more guaranteed cash upfront. Every team can (and should) use void years to manipulate the cap. They just don’t want to because they’re more busy gaslighting their employees and threatening their fans with leaving town if they don’t pay for much-needed stadium upgrades through taxpayer funds. This change doesn’t reward the poor. It rewards the cheap.
No one is less surprised than me that a bunch of old rich white owners got mad about accounting loopholes they can (and should) be using for themselves instead of just–you know–hiring good minority candidates and then developing them into highly coveted head coaches, but it’s a bummer how and when the NFL decided to acquiesce to their complaints.
Aiyuk Update. There is none. But there are some things to note.
If Aiyuk gets traded (a scenario I still find highly unlikely) it will happen before the draft. This is a loaded receiver class and there’s no chance the Niners brass wants to get rid of their No.1 receiver before this critical 2024 season and NOT tap into this class for an immediate replacement. Star players get traded before the draft or they don’t get traded.
All-Pro(ish) corner L’Jarius Sneed was just traded for a third-round pick. Stefon Diggs was just traded for a 2025 conditional second-round pick. All this would suggest that the Niners would struggle to net the kind of first round+ return needed for them to feel at all comfortable with parting with their star wideout. While the depth of this current receiver class certainly depreciates the value of a veteran wideout on the trade market, this isn’t apples-to-apples. The Chiefs HAD to move or sign Sneed and the rest of the league called their bluff. Diggs is a bigger name but a worse receiver who turns 31 next season and has a history of forcing his way out of winning situations. We still have Aiyuk on his fifth-year option, have the cap space to pay him, and he’s on the right side of 30 with all analytics, advanced stats, and locker room chatter on his side.
I think we’d all like to pay Aiyuk sooner rather than later, both so he can continue to develop a rapport with Purdy and for our peace of mind as we enter the summer. But we’d also like to get ahead of the massive upcoming extensions of CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson. Contracts will continue to balloon as long as the salary cap grows. All you can do is diagnose the right guys to lock into long-term deals and sign them before other players at the same position follow suit. CeeDee and JJ are much bigger parts of their respective offenses. While Aiyuk has similar talent, we don’t want to be paying a surcharge for a usage level that we don’t ask of him, nor do we want to have those two exorbitant contracts on the books as we negotiate.
Is it time to finally be good at special teams? The new kickoff rule that the NFL ported over from the XFL will be a major wild card this upcoming season. There’s an argument that it should benefit us, as the weird 5-yard gap between the kicking and receiving teams loosely resembles stretch runs, the blocking mirrors the difficult open field blocks that we ask our fullbacks, tight ends, and wide receivers to do on the regular, and we have one the most creative brain trusts in football when it comes to scheming up run concepts.
That said, special teams have never been a genuine strength of ours, whether it’s returning kicks or covering them, so we’d be making some pretty legitimate assumptions to think that will change overnight. But we’ve already made more special teams-oriented acquisitions than usual this free agency and we’re still in the market for a new return man (or two, given the new kickoff rules), so don’t be surprised to see special teams become a more important focus than usual in our draft selections, especially for anyone taken on the third day.
General Draft Strategy
It’s impossible to know exactly who will be available at pick 31 and beyond, but I think we can zero in on a few likely positions based on our free agent moves, this draft class’ depth of talent at different positions, contract decisions that must be made in the next year, and the fact that our starting lineup has only a few real positions of need.
Our roster-building philosophy will also permeate everything that happens over the draft weekend, particularly in the early rounds. You have to pick and choose in a hard cap league and there are certain position groups that we have decided to value higher than others. Those are the positions we’re more likely to target on the first two days of the draft.
Based on all that, these are the positions I expect us to target and when.
Offensive Line
We could stand to upgrade every spot along our offensive line other than Trent Williams, and even at left tackle we’ll need a succession plan sooner rather than later. This is BY FAR the most likely direction we go at pick 31, and this draft class is as stacked at OL as any that I can remember.
A starting right tackle is certainly our priority. If a rookie can plug and play, that lets us push McKivitz inside or to a backup swing role that best suits him. A handful of these tackles may need to start their careers inside before they learn the nuances of tackle play. That’s not ideal but not the end of the world, either, as we could use improvement everywhere and it would let us bring a guy along slowly while still giving him early reps. There are also a few interior guys getting first-round grades. I don’t LOVE spending a first-rounder on an interior-only guy, but–for the right prospect–I don’t hate it either. Regardless, we need new blood and better talent up and down our offensive line, and this class is packed with it.
At times, a class’ positional depth has let teams secure quality players later in the draft, as teams become less anxious to snag their guy early because there are so many players they like on their board who could be available later. With how desperate the NFL is for good offensive tackle play, I don’t think that will be the case this year. There’s a potential tier dropoff after the top 7 tackle prospects in this class, and while there’s a chance one of those guys could fall to us at 31, a run on tackles before we’re on the clock is (at least) equally as likely. The 8th and 9th-ranked tackles are by no means scrubs, but we may need to leapfrog some teams to get a crack at that top 7. For reference, moving up just 5-6 spots in the first round would likely cost us the value equivalent of a super late third-round pick. You know, like the one the NFL just moved to a fourth-rounder due to the comp pick formula changes they just decided to apply this year.
Le sigh.
I would be shocked (and appalled) if we don’t add at least one offensive lineman on the first two days of the draft–likely (ideally) in the first round. But without a second third-round pick to wheel and deal with, the chances of us jumping up to grab a higher-ranked tackle have certainly dropped. That’s not the end of the world. Typically, just picking the available guys and hoarding picks is the right move, especially when you’re a team like us in need of an influx of capable youth. But it would be nice to have the flexibility to get aggressive if need be.
Wide Receiver
We’ve talked about Aiyuk and Jennings’ contract situations as well as Deebo’s standing on the roster both this year and beyond, but our receiver corps is massively top-heavy.
Ray-Ray’s injury really knocked him out of the offense and now he–and his punt return ability–are gone. Ronnie Bell did well for a seventh-round rookie but was a healthy scratch throughout the playoffs because he was still, after all… a seventh-round rookie.
We need to continue adding weapons and–given how hard it is for rookie receivers to play in Shanahan’s offense–we should be adding guys now rather than later. This receiver class has three guys up top who I consider home runs, but it’s an impressively deep class through the middle rounds. The second round in particular has A LOT of guys who I like, and the Niners seem to be visiting with a bunch of dudes with the intention of picking one up in either the second or third round.
I’d be surprised if we go wideout in the first round. After all, we will likely be returning our top three wideouts next season. But I would consider this the second-most likely position we draft in the first two days.
Defensive Line
No position group rotates more and needs more functional bodies than the defensive line. So despite the money and draft capital we’ve already invested in the position group, the DL will be very much in the picture throughout this draft. Before free agency, I would have said this was the second-most likely position we target in the first round. Now, I only think we spend No.31 on a defensive lineman if the exact right type of prospect falls to us.
A defensive end is preferable–we’ve basically been searching for a true speed guy opposite Bosa since our first Super Bowl–but interior guys are also on the docket, and they could present better value in the middle rounds. After signing four free agent defensive linemen this off-season, we don’t have to reach on anyone, but I’d expect we add two(ish) guys in the draft because so many of our linemen are on one- or two-year deals with potential outs after this season.
Cornerback
In theory, you’d think this would be the second-most likely position we pick at the end of the first round, and it probably is. But our roster-building principles try to minimize the spending on corners and we’ve shown that throughout the ShanaLynch tenure.
In the seven drafts under John Lynch, we’ve only drafted two corners in the first two days (Ambry Thomas and Ahkello Witherspoon) and have never drafted a corner higher than the third round. This is despite cornerback being a position of need entering MANY of those drafts. But there is some reason to believe that streak could be broken this year.
Our top four cornerbacks will all be unrestricted free agents after this year. Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir were lights out for us this season and played a major part in preventing our defense from falling apart when we didn’t have our A game. And there are a lot of cornerbacks graded around the first-round turn in this particular draft class.
The signing of Yiadom makes this slightly less of an urgent need, but drafting a corner in the first three rounds seems likely—specifically one who can play outside or a guy who they believe is versatile enough to fill part of the “star” nickel role that Brandon Staley has employed at his previous two stops.
Day 3 Dudes
Tight End - Is Cameron Latu the answer behind Kittle? While he could be taking a page from the Aaron Banks developmental playbook, that’s not an assumption we should be making. Blocking is key in our scheme, so the options are always thinner for us at tight end than squads who use the position more like a large receiver.
Lynch and Shanahan have been looking for a jumbo slot/tight end type since we burned a second-day pick on the never-healthy Jalen Hurd back in 2019. It’s a search that’s gone on as long as our pursuit of a right guard who is functional in pass protection. Realistically, the closest thing we have to a true second tight end at the moment is Jennings, who is a big body and an excellent blocker but still not someone we’d put in-line or in the backfield (except for when we accidentally run the ball with him, of course).
The ideal candidate is a Kittle backup and a potential heir apparent for Juice. We love our 21 formations, but there’s really only one Juice, and–when he retires–it may be easier to replace his production with an h-back/tight end tweener rather than a fullback. Granted, we have Brayden Willis and Jack Coletto on the squad, two guys who were picked largely for that very purpose. But given our failed pursuit of Brock Wright, we clearly aren’t confident that either is ready to take on full-time TE2 duties.
Safety - Tashaun Gipson has yet to decide whether he’ll play in 2024, and—given how we started Logan Ryan over J’Yair Brown in the divisional game against the Packers—I would guess the Niners would rather add a proven veteran as injury assurance to Huf and Brown than a fresh-faced rookie.
But whether it’s Gipson or another established starter, they’ll probably only be here for a year, which would time up exactly with when Huf becomes a UFA this time next off-season. So if the Niners are looking for a full-on succession plan—or simply a guy who can excel at special teams and be shaped into a reserve safety or a future linebacker (ala Flannigan-Fowles, Greenlaw, etc.) it may make sense to grab a guy now.
Running Back - While taking a third-round running back who flames out before stepping foot on the field has become a meme at this point, Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason are both UFAs at the end of this season, and it’s very likely we take someone late in the draft (or after the draft) who we hope can make an impact a year from now.
Everyone and their mother is worried about CMC’s touch count, including myself, so it’s worth wondering if we target someone with excellent third-down ability or if we stick to a more traditional back who can one-cut and get upfield in our zone and stretch games. Given I wouldn’t expect someone to be drafted at this position until the last two rounds (at the earliest), it may be a “beggars can’t be choosers” scenario.
Linebacker - Whether or not this is a need likely comes down to how confident we are in the development of the two linebackers we drafted last year and the recovery of Dre Greenlaw. Warner is locked up the for long haul, but Dre, Flannigan-Fowles, and De’Vondre Campbell are all UFAs after this season. And for all the talk about how our defense runs through our deep and talented defensive line, what truly makes our defense uniquely special is the ability to trot out two S-tier cover guys who are also rangy and physical against the run.
Go Niners 🏈👍
Free Agency Roundup
Bolstering the middle class
Free agency can be splashy, sexy, and exciting. This year, it was none of those things. But that’s a good thing. While free agency technically runs through most of the summer, we’re likely done with major moves until at least after the draft. Here are a few takeaways from how we’ve approached this critical off-season.
Stimulus Checks. The massive spike in the salary cap has led to some truly obscene contracts over the past two months as every desperate owner, GM, and coach has been spending like it’s the first two weeks of COVID lockdown and PS5’s just restocked. Want to pay a soon-to-be 30-year-old Calvin Ridley No.1 money despite having a draft pick high enough to take one of the top three guys in a historically loaded wideout class? Sure. Have a 5’8 quarterback who you essentially gave up CJ Stroud AND Caleb Williams for? Better pay $20M/yr over five years for an offensive guard. While it may not get the juices flowing, this off-season was the perfect one to NOT get into bidding wars.
Strength in Numbers. Our depth issues along the defensive line were apparent all season and pushed us to make TWO mid-season trades for edge players last season. With the money saved from releasing Armstead, we’ve already added two likely starters and four guys to our two-deep. While we’re still hoping that one or both of Drake Jackson and Robert Beal Jr. emerge into viable contributors next season, we’ve approached this off-season in a way that insulates us in case they don’t.
Two-Year Tryouts. With so much money committed to high-end talent, we know a cap crunch is coming next off-season. To prepare for that inevitability, we’ve been adding players mostly on one-year prove-it deals and two-year pacts structured in a way where guaranteed cash is paid upfront and the second year operates largely like a team option. If we like what we see, we can keep that player for the beginning of the next era. If the ROI doesn’t fit, we can let them walk without dominating our cap. That doesn’t mean there won’t be any dead cap (each of these deals comes with void years), but we’re preparing a year early for some big decisions next off-season.
Farewells
The most significant goodbyes (in number and impact) have come along the defensive line, where five players on our two deep have departed. One-year rentals Clelin Ferrell (Washington), Chase Young (New Orleans), and Randy Gregory (unsigned) have all moved to greener pastures while Javon Kinlaw latched on with the Jets after finally putting together a (mostly) healthy season that showed some promise. But the saddest and most meaningful departure was Arik Armstead, whose sticker price simply didn’t mesh with the amount of time he’s missed due to injury over the past two years. While he was still a Top 10 DT when healthy, he missed 13 games over the past two seasons due to an injury (Lisfranc) that will likely only get worse with time. I think we were all hoping the Niners and Armstead would find a middle ground on a pay cut and a contract restructure, but–according to Armstead–the Niners’ offer was to drop his salary to $8M/year (with incentives bringing it up to a paltry $10M). Unsurprisingly, that was too big a financial hit for “The Blueprint,” who signed for $14.5M/year over three years with the Jags shortly after being released. As the first-round pick of the graciously short-lived Jim Tomsula era, Armstead was the longest-tenured 49er on the roster and–as our nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year four years running–he will be missed in the community and the locker room as much as he’ll be missed on the field.
Elsewhere, Sam Darnold did well enough as a backup rental to score a bridge quarterback contract with the Vikings. He’ll at least have a chance at keeping the seat warm for whatever quarterback Minnesota inevitably drafts this April. Special teams ace and part-time starter Oren Burks went to Philadelphia for a sum of money small enough that it gives us some hope that at least one of last year’s rookie LBs has shown enough to warrant a bump in playing time. Ray-Ray McCloud and Charlie Woerner both latched on with the Falcons. Isaiah Oliver–who was cut as quickly as physically possible after the season ended–landed with the Jets. Reserves Sebastian Joseph-Day (Tennessee) and Matt Pryor (Chicago) have moved on as well.
Running It Back
We offered a second-round tender to Jauan Jennings, which he’s yet to sign but likely only because they’re still working on hammering out a more significant extension. Jon Feliciano returns for a potential swan song, a sneaky important move given he was probably our second-best offensive lineman last year. Kevin Givens was the one free agent defensive lineman we retained on a one-year pact–solidifying our two-deep on the interior. Finally, George Odum, Chris Conley, and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles are all guys who can play offensive or defensive snaps in a pinch, but their extensions are mostly geared toward special teams.
Shoutouts to Kittle and Warner for restructuring their deals to clear up the cap space to make these moves (and the ones below) happen, and a special shoutout to Juice, who took a pay cut to try and keep as much of the core together for another run.
The New Guys
We have four new dudes along the defensive line–all with pretty clear roles within next year’s rotation. DE Leonard Floyd (Buffalo) immediately becomes the most accomplished pass rusher to line up opposite Nick Bosa. At first considered a bust after being drafted 9th overall by the Bears in 2016, Floyd found his footing and broke out with the Rams under then-DC Brandon Staley (who knew him from his time as an assistant in Chicago). Since that move, Floyd has tallied four straight years registering somewhere between 9-10.5 sacks and 19-22 QB hits. While 31 years old, he’s a model of consistency as an edge rusher and someone whom Brandon Staley is quite familiar with. While he’s probably not as freaky of an athlete as he was when he came out of college, Floyd will be able to punish single blocks and blow by slow pass sets at a rate that we haven’t seen opposite Bosa since the ten games before Dee Ford blew out his back.
DE Yetur Gross-Matos (Carolina) is our second addition on the edge, although he was likely brought in to play an inside-outside hybrid role similar to the one that Arden Key and Charles Omenihu have excelled at in the past. Gross-Matos hasn’t lived up to his lofty high-second-round draft slot in his four years in the pros, but he hasn’t been a total flameout either. Across 55 games and 32 starts, he’s registered 13 sacks and 30 QB hits. Nothing to write home about, but Gross-Matos’ size and physical profile were highly coveted for a reason and—as a long-limbed athletic guy who still needed to fill out his frame—he was largely miscast as a down lineman in the Panthers’ 3-4 fronts. Similar to someone like Danielle Hunter, Gross-Matos was always thought to be a guy who needed some time to bulk up and fill out, and we weren’t the only team to think a change of scenery could unlock some of that past potential because there was a bit of a bidding war to secure his services. The price (2yr/$18M) was higher than anticipated, but an aggressive one-gapping scheme like ours with a top-flight position coach seems like as good a situation as any to unlock Gross-Matos’ considerable potential.
On the interior, we traded a seventh-rounder for Maliek Collins, a sneaky productive starting DT for the Texans who should slot in smoothly to our system given it’s the same one he just played in. He had 5 sacks and 18 QB hits last year and should give us some pass-rush juice while Jordan Elliott (Cleveland) will be more of a run-stopper. Elliott presents some intrigue in that–like Gross-Matos–his physical profile is more impressive than his production. He’s started the past two seasons on a loaded Browns defensive line (even if he was the least memorable of those starters), and while it would be optimistic to think a guy with ten career QB hits will ever be a force against the pass, he’s still young. There’s hope that his best as a pro is yet to come, and—even if the sacks never come—we would be more than happy if he rounds out into a truly disruptive run defender.
LB De’Vondre Campbell (Green Bay) will fill in for Dre as he heals up and slot in as our SAM linebacker once Greenlaw returns. I was a bit more comfortable with Eric Kendricks–who committed to us before changing his mind and following his former head coach down to Dallas–if only because Kendricks was coming off a rebound season and has been the healthier of the two. Campbell was a first-team All-Pro as recently as two years ago but he’s been in and out of the lineup since, and when he has played, nagging injuries have affected his performance. To be fair, he hasn’t been bad when he’s played hurt, he just hasn’t been the same player we saw in 2021. This could be a major steal or a guy who is in-and-out of the lineup. It all comes down to which Campbell we’re getting and for how much of the year we’ll have him.
CB Isaac Yiadom (New Orleans) may be our most intriguing pickup. After not moving the needle much in his first five years in the league, things finally clicked for him last season. While he wasn’t a full-time starter until week 12, he finished the season as PFF’s 10th-best cornerback. The Saints wanted to keep him, but with both their starting corners entrenched (and healthy) for 2024, Yiadom moved on to bet on himself, and we secured his services for a paltry one-year deal worth up to $3M. Perhaps last season was a flash in the pan. Or perhaps Yiadom is simply a late bloomer who has finally put things together as he approaches his age 28 season. The potential return is sky-high. At the very least, he gives us cheap competition to start outside in our nickel sets—where he’ll have to fight off Ambry Thomas, Samuel Womack, and Darrell Luter Jr. for snaps.
Aerospace engineer and QB Josh Dobbs (Minnesota) replaces Darnold as Purdy’s backup. Hopefully, he won’t have to play except in blowouts, but “The Passtronaut” is already familiar with our scheme from his time with the Vikings so it should be a smooth transition. While Darnold’s arm talent is far superior, Dobbs is a smart guy and a good athlete and has shown he can play (and win) in a pinch—even if you don’t necessarily love the idea of him as your long-time starter.
Finally, CB Chase Lucas (Detroit), LB Ezekiel Turner (Arizona), and RB Patrick Taylor (Green Bay) were brought on as camp bodies with the chance to stick around as special teams aces and we replaced Pryor with OT Brandon Parker (Vegas), a practice squad reserve tackle candidate who I honestly know nothing about.
Moves To Come?
We’ll be jumping into the draft in the coming days/weeks, so we’ll talk more in-depth about our overall team needs during that time, but there are two positions that may be addressed with veterans at some point between now and the start of OTAs.
At safety, Tashaun Gipson hasn’t yet decided whether he wants to retire or go for one more chance at a Lombardi Trophy. If he doesn’t hang em up, a return to the Niners is highly likely. In case he doesn’t, we’ve been doing our homework in evaluating a few options from a safety market with a number of proven commodities and a floundering positional valuation. The Niners have already met with Julian Blackmon, who just re-signed with the Colts earlier this week, and former Jag, Rayshawn Jenkins. While there’s a chance we find mid-round value at safety in this draft class and trot out a rookie, there’s a good chance that we bolster the unit with a vet in the coming months.
The same could be said for tight end, where we put out an RFA offer for Brock Wright (Detroit) which was basically the exact same deal that Woerner just signed with Atlanta. The Lions just matched, so Wright won’t be coming to the Bay, but we’re clearly still in the market for a reliable second tight end who can spell Kittle. Maybe Cameron Latu–the 2023 third-round pick who missed the entirety of last season with a “medical” redshirt–fills that role but with a much higher ceiling. But given how we’ve been operating, it shouldn’t be assumed that’s the case.
Go Niners 🏈👍