The San Francisco 49ers hosted Iowa cornerback Josh Jackson for one of their 30 pre-draft visits earlier today. Iowa's center James Daniels is expected to visit later this week, according to Chris Biderman of Niners Wire.
James Daniels said he has on-location visits set up in April with the Cowboys, Broncos, Rams, 49ers, Bears, Panthers and the Eagles. He said he had more but those the ones he could think of off top of his head.
— Rob Howe (@RobHoweHN) March 26, 2018
At the NFL Scouting Combine, the 6-foot-3 and 295-pound Daniels achieved 21 bench reps of 225-pounds, had a vertical leap of 30.5 inches, a broad jump of 108 inches (nine feet), completed his 3-cone drill in 7.29 seconds and finished his 20-yard short shuttle in 4.4 seconds.
NFL.com projects Daniels as a first- or second-round selection.
The 49ers drafted backup quarterback C.J. Beathard and starting tight end George Kittle out of Iowa last season. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote the following in his analysis of Daniels:
Daniels is a fluid mover with tremendous initial quickness to win positioning on most every zone block he's asked to make -- both on the first and second levels. His height, weight and arm length numbers at the Combine will be critical in either solidifying his draft slot or potentially dropping him a round. Some teams might see him as a zone-only center, but he may be strong enough to fit in with other blocking schemes. He needs to get stronger, but he's a plus run blocker and pass protector with a chance to become a Pro Bowl starter.
Tony Pauline of Draft Analyst also wrote an analysis on Daniels:
Daniels is an underrated center prospect who showed consistent progress the past two seasons. He's an athletic zone blocker with growth potential and an underclassman who should only get better as he physically matures.
Measurables
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 295 lbs.
Arm Length: 33 3/4"
Hand Size: 9 1/2"
NFL Scouting Combine
40-time: 4.99, per Draft Analyst
Vertical: 30.5 inches
Broad jump: 108 inches
3-cone drill: 7.29 seconds
Bench press: 21 reps
20-yard shuttle: 4.4 seconds
Many mock drafts, including Walterfootball.com's, have Daniels in the mid-to-late first round conversation. The 49ers currently lack a backup center and have three former first-round picks (Laken Tomlinson, Johnathan Cooper, and Joshua Garnett) competing for the team's two starting guard positions. Could 49ers general manager John Lynch target Daniels if he and Shanahan decide to trade back in the draft?