Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Around The NFL writer Nick Shook examined the upcoming free agency landscape and played matchmaker between players and teams. In his
latest feature for NFL.com, he picked "one fun free agency fit" for each NFC team. The San Francisco 49ers could see several defensive backs depart, including Richard Sherman,
Jason Verrett,
K'Waun Williams, and Ahkello Witherspoon.
The potential losses at cornerback led Shook to pick
Mike Hilton of the Pittsburgh Steelers for John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan's defense.
"The 49ers are going to say goodbye to Richard Sherman and likely Jason Verrett, and they also need to get younger at the position," explained Shook. "A favorite of mine for the last couple of seasons because of his flair for being in the right place at the right time, Hilton would be an excellent fit in the 49ers' defense. With around $12.5 million in cap space, San Francisco has the funds to make this happen and shore up its secondary in the process."
San Francisco may have the funds to add a player like Hilton, but the team also has other needs to address. Left tackle
Trent Williams, whom the team traded for last offseason, is scheduled to hit the open market. The 49ers would like to keep him around for the foreseeable future. However, Williams is expected to be in high demand. Shook's colleague, Gregg Rosenthal,
recently stated that he expects the eight-time Pro Bowl selection to become the highest-paid player in free agency and possibly the highest-paid tackle in the NFL.
As for Hilton, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss in 2016. He wasn't able to stick with the team beyond its final roster cuts and, after a few days on the New England Patriots practice squad, signed with the Steelers.
Hilton, 26, registered 51 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, three sacks, seven passes defensed, three interceptions, and a forced fumble through 12 games with the Steelers in 2020, per Pro Football Reference. He has recorded 237 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 32 passes defensed, seven interceptions, and three forced fumbles through his four NFL seasons.
Shook sees the Philadelphia Eagles as a good free agency destination for one 49ers cornerback about to hit the open market — K'Waun Williams.
"The Eagles have essentially little to no money to spend, but they do need to fill the nickel role in their defense," wrote Shook. "Williams feels like a good fit because of his mix of age and deflated value due to a considerable injury history, and he could probably be had for an affordable amount."
The writer feels former 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Washinton Football Team quarterback Alex Smith might be a solid match for the Chicago Bears.
"Should he be able to stay healthy for a full season, this might end up being the next chapter in Smith's incredible comeback tale -- and could help vault the Bears from a seventh seed to something greater," commented Shook.
NFL Network analytics expert Cynthia Frelund recently used her context-based data models to determine the best team fits for the top draft-eligible quarterbacks. What are the ideal landing spots for the incoming group of rookie passers?
"The goal for each pairing: maximizing the draftee's 2021 win share," wrote Frelund, "factoring in what we know about each team's personnel, coaches and strategy right now. And of course, I'm aiming to present realistic matches, ones that could actually come to fruition on draft day."
Trevor Lawrence to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Zach Wilson to the New York Jets seem like the most likely
Yet another mock draft has the San Francisco 49ers selecting former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones with the No. 3 overall pick. This one from ESPN's Mike Tannenbaum is a bit different, though. While some analysts feel that Jones-to-49ers is the most likely scenario, many feel that the selection would be a reach, especially with potentially higher-ceiling prospects Justin Fields and Trey Lance likely to still be on the board.
The latest ESPN mock draft has Tannenbaum, a former NFL executive, playing the role of general manager for all 32 teams and choosing the players he feels are the best fit for
Mike McDaniel started working with Kyle Shanahan with the Houston Texans. He is one of the San Francisco 49ers head coach's most trusted assistants, serving as the team's run-game coordinator during his first four seasons in Santa Clara. In January, McDaniel was promoted to offensive coordinator, becoming the first coach under Shanahan to hold that title.
"Immediately, you're trying to prove your worth and prove the people right that have really invested in you and invested in your career, and given you opportunities, and et cetera, et cetera," McDaniel recently told 49ers.com reporter Keiana Martin. "It instills a level of hunger on top of the hunger that you already had."
After McDaniel
File this under interesting pre-draft tidbits. San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan were in attendance for Alabama's pro day last week. That made headlines because the duo opted to watch quarterback Mac Jones rather than attend Ohio State's pro day to watch Justin Fields. Paired with Chris Simms' speculation that San Francisco might have traded up to the No. 3 spot for Jones, that spurred others to seriously consider a Jones-to-49ers scenario.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban recently joined the Dan Patrick Show and shared that neither Lynch nor Shanahan asked him anything about his former quarterback, who helped guide the Crimson Tide to a national championship. And it wasn't because they didn't have an opportunity to do
