With day one of the draft nearly here, and not exercising a pick until Friday's Round 3, the 49ers find themselves with little to do but wait it out. That's an oversimplification, of course, and the 49ers will obviously be hard at work regardless of what happens with everyone else tomorrow, but waiting, at least this year, is what they will be doing.
Still feeling the concessions made in the move to get quarterback Trey Lance in the 2021 draft, the 49ers won't select until day 2, with the 99th overall pick, assuming the team doesn't make a draft day deal to move up. But while, for most fan bases the idea of being out of the first two rounds of the draft is about as enchanting as a trip to the dentist, for 49er fans, it's a far less significant circumstance. The 49ers have had to sit out early draft rounds before, and it may be one of the reasons they have become, if not late round draft experts, at least highly proficient at the task.
The 49ers should be able to shore up key positions with some depth pieces in the mid to late rounds of the draft. But even if this draft class ultimately falls flat for the team, there's still a viable option to snagging some quality players beyond the draft. The 49ers historically have been not just late-draft masters, but rulers of the realm of undrafted players as well. If they do explore the post-draft free agent market, there will be some talent there to test. Given the team's pre-draft needs, here are six players the 49ers could consider.
TREVOR DOWNING — IOL (Iowa State)
Known as a proficient run blocker, the 6'5," 300 lb. Downing seems to have the field intelligence and lateral flexibility the 49ers like to see in their linemen. The team's run schemes are complex by NFL standards, and Downing likely would have the ability to catch on quickly given a season or two to get some experience. Like many taller linemen, Downing can get a bit stood up and off-balance in his pass blocking and can struggle at times with the speedier rushers. But overall, his blocking in space is decent, his footwork is clean, and he's shown the smarts to react quickly against defensive stunts.
Downing's greatest liability is his rather iffy technique as a pass blocker, something that could possibly be overcome with NFL level coaching. He does have an added upside in is his ability to play multiple positions inside, much like former 49er Daniel Brunskill, and that has to count for something.
DALTON WAGNER — T (Arkansas)
If the 49ers wanted to give a supersized man a chance at tackle, Dalton Wagner may be the guy.
At 6'9"/330, Wagner is an absolute mountain for edge rushers to get around, and his long arms and sheer mass give him the ability to hold blocks much longer than smaller tackles. He's not built well to handle the quicker, bend-worthy edge rushers, but that's a problem common to big tackles, not to Wagner in particular. The downside to Wagner may be his foot speed, which isn't great, and his inconsistency in taking out smaller, faster defenders who have the moves to get him off balance in pass-rushing. As with Trevor Downing, that may be an issue too big to overcome, but it would be interesting to see what the 49ers coaching staff could do to improve his technique with a full camp and some preseason to work with. It's unlikely Wagner would crack the final roster, at least initially, but he could be an intriguing player to stash on the practice squad.
OTIS REESE – CB (Ole Miss)
The outlook for Otis Reese is somewhat of a mixed bag. On the upside, Reese possesses decent speed, good hands, quick feet, and the exceptional balance needed to be a starting cornerback in the NFL. He's also smart and instinctive and has proven to have the ability to read both receiver routes and the eyes of quarterbacks. His size, at 6'3"/225, also makes him an attractive option in covering some of the NFL's larger wideouts.
The primary knock on Reese may be his shakiness in handling really fast receivers, paired with some sluggishness in picking up on quick route changes. If he was a bit better in those areas, he might be a mid-round prospect. But even with those limitations, Reese's game against the run is more than decent, and he has a natural willingness to engage tackles and the right level of aggressiveness to succeed if he can improve on some technical aspects of his play. He also has the size to play either at cornerback or safety, ala Jimmie Ward, and that could be a positive element that could entice the 49ers to give him at least a shot in training camp.
QUINTON BARROW — OL/T (Grand Valley State)
Largely invisible to some NFL scout's this year has been Grand Valley State's Quinton Barrow. Granted, Barrow played his college career as a rather large fish in a small pond, but that modest backdrop aside, Barrow has shown some NFL worthiness in technique, intelligence and build. At 6'6"/335, he's physically a handful for defensive linemen to deal with, and combined with the level of aggression with which he plays, he's not likely to be manhandled by anyone across the line of scrimmage. He has routinely flashed ability both as a run blocker and pass protector, and there's plenty of tape on Barrow taking defenders completely out of plays.
While he could come off the board in the late rounds of the draft, there's enough of a question about Barrow's subpar footwork and a notable reduction of ability moving into a zone blocking scheme to make teams hesitate. His coming from a small school won't help his draft value either.
While he may not get a hard look from the 49ers, he certainly deserves consideration, if for nothing more than his aggressive play and maturity in blocking schemes, two things the 49ers value greatly.
JARAY JENKINS — WR (LSU)
The 49ers like to have at least one burner on the roster, and they may add that in the next few weeks. But Jaray Jenkins won't be that guy. What Jenkins could be is another bigger body to roster up behind Jauan Jennings. Like Jennings, Jenkins can handle the area underneath coverage with some skill. He's got nimble hands, good situational awareness, and the ability to make both contested catches as well as catches from awkward places. Though not a pure wideout like the 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk, Jenkins has decent reach and can go high to bring down balls. He also has nice size (6'2"/200), his timing is solid, and he's not afraid to take hits without giving up on the catch.
As for liabilities, Jenkins is not known for his speed, either off the snap or in the open field, and he's yet to develop the ability to separate well, all of which will make him a poor option as a downfield threat. Still, Jenkins wasn't given much to do in LSU's offense, and that may have kept him from developing into the more assertive receiver he might otherwise have become. He does appear to have some "YAC" ability, and is also a solid blocker, both big plusses from the 49ers' standpoint.
CHRISTIAN YOUNG — Safety (Arizona)
Tagged with having solid ball skills and great instincts, Arizona's Christian Young seems to be the brand of player that could quickly develop a penchant for forcing turnovers and disrupting offenses. He's explosive, strong handed in fending off blockers, reacts quickly to what's happening on the field, and for someone his size (6'3"/225) has shown remarkable game speed. He's aggressive and smart and has a nose for the ball. He's also demonstrated the ability to play both outside corner and nickel, in addition to safety. His size paired with his speed make him a dangerous and potentially punishing force in the secondary, a quality the 49ers value highly.
Why then would Young go undrafted? Well, he may not, but he's had issues at times reading routes well and has been burned a fair share overcommitting on receivers. His flexibility in changing direction isn't great, and he's also got the reputation for playing a bit recklessly (much like 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga in his draft days). It may still not be enough to allow Young to make it through the draft unclaimed, however, as a team or two have already been eyeballing him pre-draft.
If a need for refinement drives the 49ers search for a safety, they will likely find a group of players better than Young. But his talent is nonetheless there, and depending upon how much effort the team wishes to put into development, Young could certainly pique their interest. If the 49ers want him, it may cost them a late round pick, but it's the sometimes-unpredictable NFL draft, and it's at least possible he goes undrafted. Young's assets on paper outweigh his liabilities and make him a solid UDFA project if the 49ers can't secure an appealing safety candidate elsewhere.
Regardless of what the 49ers do with their basket of later round picks, two things are near certainty: They will find some potential diamonds there among the back end of the draft, and they will find some surprising prospects still to bring home, even after the draft has ended. It's simply what they do. That process for 49er fans, beginning tomorrow, is always fun to watch.