After a controversial third round, where the San Francisco 49ers selected kicker Jake Moody and tight end Cameron Latu, the team pivoted to filling up other positions, targeting TCU linebacker Dee Winters in the sixth round with the 216th pick.
Winters now becomes the first linebacker that San Francisco has added this season after losing Azeez Al-Shaair to the Tennessee Titans in free agency.
Did the 49ers strike paydirt once again on a late-round pick, especially at a position where they've developed well over the Kyle Shanahan era?
?feature=share
Obviously, time will tell how Winters will make an impact on the 49ers, but the player is very intriguing, especially for a 49ers defensive scheme that values speedy linebackers that have good instincts.
Winters ran a 4.49 40-yard dash and a 1.56 10-yard split at the NFL Combine, which is evident on tape when seeing his trigger, downhill explosiveness, and sideline-to-sideline speed.
Now, Winters, like many 49ers targets at the linebacker position, is undersized, limiting his ability to shed blocks against bigger bodies near the line of scrimmage in the run game.
However, Winters's speed and instincts for shooting gaps are going to be valuable when placed in the right position in the running game, as well as when blitzing.
But, I wouldn't be surprised to see Winters in coverage, as his speed allows him to carry with running backs out of the backfield, providing him some versatility as a weakside linebacker.
If Winters's size limits his upside at the next level, he could pan out as a solid special-teamer for the 49ers, adding to the deep room that already possesses undrafted free agent Marcelino McCrary-Ball among the reserves looking to make their way onto the 53-man roster.
In the sixth round, Winters is good value for the 49ers, who have shown an affinity for finding value in the later rounds of the NFL Draft after reaching in the past during earlier rounds.
Rohan Chakravarthi and Jessie Naylor break down Day 1 of the San Francisco 49ers OTAs that was available to media.
The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below.
You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our dedicated podcast page, on
Kyle Shanahan feels "really fortunate" with 49ers' QB room
By David Bonilla
May 24
Kyle Shanahan praises his quarterback room every year. Last season, the San Francisco 49ers went through three starting quarterbacks and still made it to the NFC Championship Game. Trey Lance was the Week 1 starter but suffered a season-ending ankle injury during his second game. Eleven weeks later, Jimmy Garoppolo sustained a broken foot.
That opened the door for rookie Brock Purdy to show his coaches and the NFL world that he belonged, despite being the last overall pick in the draft. Purdy guided the 49ers to eight consecutive wins before suffering a severe injury in that NFC title game matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Two of the quarterbacks from last season—Lance and Purdy—remain. Both are just 23 years old. They are joined by Sam
The San Francisco 49ers entered the offseason with several questions after key figures, such as Jimmie Ward, Mike McGlinchey, Samson Ebukam, and Charles Omenihu, departed in free agency, creating the possibility for position battles in organized team activities(OTAs) and training camp.
While several of the starting spots are solidified, there are still a few position battles to watch, as well as depth questions that could allow younger players to compete and take 53-man roster spots at the end of the offseason.
Let's break down some of those battles to watch and how they could play out for the 49ers, outside of the obvious competition at
Podcast: Questions that need to be answered during 49ers OTAs
By Rohan Chakravarthi
May 24
Rohan Chakravarthi and Suneil discuss the quarterback competition and position battles to watch during the San Francisco 49ers' OTAs.
The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below.
?feature=share
You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our
