San Francisco 49ers NFL Draft Live Blog: Day 3
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SANTA CLARA -- This is the San Francisco 49ers live blog for Day 3 of the NFL Draft. I will update this frequently with information and analysis from the Levi's Stadium media room.
5:01 Brock Purdy is a training camp body who might make the 49ers' practice squad. It would have been nice if the 49ers had drafted someone else who had a shot to make the team and be a player. Oh well. At least it was the last pick in the draft.
4:00 The 49ers take Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy with pick 262. He is Mr. Irrelevant. Stay tuned for my analysis.
3:08 Tariq Castro-Fields is intriguing. He's 6'1", he ran a 4.37, he has recovery speed plus ball skills. Meaning he's the opposite of most 49ers defensive backs, who typically specialize in tackling. Castro-Fields certainly does not specialize in tackling -- he missed 23.8 percent of his tackling attempts. Still, he's a good gamble at the end of Round 6.
3:05 Kalia Davis is a former linebacker who tore his ACL last season and recorded just four sacks in college, but he has the talent to become a terrific interior rusher, and the 49ers have the best defensive line coach in the NFL -- Kris Kocurek. Which means Davis has a good chance to reach his potential on the 49ers.
2:27 The 49ers take Penn State cornerback Tariq Casto Fields with Pick 221. Stay tuned for my analysis.
2:24 The 49ers take UCF defensive lineman Kalia Davis with Pick 220. Stay tuned for my analysis.
1:25 Zakelj is an athletic offensive tackle who fits the 49ers run scheme and could become a backup swing tackle for them -- think Tom Compton. But he's weak in pass protection, he has short arms and he was one of the worst players at the Senior Bowl. He's a small school player in the worst sense of the term. Another reach. This has been the worst draft of the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch regime.
1:00 The 49ers draft Fordham offensive tackle Nick Zakelj with Pick 187. Stay tuned for my analysis.
12:40 Womack was not invited to the Combine and was projected to be an undrafted free agent, so he feels like a panic pick. I'm guessing the 49ers wanted a different cornerback, perhaps DaRon Bland, who went to the Cowboys at Pick 167. Womack said he expects to play mainly inside, meaning nickelback. He's a good athlete who doesn't give up big plays but doesn't create big plays, either. Which means he's like the rest of the 49ers' cornerbacks.
12:15 The 49ers draft Toledo cornerback Sam Womack in Round 5. Stay tuned for my analysis.
11:57 If the 49ers want a safety, the best ones available are Verone McKinley, Tycen Anderson, Leon O'Neal and Markquese Bell.
11:04 Burford has experience playing every position on the offensive line except center, which seems to suggest the 49ers have a plan at center. At guard, they're going to throw as many unproven youngsters into a training camp competition as they can and hope someone emerges as a quality player. Burford probably was a reach at this spot. Now the 49ers need a safety.
10:27 The 49ers draft UTSA offensive tackle/guard Spencer Burford. Stay tuned for my analysis.
10:25 The 49ers are on the clock at 134 and both Zach Tom and Dohnovan West are available. Pick one.
9:00 The 49ers have six picks today: Nos. 134, 172, 187, 220, 221 and 262. They still have major needs at safety and on the offensive line. The 49ers still haven't said if starting center Alex Mack will return this year, so center is a huge need, and the best centers available are Zach Tom from Wake Forest and Dohnovan West from Arizona State. The 49ers would be smart to take one of them in Round 4. It's surprising the 49ers didn't take an offensive lineman yesterday, considering it's their biggest weakness and their second-best offensive lineman currently is Daniel Brunskill, who's not good. You would think the 49ers would want to put Trey Lance behind the best offensive line they could put together.
Maybe the 49ers think Mack will return. Or maybe they're counting on Daniel Brunskill to move from right guard to center, but that would be a mistake, because Brunskill is much worse at center than at guard. Or maybe the 49ers are targeting a center today. One way or another, it seems the 49ers believe in all the young unproven offensive linemen on their roster. Expect Colton McKivitz to start at guard -- the 49ers seem to trust him, unlike Aaron Banks, who was inactive for all but two games as a rookie last season.
