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49ers Pick Versatile Defensive Lineman in New Mock Draft

If the 49ers can't stop the run, they won't get the opportunity to rush the quarterback.
Grant Cohn|
Sep 14, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Nic Scourton (11) looks toward the sideline against the Florida Gators during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
Sep 14, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Nic Scourton (11) looks toward the sideline against the Florida Gators during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers' biggest needs this offseason are located on their defensive line.

They've drafted just one defensive lineman in the past two drafts -- edge rusher Robert Beal Jr., who has just one sack in two seasons. The 49ers need to replenish this position and give Nick Bosa some help.

That's why The San Diego Union-Tribune projects the 49ers to take Texas A&M defensive end Nic Scourton.

"This offseason will go a long ways in determining whether the 49ers’ championship window remains open or if it will be slamming shut soon," writes Union-Tribue columnist Eddie Brown. "GM John Lynch has never shied away from replenishing the pass rush. Scourton led the Big Ten in sacks (10) and produced 15 tackles for a loss as a sophomore at Purdue. The 6-foot-4, 285 pounder took his inside-outside versatility and nasty spin move to the SEC in 2024, and recently accepted an invitation for the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he could be one of the standouts. LSU’s Campbell would make a lot of sense here to if he were available."

Scourton looks like a good prospect, but the 49ers already have one like him. I'm talking about Yetur Gross-Matos, who also is a bigger defensive end who's at his best rushing from the interior as a defensive tackle on third downs.

The 49ers have a bigger need for a legitimate three-down defensive tackle who can stop the run and push the pocket to replace Javon Hargrave who will get released when free agency begins in March.

If the 49ers can't stop the run, they won't get the opportunity to rush the quarterback.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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