The 49ers Draft TCU Linebacker Dee Winters in Round 6 with Pick 216

Here's the replacement for Azeez Al-Shaair.

The 49ers just drafted TCU linebacker Dee Winters in Round 6 with pick No. 216. And although they took him late in the draft, he has a legitimate chance to start as a rookie at strongside linebacker in place of Al-Shaair, who signed this offseason with the Houston Texans.

Physically, Winters is similar to Dre Greenlaw, who had a breakout season in 2022 with the 49ers. Both Winters and Greenlaw are 5'11" -- relatively short for linebackers, but the 49ers don't care. What they value at linebacker is speed, and Winters and Greenlaw have that to spare.

Winters ran a 4.49 40-yard dash at the Combine, which is an extremely fast time for a linebacker. He has the speed and explosiveness to cover tons of ground and close quickly on the short checkdown passes that NFL quarterbacks love to throw. Greenlaw devours checkdowns, and so will Winters.

The reason Winters fell so far in the draft is because teams worry that he's too small to disengage from blocks. But again, the 49ers don't care about that. They like smaller linebackers who are almost strong safety hybrids, because those guys can cover in the pass game, and stopping the pass is the most important thing to do on defense in the modern NFL.

Winters will compete for a starting job this offseason with Oren Burks, who's a special teamer, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowlers, another special teamer, and Marcelino McCrary-Ball, who was on the practice squad last season.

You've got to like Winters' odds.