Potential 49ers Draft Targets to Watch at Senior Bowl

1-on-1’s are today.

Nov 1, 2024; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Georgia State Panthers wide receiver Ted Hurst (16) makes a touchdown catch against the Connecticut Huskies in the second quarter at Rentschler Field at Pratt & Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The first NFL draft showcase is underway with open practices at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. The vaunted one-on-ones are today, scrimmages Thursday, and the game is on Saturday.

For the player listings, the number in parentheses is the player’s draft projection on Tankathon, which has a good track record. Ages are the player’s age as of opening day.

For reference, the 49er draft picks are currently at 27, 58, 92, 127, 133, 139, and 171.

WR (catches-yards, average yards per reception, touchdowns)

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1. Ja’Kobi Lane (USC) 6-4/196 (63), 22. 49-745, 15.2 avg, 4 TD. Comp – A 4.6 Jauan Jennings. High points the ball well, long, good body control, great at contested catches. Weak in speed, acceleration, separation and YAC. 9.3% drop rate.

2.      Malachi Fields (Notre Dame) 6-4/218 (85), no birthday online. 36-630, 17.5 avg, 5 TD. Comp – Jauan Jennings with great hands. Strong, long, power releases at the line, in-breaking receiver, contested catch guy, wide catch range, excellent blocker, sub 4% drop rate. No first step acceleration or top end speed, can’t separate, limited YAC. The 49ers scouted Notre Dame heavily.

3.      Ted Hurst (Georgia State) 6-3/207 (120), no birthday online. 71-1004, 14.1 avg, 6 TD. Comp – A small school D.K. Metcalf, an X with size, length, and vertical speed. Hurst added 12 pounds for Mobile. What speed does he have at the new size, to be seen in the 1-on-1’s? He has 34 explosive catches (20 yards +) in the last two years.

Hurst has a golden opportunity to move up and likely will. Josh Cameron (Baylor) 6-1/223 is another underrated receiver who could ascend.

DB (tkl – tackles, pd – passes defensed, int – picks, ff – forced fumbles)

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1.      Colton Hood (Tennessee) 6-0/195 (33), 21.50 tkl, 8 pd, 1 int, 1 ff. Comp: Carlton Davis, Greg Newsome. Long arms, good downhill tackler in run support. Issues with ball tracking, ball skills, hips, route recognition in zone.

2.      Chris Johnson (SDSU) 6-0/190 (38), 21. 49 tkl, 9 pd, 4 int, 1 ff. Comp: Charvarius Ward. Excels in zone coverage, passer rating against of 16.1. Scheme versatile, athletic, high football IQ. Inconsistent with recovery speed and timing.

Other DBs with size

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3.      Julian Neal (Arkansas) 6-1/202 (74), 23. 55 tkl, 10 pd, 2 int. Comp: A slower Charvarius Ward. Aggressive in press man, solid in zone, long, good run defender. He’s productive but slow, lacks acceleration and long speed.

4.      Davison Igbinosun (Ohio State) 6-2/192 (90), 22. 53 tkl, 8 pd, 2 int. Comp: Another Ward comp. Press man, run D, football IQ, cover skills, stays in phase. Handsy gets flagged, better man than zone.

5.      Daylen Everette (Georgia) 6-1/190 (112), 22. 50 tkl, 10 pd, 1 int. Comp: A poor man’s Marshon Lattimore. 5-star athlete with size/speed, effective blitzer, takes the opposition’s best receiver. Five picks career. Zone reaction too slow, needs more aggression and better angles in run d. A ball of clay pick, high upside.

OL

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1.      Gennings Dunker (Iowa) 6-5/320 OG (37), 23. Comp: Matthew Bergeron. The best run blocker in the class. A college tackle moving inside. Has experience in outside zone, but he’s a mauler, pancakes guys. Is he fast and agile enough for Shanahan? Probably not. Limited laterally, shorter arms. His 20 shuttle time in Indy will determine if he’s on the Niners radar.

2.      Jake Slaughter (Florida) 6-4/305 C (77), 23. Comp: Drew Kendall. He wins with technique, hands, football IQ, and angles. Has the speed for outside zone, Shanahan’s type of center, smart more than powerful. Can lose on power.

3.      Jude Bowry (BC) 6-5/314 OT (103), no birthday online. Comp: Kingsley Suamataia. Fast, explosive, but plays high and needs technique work. Ball of clay.

4.      Keylan Rutledge (Georgia Tech) 6-3/316 C/G (136), 23. Comp: Chris Lindstrom. Violent mauler, pancakes, intense, more of a guard than a center but handles both. Can play high, is he fast enough for Shanahan? TBD.

Edge

Notes: T.J. Parker and L.T. Overton are ranked high, but they are edge-setters and inside-outside players, respectively. The Niners need a speed rusher. Romello Height of Texas Tech has the speed, but he’s 25 on opening day. No more Pearsall picks. Zion Young is long and powerful, but Kris Kocurek vetoes; he lacks get off speed. Dani Dennis-Sutton, Mykel II.

The designated speed rusher they’d look at is Derrick Moore of Michigan. Speed to power, good acceleration, productive. He needs to add more power to shed blocks.

DT

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Notes: Caleb Banks has size, speed, and quickness, but he plays high and lacks violent hands. He’s also coming off a foot injury, no more drafting high injury risks. Lee Hunter is a boulder; the need is a pass rushing DT.

Zane Durant of Penn State is a potential 49er target, projected at 116, 6-1/290. He has speed and strength, quick hands, compact, strong technique, explosive force as an interior pass rusher. Grady Jarrett comp. Four sacks.

Gracen Halton of Oklahoma is 6-2/293, projected at 143. He has interior pass rush skills based on speed, agility, quickness, and a high motor. The downside is short arms, a narrow base, and he can play high.