Upon being waived by the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 18, new San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Sheldon Day was sought by three other teams, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The 49ers, Houston Texans, Detroit Lions, and Arizona Cardinals each put in a claim for the defensive player. The 49ers acquired Day because they own the worst record among those teams.
New #49ers DT Sheldon Day was a popular name on the waiver wire after the #Jaguars waived him: The #Texans, #Lions, and #AZCardinals also tried to claim him, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 21, 2017
Day was originally a fourth-round draft selection out of Notre Dame by the Jaguars in 2016. In his two NFL seasons, Day has appeared in 22 games and registered 11 tackles, two sacks, and one pass defensed. This season, he appeared in six games and had three tackles, a sack, and one pass defensed.
According to Pro Football Focus, Day owns a 78.6 grade this season through 125 snaps with Jacksonville. During his senior year with the Fighting Irish, he had PFF's top production grade among defensive tackles.
Here was our PFF Scouting Report on Sheldon Day coming out of Notre Dame. He had PFF's top production grade among DTs in senior year in 2015. https://t.co/7J8qcw70jv #49ers
— Jeff Deeney (@PFF_Jeff) November 21, 2017
"As a one-gap penetrator on the interior, there aren't any better in this class," wrote the PFF Analysis team in February of 2016.
Below are some of PFF's positives and concerns for Day as he entered the 2016 NFL Draft.
What He Does Best
- Plays like a bowling ball. Rarely, if ever, are offensive linemen able to engage him cleanly
- Ton of juice in his first step
- Crazy-high motor. Hands are continuously fighting, and it translates to a good number of late wins
- Quicks show up in every facet of the game. Ability to cross a lineman's face
Biggest Concerns
- Struggles to separate off blocks and finish plays. Finished far too many plays grasping for air or lying on the ground
- Very undersized and scheme limited. Not someone you'd want two-gapping
- Junior year production wasn't anything special
- Too often tries to play around blocks instead of through the
(h/t to Patrick Tulini for the find)
