2023 Draft Prospect Watch List and Discussion

Originally posted by adrianlesnar:
Check out Jerrod Clark, who might be available 1 or 2 rounds later than Mazi, based on early media projections

If they really want a big guy to eat up the middle, Clark would do it. Not much in the way of pass rush but run stuffing is very good.

Bro's got some heavy hands. 300lbs moving real well 👀

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Quick little mock draft, senior bowl player heavy given that it just ended, with little blurbs about each player. I am aware that most of these players won't be available at our picks by the time we get to the draft, but let me have my fun. Hardest part for me was not drafting any CBs despite it being, in my opinion, the strongest position group this year. Ideally, I'd like to take advantage of the strengths of the draft, but I find that our needs are too numerous and our draft capital too shallow to add to a position group that I think we're okay at, pending free agency. I'm a sucker for fast and aggressive corners with long arms and smooth hips (who isn't) so shout out to Julius Brents who measured in with rediculous 33 and 3/4 inch arms.

For free agency, I'm going all-in New Orleans Saints mode and kicking as much money down the road as necessary to stack the roster at all positions.

FA: Da'Ron Payne, Arden Key, Emmanuel Moseley, Charles Omenihu, Jauan Jennings, Jason Poe, Daniel Brunskill, Kevin Givens, Taybor Pepper

3: Will McDonald, EDGE
Media consensus seems to be that the EDGE position is one of, if not the, deepest/strongest position groups in the draft. Personally, I don't see it. Like at all. But I'm hoping they are right about how the NFL is viewing the class, and that it allows an undersized passrusher who was used out of position in college to drop to the third round. He needs technical refinement, and he may never have the size to be a 3 down player, but he does have the unteachable traits that are inate to all great designated pass rushers: length (35" arms), get-off/explosion, motor, sideline-to-sideline speed, and bend (top 3 bend in the class). The long arms offer a lot of room for optimism, but he'll likely succeed early in his career by dipping and ripping around the edge, winning with speed, bend and relentless motor. He doesn't currently show much ability to win with speed to power, but he did show a very smooth and explosive spin counter to the inside at the senior bowl, which will force tackles to think twice before selling out to the outside track and over setting every down. For how successful, talented and deep our DLine has been in the Shanny/Lynch era, we have never had that speed rusher to complement the likes of Bosa, Hyder, Omenihu or to chase down players from the backside. Nothing is sexier than an edge rushing up the arch and bending around the corner to hit the QB.

3: Keeanu Benton, IDL
In the run game, he should be able to holdup 1 on 1 right away, and keep our backers clean. He has the size and natural strength to drop his knee and hold up against double teams, tho I would give it an off-season or two before he becomes consistently dominant in that regard. Against the pass, when aligned headup over the center, he can use his 34" arms, strength and explosion off the snap to get into the pads of shorter armed centers and immediately cave the pocket back with a bullrush. When aligned from a shaded position or 3 technique he has impressively light feet, lateral agility and upper body twitch to get around linemen with an arm-over move. Also has really heavy hands and showed a nice club to rip through move. This has potential to be the DJ Jones player that fans have been wanting back.

3: Jammie Robinson, Safety
A small but feisty safety, Jammie is well rounded. He is very instinctive, and aggressive to the ball. Can play in the box, deep, or in the slot.

4: Joe Tippman, Center
I'm trading Kinlaw and a 2024 4 for a 2023 4. I like Brendel, and would bring him back. But, like the rest of our line last year outside of Trent Williams, Brendel is best described as simply "fine." Now, fine was better than expected, and is good enough to get the job done, but I'm in the business of aiming for an elite offensive line, and drafting players every year til we find the right one. Tippmans only negative is that he is 6'6", and while that might look intimidating on paper, it tends to work against offensive linemen who need to rely on leverage, and particularly against centers, who need to get their weight up after snapping the ball. That said, his movement skills look special, and he has every quality you are looking for.

5: Jayden Reed, WR
I think we have a great wide receiver corps, but the one thing this teams never had since Trent Taylor's rookie year is a reliable slot receiver. Aesthetically, Jayden Reed is best described as "big enough," but he is a sure-handed technician as a route runner who can win at all 3 levels. He has no problem taking passes over the middle. Head fakes, foot fire, change of direction, and most importantly intellect and nuance - Jayden Reed knows how to get open. He is flexible, drops his hips, and is explosive out of his breaks, and while not a true burner like Danny Grey, he is fast, even by NFL standards. He uses his releases and route running to create seperation at the shallow and intermediate levels, and he uses his speed to stack corners down the field, and his deep ball tracking to haul in passes over the shoulder is very impressive. If he can learn to show his hands a little later, he can become an elite deep threat. Most impressive is his ability to vary his tempo during routes, often lulling defenders to sleep before gaining late seperation with a quick burst. After the catch, he isn't running through many square tackles, but he was a good punt returner in college and routinely showed the vision and ability to make it difficult for defenders to square him up when generating YAC.

5: Riley Moss, DB
He did show some man coverage ability in one-on-ones during senior bowl practices, but I still like him as a convert to safety, where he can keep the action in front of him and use his IQ and short area explosion to break on the ball. I think his long speed is over estimated, and I would draft him to play safety, but his versatility is valuable when creating a roster.

5: Wanya Morris, OT
Gambles I want to take: athletic and smooth as hell tackles measuring 6'5", 317 lbs, with 35-3/8" arms, 10-1/4" hands and a ~86" wingspan

6: Ivan Pace Jr, LB
We are going to start to hear a lot more about Ivan Pace Jr now after the week he had at the senior bowl, but the fact remains that he is 5'10", 230 lbs with 30" arms. At those measurables, he is not a stack-and-shed linebacker, and he should never be expected to be able to sift through traffic, get off blocks, or have plus coverage ability. I would not expect him to be better than a LB3. That said, what he does have is special linear athleticism, and if the DL can keep him clean, he can absolutely shoot in like a missle and rack up tackles for loss as a downhill run defender. He is strong and aggressive as hell, playing well above his size when throwing his body into opposing players; he shoulder checked O'cyrus Torrence (arguably the strongest guard in the class and potentially OG1) and dropped him on his ass during the senior bowl game, which actually made the tackle on the running back. He should be able to quickly make a name for himself as a blitzer, and most importantly to me, should be a probowl level special teamer right away. He had 500+ ST snaps in college. Again, as a traditional LB, think LB3 and special teams ace. But a with a creative defensive coordinator, with his blitzing ability, he can be an absolute weapon.

7: Brenton Strange, TE
An athletic pass catching tight end who shows good effort in run blocking and decent ability in pass blocking.

7: Noah Gindorff, TE
A large blocking tight end who shows ability as a passing threat in the redzone thanks to his size. I think Dwelley gets too much s**t for the NFCCG; it was more a combination of Reddick being early (sold out vs the pass, run fake be damned) and Purdy being late (held the ball waiting to see Aiyuk open rather throwing Aiyuk open, likely because on the bigger stage, mistakes like an INT hold greater consequence, and even Purdys brass balls weren't large enough to not hesitate as a rookie in such a big game). That said, you definitely feel better about a guy like Gindorff blocking, and we've been clamoring for a tall "go up and get it" red zone threat for a long time.

7: Harrison Mevis, PK
Get cheaper at all costs. I don't want to neglect the position, and as fans, we remember the big missed kicks far easier than we do the big made kicks, but I still don't think we can afford to be paying top dollar to a kicker. Mevis is consistent, and has the biggest leg in the class.

7: Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB
Cost effective 3rd QB who can be a threat with his legs. As a backup plan to the backup plan, I don't know that id expect anyone available to be a consistent passer, so I'd rather have a guy who can keep you in the game in multiple ways.

UDFA: Nick Saldiveri, OL
So I don't actually think that this player has any chance of going undrafted, tho I suppose him having played for Old Dominion doesn't make it impossible, but I wanted to write a blurb about him and already used my unrealistic trade with less than a 1% chance of happening to get an extra draft pick, so I couldn't find a way to get him into the draft. I actually didn't know anything about this player before the senior bowl until Brad Graham (49er content creator who focuses on OL) started gushing about him. He is a right tackle in college who likely converts to inside at the next level, and I was intrigued by Brad's comments so I watched all of the 1v1 snaps I could find of him from practice. His pass pro reps immediately stood out, particularly his punch accuracy, strike timing and grip strength. He showed active hands to reset, but the need to do so appeared few and far between; he consistently got inside the players pads, gained control, and never let go. Very impressive, and so I looked up his measurables, and low and behold, he has 10-1/2" hands, and those big mitts definitely translate to the tape. His time at tackle was evident, and he showed good balance and flexibility. I'mma need to watch more to see how he is in run blocking.

UDFA: BJ Thompson, EDGE
Coming from an FCS school, it was good to see him dominate the competition at the Shrine Bowl. Similar to McDonald, Thompson is an elite athlete with 35" arms. Also similar to McDonald, he is undersized....he has long and thin legs that I worry are going to snap like toothpicks at any moment. In fact, he's even lighter than McDonald. I don't think he's quite as bendy as McDonald, but he may be more athletic. He was a 2-way player and 4 sport athlete (football, basketball, baseball, track) in highschool. He is expected to have a 40"+ vertical. Not sure if he got a combine invite, but I'd expect him to be added after his performance at the shrine bowl.

Originally posted by adrianlesnar:
Quick little mock draft, senior bowl player heavy given that it just ended, with little blurbs about each player. I am aware that most of these players won't be available at our picks by the time we get to the draft, but let me have my fun. Hardest part for me was not drafting any CBs despite it being, in my opinion, the strongest position group this year. Ideally, I'd like to take advantage of the strengths of the draft, but I find that our needs are too numerous and our draft capital too shallow to add to a position group that I think we're okay at, pending free agency. I'm a sucker for fast and aggressive corners with long arms and smooth hips (who isn't) so shout out to Julius Brents who measured in with rediculous 33 and 3/4 inch arms.

For free agency, I'm going all-in New Orleans Saints mode and kicking as much money down the road as necessary to stack the roster at all positions.

FA: Da'Ron Payne, Arden Key, Emmanuel Moseley, Charles Omenihu, Jauan Jennings, Jason Poe, Daniel Brunskill, Kevin Givens, Taybor Pepper

3: Will McDonald, EDGE
Media consensus seems to be that the EDGE position is one of, if not the, deepest/strongest position groups in the draft. Personally, I don't see it. Like at all. But I'm hoping they are right about how the NFL is viewing the class, and that it allows an undersized passrusher who was used out of position in college to drop to the third round. He needs technical refinement, and he may never have the size to be a 3 down player, but he does have the unteachable traits that are inate to all great designated pass rushers: length (35" arms), get-off/explosion, motor, sideline-to-sideline speed, and bend (top 3 bend in the class). The long arms offer a lot of room for optimism, but he'll likely succeed early in his career by dipping and ripping around the edge, winning with speed, bend and relentless motor. He doesn't currently show much ability to win with speed to power, but he did show a very smooth and explosive spin counter to the inside at the senior bowl, which will force tackles to think twice before selling out to the outside track and over setting every down. For how successful, talented and deep our DLine has been in the Shanny/Lynch era, we have never had that speed rusher to complement the likes of Bosa, Hyder, Omenihu or to chase down players from the backside. Nothing is sexier than an edge rushing up the arch and bending around the corner to hit the QB.

3: Keeanu Benton, IDL
In the run game, he should be able to holdup 1 on 1 right away, and keep our backers clean. He has the size and natural strength to drop his knee and hold up against double teams, tho I would give it an off-season or two before he becomes consistently dominant in that regard. Against the pass, when aligned headup over the center, he can use his 34" arms, strength and explosion off the snap to get into the pads of shorter armed centers and immediately cave the pocket back with a bullrush. When aligned from a shaded position or 3 technique he has impressively light feet, lateral agility and upper body twitch to get around linemen with an arm-over move. Also has really heavy hands and showed a nice club to rip through move. This has potential to be the DJ Jones player that fans have been wanting back.

3: Jammie Robinson, Safety
A small but feisty safety, Jammie is well rounded. He is very instinctive, and aggressive to the ball. Can play in the box, deep, or in the slot.

4: Joe Tippman, Center
I'm trading Kinlaw and a 2024 4 for a 2023 4. I like Brendel, and would bring him back. But, like the rest of our line last year outside of Trent Williams, Brendel is best described as simply "fine." Now, fine was better than expected, and is good enough to get the job done, but I'm in the business of aiming for an elite offensive line, and drafting players every year til we find the right one. Tippmans only negative is that he is 6'6", and while that might look intimidating on paper, it tends to work against offensive linemen who need to rely on leverage, and particularly against centers, who need to get their weight up after snapping the ball. That said, his movement skills look special, and he has every quality you are looking for.

5: Jayden Reed, WR
I think we have a great wide receiver corps, but the one thing this teams never had since Trent Taylor's rookie year is a reliable slot receiver. Aesthetically, Jayden Reed is best described as "big enough," but he is a sure-handed technician as a route runner who can win at all 3 levels. He has no problem taking passes over the middle. Head fakes, foot fire, change of direction, and most importantly intellect and nuance - Jayden Reed knows how to get open. He is flexible, drops his hips, and is explosive out of his breaks, and while not a true burner like Danny Grey, he is fast, even by NFL standards. He uses his releases and route running to create seperation at the shallow and intermediate levels, and he uses his speed to stack corners down the field, and his deep ball tracking to haul in passes over the shoulder is very impressive. If he can learn to show his hands a little later, he can become an elite deep threat. Most impressive is his ability to vary his tempo during routes, often lulling defenders to sleep before gaining late seperation with a quick burst. After the catch, he isn't running through many square tackles, but he was a good punt returner in college and routinely showed the vision and ability to make it difficult for defenders to square him up when generating YAC.

5: Riley Moss, DB
He did show some man coverage ability in one-on-ones during senior bowl practices, but I still like him as a convert to safety, where he can keep the action in front of him and use his IQ and short area explosion to break on the ball. I think his long speed is over estimated, and I would draft him to play safety, but his versatility is valuable when creating a roster.

5: Wanya Morris, OT
Gambles I want to take: athletic and smooth as hell tackles measuring 6'5", 317 lbs, with 35-3/8" arms, 10-1/4" hands and a ~86" wingspan

6: Ivan Pace Jr, LB
We are going to start to hear a lot more about Ivan Pace Jr now after the week he had at the senior bowl, but the fact remains that he is 5'10", 230 lbs with 30" arms. At those measurables, he is not a stack-and-shed linebacker, and he should never be expected to be able to sift through traffic, get off blocks, or have plus coverage ability. I would not expect him to be better than a LB3. That said, what he does have is special linear athleticism, and if the DL can keep him clean, he can absolutely shoot in like a missle and rack up tackles for loss as a downhill run defender. He is strong and aggressive as hell, playing well above his size when throwing his body into opposing players; he shoulder checked O'cyrus Torrence (arguably the strongest guard in the class and potentially OG1) and dropped him on his ass during the senior bowl game, which actually made the tackle on the running back. He should be able to quickly make a name for himself as a blitzer, and most importantly to me, should be a probowl level special teamer right away. He had 500+ ST snaps in college. Again, as a traditional LB, think LB3 and special teams ace. But a with a creative defensive coordinator, with his blitzing ability, he can be an absolute weapon.

7: Brenton Strange, TE
An athletic pass catching tight end who shows good effort in run blocking and decent ability in pass blocking.

7: Noah Gindorff, TE
A large blocking tight end who shows ability as a passing threat in the redzone thanks to his size. I think Dwelley gets too much s**t for the NFCCG; it was more a combination of Reddick being early (sold out vs the pass, run fake be damned) and Purdy being late (held the ball waiting to see Aiyuk open rather throwing Aiyuk open, likely because on the bigger stage, mistakes like an INT hold greater consequence, and even Purdys brass balls weren't large enough to not hesitate as a rookie in such a big game). That said, you definitely feel better about a guy like Gindorff blocking, and we've been clamoring for a tall "go up and get it" red zone threat for a long time.

7: Harrison Mevis, PK
Get cheaper at all costs. I don't want to neglect the position, and as fans, we remember the big missed kicks far easier than we do the big made kicks, but I still don't think we can afford to be paying top dollar to a kicker. Mevis is consistent, and has the biggest leg in the class.

7: Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB
Cost effective 3rd QB who can be a threat with his legs. As a backup plan to the backup plan, I don't know that id expect anyone available to be a consistent passer, so I'd rather have a guy who can keep you in the game in multiple ways.

UDFA: Nick Saldiveri, OL
So I don't actually think that this player has any chance of going undrafted, tho I suppose him having played for Old Dominion doesn't make it impossible, but I wanted to write a blurb about him and already used my unrealistic trade with less than a 1% chance of happening to get an extra draft pick, so I couldn't find a way to get him into the draft. I actually didn't know anything about this player before the senior bowl until Brad Graham (49er content creator who focuses on OL) started gushing about him. He is a right tackle in college who likely converts to inside at the next level, and I was intrigued by Brad's comments so I watched all of the 1v1 snaps I could find of him from practice. His pass pro reps immediately stood out, particularly his punch accuracy, strike timing and grip strength. He showed active hands to reset, but the need to do so appeared few and far between; he consistently got inside the players pads, gained control, and never let go. Very impressive, and so I looked up his measurables, and low and behold, he has 10-1/2" hands, and those big mitts definitely translate to the tape. His time at tackle was evident, and he showed good balance and flexibility. I'mma need to watch more to see how he is in run blocking.

UDFA: BJ Thompson, EDGE
Coming from an FCS school, it was good to see him dominate the competition at the Shrine Bowl. Similar to McDonald, Thompson is an elite athlete with 35" arms. Also similar to McDonald, he is undersized....he has long and thin legs that I worry are going to snap like toothpicks at any moment. In fact, he's even lighter than McDonald. I don't think he's quite as bendy as McDonald, but he may be more athletic. He was a 2-way player and 4 sport athlete (football, basketball, baseball, track) in highschool. He is expected to have a 40"+ vertical. Not sure if he got a combine invite, but I'd expect him to be added after his performance at the shrine bowl.

You were killing it all the way till the 7th round. 2 TE's and a kicker are a bit hard to swallow at first glance. Trade of those TE's for another DT and draft another CB instead of a kicker.............then we're talking. Nice mock.

Think the Niners need to rebuild the interior of their defensive line after the Eagles bounced around Kinlaw like a pinball in the NFC Title game. Here's the list of the best potential DT's:

Defensive tackle

PLAYERSCHOOLHT, WT
1. Jalen Carter
Georgia
6-3, 310
2. Bryan Bresee
Clemson
6-6, 316
3. Siaki Ika
Baylor
6-4, 354
4. Mazi Smith
Michigan
6-3, 335
5. Gervon Dexter Sr.
Florida
6-6, 316
6. Keeanu Benton
Wisconsin
6-4, 312
7. Byron Young
Alabama
6-3, 299
8. Colby Wooden
Auburn
6-5, 285
9. Calijah Kancey
Pittsburgh
6-0, 275
10. Zacch Pickens
South Carolina
6-4, 305
11. Keondre Coburn
Texas
6-2, 339
12. Cameron Young
Mississippi State
6-4, 316
13. Karl Brooks
Bowling Green
6-3, 305
14. Moro Ojomo
Texas
6-3, 284
15. Jaquelin Roy
LSU
6-3, 315

Originally posted by m_brockalexander:
You were killing it all the way till the 7th round. 2 TE's and a kicker are a bit hard to swallow at first glance. Trade of those TE's for another DT and draft another CB instead of a kicker.............then we're talking. Nice mock.

Personally, I feel taking one of the first kickers off the board and erasing millions from the cap has a higher percentage chance of being a valuable addition than a corner than has dropped to the 7th, but It depends on who falls, absolutely. I think at DT, we're good with a early-ish draft pick, a premier FA, and the return of Kalia Davis.

Liked reading the analysis.

What if DeMarvion Overshown is available and they plan on taking a LB later

Originally posted by ChaunceyGardner:
What if DeMarvion Overshown is available and they plan on taking a LB later

Al-ShaIr maybe be moving on because he is good enough to start on other teams. Niners will need to replace him on the roster with a young replacement. Lots of options late in this draft.

In the 7th round I sort of like the shotgun approach for a tight end. If I had to change a 7th rounder it would be on the pick for Dorian Thompson Robinson. I want a veteran back up QB to help our young QBs. I would look at Jack Colletto as a special team demon and back up everything.

Darius Rush is going to be lockdown at the next level. Patient at the LOS, smooth hips/COD, length, long speed, short area explosion, instincts....if Moseley isn't back, Rush's right up there, if not at the top, with Julius Brents and Kyu Blu Kelly as a priority pick in the 3rd.

This first rep in particular is very impressive

Moar:

I like how he keeps his eyes laser focused on the receiver's hips. Was also clocked with a max speed of 21.65 mph at one point...fastest of any participant at any position at the senior bowl

Maybe the draft folks can chime in here.. DAL recently said they are drafting QB every year and some teams have that approach..

let's say we draft QB this year and let's say we wanted to target a mid to late round guy who maybe isn't an elite passer but has elite QB run skills for 11 v 11 style football

anyone like that in this draft class?

Originally posted by adrianlesnar:

DJ Jones = Offseason priority 🔑 #49ers || #FTTB pic.twitter.com/FBTljsSJrF

— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) February 21, 2022

Keanu Benton ladies and gentlemen.#SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/aFHO17TzHu

— Frankie Abbott (@FrankiesFilm) February 2, 2023

Violent & explosive hands from Keeanu Benton. Kid can move @ 312. pic.twitter.com/Su5dKwyACP

— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) January 31, 2023

He's huge too. Would be a nice pick with one of the 3rds