Incredible as 49ers have reached agreement to sign 3 players and will arrived on……..
Incredible as 49ers have reached agreement to sign 3 players and will arrived on…..
When watching the Combine, it’s always important to remember that the on-field workouts are not the most important part of the equation for the 32 teams, who are focused primarily on interviews and medicals.
But a stunning day of testing from the defensive linemen and linebackers will have sent prompted plenty of scouts and decision-makers to head back to the tape after a host of players shone at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
For a San Francisco 49ers team in need of depth on the front seven, the workouts will have been particularly pleasing to watch. Here I pick out three players who should be firmly on their radar as potential selections after the first workouts of the 2024 Combine.
Florida State DL Braden Fiske
The 49ers need depth on the interior of the defensive line. Starters Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead both played through injuries in Super Bowl 58 and Javon Kinlaw, Kevin Givens and Sebastian Joseph Day are all set to enter free agency.
Fiske was already seen as a day-two pick and may have put himself in the first-round conversation with a workout in which demonstrated his remarkable athleticism at 292 pounds.
The transfer from Western Michigan ran a 4.78 40-yard dash with a 10-yard split of 1.68 seconds, giving him a speed score of 92.2 percent. Fiske looked extremely fluid throughout the on-field drills, and then rounded off his day by posting a short shuttle time better than the one Aaron Donald posted back in 2014.
What the 49ers will care about most is that 10-yard time, with that explosiveness also present on tape for a defensive tackle who had nine tackles for loss and six sacks in 2023.
His sub-par arm length might be a concern and the 49ers may not view the interior of the defensive line as a need on day one or two, but Fiske’s display should at least put him in the conversation as a potential selection that could look very astute next offseason when Armstead is a free agent.
Houston Christian EDGE Jalyx Hunt
Not many people outside of the FCS will have paid much attention to Houston Christian in 2023, but Hunt’s Combine performance might have the 49ers diving back into the Huskies’ tape.
Hunt, a 252-pound pass rusher with arms over 34 inches long, furthered his potential appeal to a Niners team that covets length and explosiveness with his efforts in the vertical jump and the broad jump. He posted a 37.5 inch vertical and a broad of 10ft 8in.
That translated to a 97.4 percent burst score. Add in a 10-yard split of 1.6 seconds, and Hunt crushed the areas of the workout that most matter to the 49ers when it comes to the defensive line.
Seen as a developmental pass rusher most likely to go on day three, the 49ers will likely have their eyes on addressing the position long before Hunt is in the mix to hear his name called. However, the Niners need to add several players up front, and a player with physical tools as intriguing as those of Hunt has to be in the mix for a team that has a superb track record of turning day three picks into success stories.
Kentucky LB Trevin Wallace
The 49ers have reason to be interested in adding to the linebacker position after Dre Greenlaw suffered an Achilles injury in Super Bowl 58.
And the first day of on-field workouts indicated the Niners should have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to athletic linebackers who fit the mold of what they look for at a position that is among their biggest strengths.
Player after player soared down the track, with Wallace among those to do so, clocking a 40 of 4.51 seconds that was tied for the fourth fastest at the position. He also posted a vertical of 37.5 inches and a broad jump of 10ft 7in.
His ease of movement translated to a very impressive performance in the positional drills, Wallace’s efforts reflective of an explosive rangy athlete who boasts all the physical traits of the archetypal modern day linebacker.
With 18 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and three interceptions in his career at Kentucky, Wallace has proven he can make an impact in a variety of ways at the college level.
Having such an influence early in his time in the pros is unlikely, but there is no better place for a young linebacker to develop quickly than with the 49ers under the guidance of the best player in the game at that spot, All-Pro Fred Warner, and veteran position coach Johnny Holland.
It would be a tremendous education for Wallace and, despite drafting two late-round linebackers last year, giving the former Wildcat the chance to learn from Warner and Co. should be an option for the Niners as they look to shore things up with Greenlaw’s status for the start of 2024 a question-mark.
