Since general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan joined the 49ers in 2017, the third day of the NFL draft has proven to be a goldmine for the team.
Without home run selections like Brock Purdy (No. 262 overall in 2022), George Kittle (No. 146 overall in 2017), Dre Greenlaw (No. 148 overall in 2019), Talanoa Hufanga (No. 180 overall in 2021), and Deommodore Lenoir (No. 172 overall in 2021), San Francisco’s star-studded roster would not be possible.
With six selections available to them between the fourth and seventh rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday, the 49ers will have a chance to bolster a team that has been among the best in the league for the past five years.
These are the selections San Francisco has going into the last day of the draft:
Round 4 (total number 124)
Round 4 (total number 135 in all)
Round 5 (total number 173)
Round 5 (total number 176)
Round 6 (total ranking of 215)
Round 7 (total number 251)
Security
The 49ers’ most pressing need going into Day 3 of the draft is still the back end of the secondary, following the teams’ attention on the wide receiver, offensive line, and cornerback positions in the first three rounds. The only safeties on San Francisco’s roster who have played significant snaps are 2022 third-round pick Ji’Ayir Brown and veteran George Odum, who is recuperating from an ACL tear. Tashaun Gipson Sr. is no longer with the team.
When the 49ers chose Hufanga in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, they struck gold. On Saturday, San Francisco may go back to the well by selecting another PAC-12 safety in a comparable range. Sione Vaki, a native of Antioch, California in the Bay Area, plays with a similar grit and determination to Hufanga and has demonstrated amazing athletic ability while playing for the Utah Utes.
At the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, Vaki, who is 5-foot-11 and weighs 210 pounds, ran a 4.62 40-yard sprint and completed 20 repetitions of the bench press. Vaki, 22, has skills that extend beyond the defensive end of the game. In 2023, he attempted 42 rushes, averaging 7.5 yards per run, and scored three touchdowns on the ground.
Although Odum is a well-respected NFL veteran and Brown demonstrated promise in his rookie season, the 49ers now have insurance in case Hufanga’s recovery schedule presents any challenges. Additionally, the addition of Vaki allows for a potent rotation at the back end of a redesigned secondary. This player is a fantastic fit for the San Francisco ethos that Lynch and Shanahan have created, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him don the red and gold before Saturday is through.
offensive line
Although San Francisco traded up to the No. 86 overall pick to draft Dominick Puni, a Kansas offensive tackle, it was still necessary to make improvements in the trenches. While the right side underperformed in 2023, Trent Williams and Aaron Banks led the left side with impressive performances.
After alternating minutes with Spencer Burford, Jon Feliciano eventually emerged as the starting right guard, although his future is still up in the air at thirty-two years old and having just signed a one-year deal this offseason. With one of their fourth-round picks, the 49ers might select a good player with a ton of experience at right guard, even though Puni is versatile enough to play on the interior and may end up becoming San Francisco’s right guard of the future.
During his five seasons with Texas A&M, Layden Robinson played right guard, logging 2,119 snaps. In 2023, his final season as a student, he allowed just one sack in 401 pass-blocking snaps. Robinson’s considerable college experience aligns with San Francisco’s first three selections, which included two fifth-year seniors (Ricky Pearsall and Renardo Green) and one sixth-year senior (Puni). The 49ers hosted Robinson for an official visit as part of their top-30 pre-draft process.
Robinson, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 302 pounds, is incredibly athletic for his stature and could have an edge when he joins the 49ers because he will have the chance to grow under Feliciano’s tutelage as a nine-year NFL veteran.
tense conclusion
After the 49ers selected two tight ends in the 2023 NFL Draft, this one could come as a bit of a surprise, but the need is still there. Of the few obvious mistakes the 49ers’ front office has made over its seven seasons in the Bay Area, this one concerns their inability to acquire a solid weapon to start opposite George Kittle.
Last year, San Francisco added Oklahoma tight end Brayden Willis in the seventh round at No. 247 overall, and took Alabama tight end Cameron Latu at No. 101 overall. Even while it’s much too soon to write off either player—especially Latu, who missed his whole rookie season due to a knee injury sustained in the preseason—there is still enough doubt around the position beyond Kittle to overlook it on Day 3.
The 49ers might be in a position to select Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders with two picks in the fourth round, which would be one of the biggest steals of the whole draft. Sanders, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 243 pounds, has excellent physical attributes but, perhaps more importantly, a history of consistent performance for a major school.
In 2023, Sanders averaged 15.2 yards per reception while hauling in 45 passes for 682 yards and two scores for the Longhorns. In his final season at Texas, the 21-year-old tight end did not record a single drop on 67 targets, displaying a degree of reliability that might be vital for Brock Purdy and the 49ers attack.
Line of defense
The defensive line, a group that has essentially defined Lynch and Shanahan’s careers since moving to the Bay Area, must be included on any 49ers draft needs list. The 49ers’ need to add a strong player along the defensive line on Day 3 may not be immediately apparent given the hectic free-agency period that saw San Francisco add veteran defensive ends Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos to complement All-Pro Nick Bosa.
In this league, it’s never too early to choose a backup, and San Francisco is in a position to provide defensive line coach Kris Kocurek with another young player to develop in the future. On Day 3, there are two names that have incredible production in 2023. The first is Troy’s Javon Solomon. At 6-foot-1 and 246 pounds, Solomon is not the conventional size of a top edge rusher, but judging from what he has shown on tape at Troy, you would never know it.
With 16 sacks in 2023, Solomon led the country. He also showed incredible instincts and the ability to counter with a variety of pass-rushing maneuvers, which would have Kocurek and the 49ers’ brass drooling at the prospect of adding him to their already formidable defensive line unit.
Mohamed Kamara of Colorado State is another athlete who may not have the best measurables but yet contributes significantly to the team. The 24-year-old recorded at least 7.5 sacks in each of his previous three seasons, including 13 in 2023. With the selections of Robert Beal Jr. and Drake Jackson in the last two drafts, San Francisco appears to have prioritized athleticism over production at the position. However, Kamara presents the chance to bet on obtaining a more pro-ready prospect, which is consistent with the selections the 49ers made on the first two nights of the 2024 draft.
