2016 NFL Draft: Round-by-Round Mock for 49ers

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Oct 31, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies linebacker Travis Feeney (41) knocks the ball loose from Arizona Wildcats quarterback Anu Solomon (12) during the third quarter at Husky Stadium. Arizona would recover. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports /

Round 6, Pick 211: Travis Feeney, OLB, Washington

It would be disappointing if the 49ers didn’t select an outside linebacker until the sixth round of the draft, but sometimes, that’s the way the cookie crumbles for a team with a lot of needs.

Feeney put on a show at the combine—a 4.5-second 40-yard dash, a 40-inch vertical jump, a 130-inch broad jump, and an 11.71-second 60-yard shuttle. Feeney was able to put up these numbers because he’s really more of a safety transitioning to linebacker than a pure backer. At 6’4” and 230 pounds, he’s undersized for the position.

Still, those are impressive numbers, and at the very least, he could become a special teams expert—he was Washington’s Special Teams Player of the Year in 2014. Don’t entirely dismiss his potential on defense, either—at the “Buck” linebacker, or weakside inside linebacker in a 3-4 set, Feeney had eight sacks and 17.5 tackles for a loss as a senior. There’s something here that is worth developing.

Other players considered:

Benjamin Braunecker, TE, Harvard
Elijah Shumate, S, Notre Dame
Kolby Listenbee, WR, TCU

Next: Round 6, Pick 213