2016 NFL Draft: Quick Takes on 49ers UDFA Class

Just because the NFL Draft is over doesn’t mean the San Francisco 49ers are done tinkering with their roster.

The San Francisco 49ers added 11 players to their roster in the 2016 NFL Draft — from defensive end DeForest Buckner out of Oregon in the first round to cornerback Prince Charles Iworah of Western Kentucky at the end of the third day. You’ll likely see six or seven of them on the game-day roster when the regular season begins.

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But that wasn’t all the 49ers did this weekend. After the draft, the 49ers signed somewhere between eight and ten players—the status of two are a little confusing at the moment, as it would put the 49ers over the 90-man roster—who will join the team as undrafted free agents.

If a player is not selected in the actual draft, they’re free to sign with any team that wants to give them a shot.

Obviously, most of the talented players are picked up through the draft process. But sometimes, gems do fall through the cracks. Jeff Garcia was an undrafted free agent, and he made three pro bowls as the 49ers quarterback. Joe Perry was undrafted and had a Hall of Fame career with the team back in the ‘60s.

More recently, Ian Williams, Michael Wilhoite, Tramaine Brock, Alex Boone and Erik Pears all entered the league as undrafted free agents—some are stars, others key role players and backups.

So, while the odds are stacked against any of these players making a long-term impact for the team, any and all of them could, under the right circumstances, be the next regular starter in the lineup.

There are two players in the 49ers’ UDFA class who I believe should have been drafted, and thus have the best shot at actually making the team. The other eight have longer shots, but all have something that attracted the 49ers’ scouts. Let’s take a quick look at each one, in rough order of highest to lowest odds of making the team.

WR Devon Cajuste, Stanford

Cajuste was ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 31^st-best remaining undrafted free agent, though they list him as a tight end and not a receiver.

Last year, I was covering the Carolina Panthers’ draft class, and that included receiver Devin Funchess — a big guy who was kind of on the border between a receiver and a tight end. While Cajuste isn’t as good of a prospect as Funchess was, he’s the same kind of guy. He’s big at 6’4” and 234 pounds, so the ideal scenario for him is as a guy on the goal line, boxing out smaller corners and catching jump balls.

A move to tight end would help answer some of the question marks about his athleticism; as a wide receiver, his 4.62-second 40-yard dash is a significant liability, but it’s great for a tight end. He’d need to pack on some muscle mass and gain some strength to play a pure in-line tight end, but as a big guy in the slot, Cajuste has potential.

Cajuste has 90 career receptions, averaging 17.7 yards per catch and 14 touchdowns in his career at Stanford. He has the upside to be a potential starter one day, but I think he’d be a better fit as a depth guy, coming on the field in four-wideout situations as a bigger slot receiver. I think he has the best chance of any UDFA of making the team.

EDGE Jason Fanaika, Utah

The other player the 49ers picked up who I think should have been drafted is Fanaika, though I’m not as sure of his fit in the 49ers’ system. Fanaika was a 4-3 end at Utah and Utah State, with a two-year gap in between for a church mission. That means he’s a bit older than your standard prospect, turning 24 in June, but he’s performed well in recent years, earning an honorable mention All-Pac-12 nod last year.

I question whether Fanaika really has the burst or technique to be a full-time NFL pass rusher, but perhaps losing some weight and converting to an outside linebacker position would help his odds.

He had a 35.5-inch vertical jump at the combine, which indicates some burst potential; only Dadi Nicholas had a bigger vertical jump than Fanaika did.

He’s a very physical player, and is good at setting the edge against the run. I do question his fit with the 49ers, but his production and impeccable character and intangibles are more than worth giving him a shot, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him earn a special teams role. I think he would have been better off going to a 4-3 defense, however.

DT Alex Balducci, Oregon

The 49ers have reunited Oregon’s defensive line entirely. In addition to first-round picks Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner, Balducci started for Chip Kelly’s team, so the 49ers could trot out an entire Duck front line this year.

Balducci, obviously, isn’t the same quality of player as his teammates; he doesn’t have the same sort of athleticism and strength as his highly-touted linemates. He does, however, have some interesting qualities.

He’s a space-eating guy in the middle with a decent swim-move and some production last year, racking up 40 tackles and 3.5 sacks as a nose tackle. His 6’3”, 308-pound frame doesn’t grow on trees, either. He’s a long-shot to make the roster, but Ian Williams’ rehab from offseason surgery, as well as Kelly’s familiarity with Balducci from recruitment in college, could see him have a better-than-normal shot of earning a roster space.

K John Lunsford, Liberty

John Lunsford is probably just a camp leg to keep Phil Dawson and/or Corey Acosta fresh during training camp and preseason, but UDFAs are where you find valuable kickers—not in the second round, as Tampa Bay seems to think.

Lunsford is the FCS career leader in 50-plus yard field goals, so he’s got a shot at making a team somewhere.

Lunsford has a booming leg—he made field goals of 56, 57 and 60 yards over the past two seasons, and had touchbacks on 60 percent of his kickoffs at Liberty. He doesn’t couple it with accuracy, however; he made only 13 of 24 kicks last season and only made eight out of 20 attempts from 40-49 yards. The lack of accuracy probably kills him as a field goal player, but as a kickoff specialist, he has promise.

WR Bryce Treggs, California

Treggs was a four-year starter at Cal, catching 195 passes for 2,506 yards and 15 touchdowns. His career year came in 2013 with 77 receptions, but he became more of a deep threat last season, averaging 21.2 yards per reception. He’s a straight-line speed, skinny guy with experience as a return man, too—that might help him in his fight to earn a roster slot.

DT Darren Lake, Alabama

Gil Brandt listed Darren Lake as one of his top defensive tackles available in undrafted free agency, though he also misidentified him as coming from Alabama State. Lake didn’t see too much playing time at Alabama, stuck behind more highly-touted players like A’Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed, but showed off his massive strength at his Pro Day, and he’s 6’3” and 315 pounds. Another competitor in the “is Ian Williams hurt” sweepstakes.

DT Demetrius Cherry, Arizona State

I don’t know much about Demetrius Cherry, to be perfectly honest. He was nominated for SBNation’s Piesman award thanks to a fumble recovery. Cherry started two games for Arizona State last year and appeared in all 13, with 19 tackles and a half-sack.

OLB Lenny Jones, Nevada

Lenny Jones will be moving to OLB in the 49ers’ 3-4 system. In 2015, he recorded 48 tackles and seven sacks, earning second-team All-Mountain West honors. Jones was a captain at Nevada and a four-year letter-winner.

OLB Kevin Anderson, Stanford

Anderson played 10 games last season, recording 40 tackles and two sacks. He also earned an honorable mention on the All-Pac-12 team. He is the third player from Stanford to be added to the 49ers’ roster this offseason.

S Jered Bell, Colorado

Bell ended his career at Colorado with five interceptions, three of them last year. He’s a free safety who had a very strong pro day back in early March. The 49ers’ defensive backfield is crowded, but Bell put up some intriguing numbers.

Next: 49ers Draft Recap

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Devon Cajuste might become a real player in this league, just you wait and see.