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49ers Should Consider Malik Hooker and Jamal Adams Early in 2017 NFL Draft

By Nicholas McGee

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The 2017 NFL Draft boasts outstanding safeties in Malik Hooker and Jamal Adams, who each should be under consideration by the 49ers.

The 49ers’ secondary is arguably their strongest position group and, with so many other holes on the roster, it may make sense to focus on other areas of the team in the draft.

But San Francisco does have questions at the safety position, which they would be well served by potentially addressing in the opening round of the draft.

Strong safety Antoine Bethea is now 32, approaching the final year of his contract and was beaten for big plays on several occasions last season. Free safety Eric Reid is also a free agent in 2018 and has a worrying history of concussions.

Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt appear the ready-made replacements for that duo, however, Ward has transitioned well from nickel corner to a starter on the outside and 2016 saw Tartt struggle to build on a decent rookie season.

And in Ohio State free safety Malik Hooker and LSU strong safety Jamal Adams, there are two potential top-five picks who should each be firmly on the 49ers’ radar.

Malik Hooker

Athleticism and range are the two traits that set Hooker apart from the rest of the free safety class, and they were on display throughout his career with the Buckeyes.

This play against Bowling Green is a prime example of what makes Hooker so special.

Hooker reads the quarterback’s eyes all the way, showcases outstanding lateral movement and range and is able to make a play on the ball to pull in a spectacular interception.

A closer look at the play Hooker makes at the catch point provides a further window into his incredible athletic traits.

Hooker is able to go up and use his long arms to make contact with the ball at its highest point and keeps his concentration as he is going to the ground to haul in a remarkable pick.

His long arms and athletic ability allow Hooker to consistently disrupt passes at the catch point, but his game is not all about his physical traits.

Indeed, Hooker is a very intelligent player who is able to read the game and react to what he sees extremely quickly.

On this play against Wisconsin, Hooker does not bite on the play-action fake, reads the eyes of the quarterback and deciphers where the ball is going to make a sound tackle on the receiver.

Also on show on that play was Hooker’s impressive closing speed, which translates excellently to the run game. When defending the run, Hooker displays the ability to get downhill in a hurry and deliver punishing hits on contact, consistently taking excellent angles to the football.

No prospect is perfect and, while Hooker does a fine job of mirroring the routes of receivers to stay with quicker wideouts, he does not possess top-level change-of-direction ability, and the shiftiest of pass-catchers have at times made him look foolish.

Hooker can also sometimes be over aggressive, with overpursuit in the run game a particular problem. He has also often found it difficult to pick his way through traffic on short-yardage runs, while some quarterbacks have taken advantage of him keeping his eyes in the backfield too long in coverage.

He could also serve to tackle with more consistent technique but NFL teams are rightly going to be extremely high on a safety who can make plays like this interception against Clemson on a consistent basis.

Hooker may well be the most complete safety in the draft, and that would definitely be the case if Adams did not exist.

Jamal Adams

Adams is close to the perfect strong safety, possessing an exciting mix of speed, size and instincts.

The leader of LSU’s defense, Adams plays with a blend of aggression and intuition that allows him to wreck offensive gameplans both near the line of scrimmage and deep down the field.

Blessed with the same talent for reading the game as Hooker, Adams seems to instinctively know what play is coming before the ball is snapped.

On this play against Alabama, Adams immediately recognizes where Jalen Hurts is going with the football and is in a perfect position to make the interception, diving low to the ground to pick off the pass.

Adams’ knack for play recognition helps him serve as a tone-setter on defense. Once he has deciphered a play he attacks downhill with remarkable closing speed for a man of his 6’1″ and 211-pound frame, doing so here against Texas A&M.

Throwing short lateral passes against a defense featuring Adams is a definite risk, particularly given the sheer disdain he shows for players who attempt to block him on such plays.

One Wisconsin blocker felt the force of Adams wrath in the season opener. Adams completely knocks him off his feet in vicious fashion and quickly helps bring down the ball-carrier.

Unlike Hooker, Adams appears to have little difficulty picking his way through traffic on short-yardage runs, as these consecutive run stops on massive Alabama tailback Bo Scarbrough demonstrate.

The second play made by Adams is particularly impressive as he hurdles over the line of scrimmage and beats his defensive line in being the first tackler to meet Scarbrough and prevent him ploughing into the end zone.

Scouts will fall in love with how Adams plays the run and gets downhill on short pass plays, but an underrated part of his game is his versatility.

Adams can play down in the box and as a deep safety, but he can also operate in the slot and appears comfortable covering receivers one-on-one. Additionally, his commitment to playing special teams for LSU should go down well with NFL talent evaluators

There are concerns over some of the angles Adams takes to the football when in pursuit, but it takes some serious nitpicking to find fault with his game.

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Both he and Hooker are worthy of top-five picks and would significantly improve the 49ers defense.

Adams could be paired with Reid for a year and then form a partnership with Ward if he moves from corner to take over the free safety spot from the Niners’ 2013 first-round pick.

A Hooker-Tartt tandem is also a possibility should the 49ers cut bait with Reid and Bethea a year early, though that would require a strong show of faith in former second-round pick Tartt.

In any of those scenarios, San Francisco’s secondary would be instantly upgraded.

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Hooker and Adams are players with the skill sets to develop into elite safeties in the NFL, and they deserve to be near the top of the 49ers’ board come draft day.