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5 Hidden Gems in the NFL Draft the 49ers Should Consider

By Akash Anavarathan

Feb 9, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch during a press conference at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch during a press conference at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 21, 2017; St. Petersburg, FL, USA;East Team defensive end Trey Hendrickson (99) rushes during the second half of the East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field. West Team defeated the East Team 10-3. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2017; St. Petersburg, FL, USA;East Team defensive end Trey Hendrickson (99) rushes during the second half of the East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field. West Team defeated the East Team 10-3. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 4: Defensive End Trey Hendrickson

DE Trey Hendrickson from Florida Atlantic could be a developmental project for the San Francisco 49ers. The career leader in sacks at Florida Atlantic, with 29.5, Hendrickson flashes enough talent to warrant a day-three pick.

Evaluating Hendrickson’s Numbers

At 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, Hendrickson doesn’t possess great height to be a defensive end in the NFL. But he uses second effort to produce sacks, as evidenced by the numbers shown below:

Tackles Def Int Fumbles
Year School Conf Class Pos G Solo Ast Tot Loss Sk Int Yds Avg TD PD FR Yds TD FF
2013 Florida Atlantic CUSA FR DE 4 4 2 6 1.5 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 0
2014 Florida Atlantic CUSA SO DE 9 17 13 30 9.5 5.0 0 0 0 1 0 1
2015 Florida Atlantic CUSA JR DE 11 22 17 39 15.0 13.5 0 0 0 0 1 5
2016 Florida Atlantic CUSA SR DE 12 25 25 50 15.0 9.5 0 0 0 2 1 1
Career Florida Atlantic 68 57 125 41.0 29.5 0 0 0 3 2 7

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 2/23/2017.

His numbers continually improved during his four years at Florida Atlantic, with 50 tackles, and seven forced fumbles this past season. As aforementioned, he doesn’t get the sack due to initial quickness, it’s more from second effort and pursuit.

Evaluating Hendrickson’s Tape

In a game against Florida from 2015, Hendrickson displays why he’s worth a draft pick. Hendrickson displays his quickness, as he’s able to chase down the quarterback for the sack:

Next, he lines up in his normal defensive end position and sheds the blocker in order to tackle the running back:

Then, in the East-West Shrine Game, Hendrickson was able to get around the left tackle to knock the ball out from the quarterback.

On the season, the Florida Atlantic DE had seven forced fumbles and has a knack for getting the ball out:

On the other hand, Hendrickson has shorter arms than what teams are looking for.

In this clip below, he’s unable to shed the blocker with his arms:

Scouts’ Take on Hendrickson

According to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, Hendrickson isn’t necessarily a quick-win specialist. He gets to the quarterback more on second effort. He adds that Hendrickson has a good speed and power rush, but his arm length will be an issue for NFL teams.

Still, being the sack leader at Florida Atlantic allows for Hendrickson to be a day-three draft pick, according to Zierlein.

Final Thoughts

The 49ers have some good depth along the defensive line, thus John Lynch can afford to add a project player on day three. I believe that Hendrickson’s size and lack of pass-rush moves may be an issue at the next level, but I think he has room to improve.

With some solid coaching and some time, Hendrickson can be a solid contributor to the 49ers’ 4-3 defense.