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San Francisco 49ers: Complete 7-Round Mock for the 2017 NFL Draft

By Peter Panacy

Aug 20, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; A general view of the San Francisco 49ers helmet before game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The 49ers beat the Broncos 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 20, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; A general view of the San Francisco 49ers helmet before game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The 49ers beat the Broncos 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 10, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons linebacker Marquel Lee (8) celebrates after a sack during the third quarter against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. Wake defeated Duke 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons linebacker Marquel Lee (8) celebrates after a sack during the third quarter against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. Wake defeated Duke 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

Round 7: Linebacker Marquel Lee, Wake Forest

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 240 pounds

Remember what we said about the 49ers needing depth at inside linebacker? Current options are lacking, and it’s hard to feel overly confident about the current group of starters.

Wake Forest linebacker Marquel Lee is built for the position. And his stats over three years do enough to warrant consideration in the later rounds. Especially in 2016, where Lee registered 63 tackles, 7.5 sacks and a whopping 20 tackles for a loss.

It’s hard to see these numbers translate over to the pro level though.

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Lee doesn’t have tremendous speed — running a 4.76 40-yard dash at the combine — which hurts his coverage and converging skills. And while those pass-rush totals look nice, Lee can get into some trouble at the line of scrimmage.

Especially with bigger blockers and more complex offenses, which he’ll face at the NFL level.

Still, Lee would be a nice backup for San Francisco’s linebacker corps in the later rounds.

Next: 2017 NFL Draft: Two-Round Mock for All 32 Teams

And if he can contribute on special teams, it’s all the better.