49ers 2017 NFL Draft Positional Preview: Linebacker
By Peter Panacy
The 2017 NFL Draft and Possible Prospects
Proper tackling should be something the 49ers look for as April’s draft nears. Everything else should be secondary, including the pass rush.
This would mean the ideal linebacker fit for San Francisco would be Alabama’s Reuben Foster.
Sure, Foster is still dealing with a shoulder injury that limited his action at the NFL Scouting Combine. And his combine blowup incident during medicals likely didn’t help his draft stock either.
Still, Foster is an elite-level prospect capable of thriving in either a SAM, MIKE or WILL position. There isn’t any doubting his on-field talents, and it’s hard to find anything else negative about his personality aside from one minor setback.
Foster would have to be San Francisco’s first selection in the NFL Draft if the team goes that route.
Vanderbilt’s Zach Cunningham, Wisconsin’s T.J. Watt and Florida’s Jarrad Davis are other linebacker prospects to watch at the end of Round 1 or beginning of Round 2, should the Niners look to add to this position there.
An Elite EDGE Class
With Aaron Lynch penciled in as the team’s LEO, or best pass-rusher, one might think San Francisco would look to add some prowess as early as possible via the draft. It isn’t as if Lynch has emerged as the true gem fans once thought he’d be back in 2014.
It would be great for Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett to fall to the Niners at No. 2 overall. But don’t count on it. Yet Tennessee’s Derek Barnett actually might be the best pure pass-rusher in the draft.
Perhaps he’s a player to watch, especially if the 49ers are able to move down in Round 1.
Mid-to-Late-Round Prospects Worth Considering
- Kendall Beckwith, LSU
- Jordan Willis, Kansas State
- Ejuan Price, Pittsburgh
- Ben Boulware, Clemson
- Hunter Dimick, Utah