Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Too-early 7-round mock 2018 NFL Draft

By Peter Panacy

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 28: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell annonces DeForest Buckner of Oregon as the #7 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 28: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell annonces DeForest Buckner of Oregon as the #7 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 10
Next
ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 02: T.J. Edwards #53, Alec James #57, and Leon Jacobs #32 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrate in the fourth quarter during the 81st Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic between Western Michigan and Wisconsin at AT&T Stadium on January 2, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 02: T.J. Edwards #53, Alec James #57, and Leon Jacobs #32 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrate in the fourth quarter during the 81st Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic between Western Michigan and Wisconsin at AT&T Stadium on January 2, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

My good friend Jason Hurley over at Pigskin Prospects convinced me well enough the 49ers should target Wisconsin linebacker T.J. Edwards somewhere in the middle rounds of the draft.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

Here’s what Hurley had to say about the 6-foot-1, 244-pound prospect:

"Has good size Has good speed A tackling machine A tough nosed player Has good instincts Has a non stop motor Is in on every play Does not give up on many plays A sure fire tackler A hard hitter A run stuffer Good in coverage A defensive play maker Very relentless on defense Versatile as he plays both ILB and OLB"

And here’s why it matters for San Francisco — the Niners could stand an upgrade over SAM linebacker Eli Harold, and Edwards has the size and coverage abilities to make this work.

Additionally, and unlike so many 49ers linebackers before 2017, Edwards is solid in his tackling technique. Totaling 89 tackles for Wisconsin in 2016 should attest to this.

Whether or not the Niners use Edwards to upgrade the SAM position, or the Badger winds up being a more-than-adequate backup to San Francisco’s trio of linebackers, the 49ers could use someone like this to beef up the middle of the defense in 2018.