Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Final 7-round mock before the 2018 NFL Draft

By Peter Panacy

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 28: NFL Commissoner Roger Goodell greets Aldon Smith, #7 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers, during the 2011 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 28, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 28: NFL Commissoner Roger Goodell greets Aldon Smith, #7 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers, during the 2011 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 28, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /
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PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Christian McCaffrey #5 of the Stanford Cardinal goes up against Josey Jewell #43 of the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 102nd Rose Bowl Game on January 1, 2016 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Christian McCaffrey #5 of the Stanford Cardinal goes up against Josey Jewell #43 of the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 102nd Rose Bowl Game on January 1, 2016 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

42. . Inside Linebacker. Iowa. Josey Jewell. 74. player

The 49ers’ situation with linebacker Reuben Foster remains precarious. And even if his off-field legal situation leads nowhere in courts, it’s probable he’ll at least face a six-game NFL-mandated suspension this season.

Combine that with Foster’s recent history of injury — he missed six games in 2017 — it would be wise for the Niners to add another inside linebacker at some point in the draft.

Iowa’s Josey Jewell fits the bill.

While he’s not as fast as Foster, Jewell possesses the same kind of instincts. He’s always around the ball, as his team-leading 132 tackles in 2017 suggest.

San Francisco could seamlessly drop Jewell in at WILL linebacker, and he’d be capable of making plays as either a starter or quality reserve at the position.