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2018 NFL Draft: Why the 49ers will draft LB Roquan Smith with their first pick

By Chandler Wright

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 02: Roquan Smith #3 of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts to winning the game MVP trophy after beating the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 02: Roquan Smith #3 of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts to winning the game MVP trophy after beating the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office charged San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster with three felonies on Thursday. My reaction: This reaffirms my belief the 49ers will draft Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith with the ninth-overall pick.

The San Francisco 49ers have only had one major bump in the road this offseason. Starting inside linebacker Reuben Foster has been arrested twice. The first of these arrests was for marijuana possession.

The second was much more disturbing.

On Feb. 11, 2018, Foster was arrested for a domestic violence incident. The incident allegedly involved him “physically attacking the 28-year old woman,” according to release by the Santa Clara County DA’s office.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

You can read more about this and the team’s statement here.

The Niners won’t be reactionary, and I’m certainly not shifting my opinion much. Earlier in the week, I posted a mock draft over at the 49erswebzone.com. In the second version of my top 10, I have the Niners drafting Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith.

This is what I wrote about the decision to mock Smith:

"The 49ers drafted four of the 30 players that officially visited the team last year. Smith has visited the 49ers this year. Our own David Bonilla wrote about how the 49ers currently view the Reuben Foster situation. It makes sense for the 49ers to draft Smith and have Foster play weak-side linebacker once he returns from suspension. Smith won the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker in 2017."

Smith has followed a similar path to the NFL, like the one Foster himself took. He was the University of Georgia’s weak-side (WILL) linebacker but also got experience playing the MIKE linebacker role.

Smith is lightning fast. He ran a 4.51 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. Who does that remind you of? He’s a Patrick Willis-type, as far as speed goes. As a result, the Niners could very well make him the 2018 NFL Draft’s ninth selection. They need a replacement for Foster, who faces more than 11 years in prison following the DA’s decision.

What to like about Roquan Smith

As mentioned earlier, Smith is Patrick Willis-fast.

Who doesn’t like that?

But Smith also gained weight following the 2017 college football season. Smith played at 225 pounds for the Georgia Bulldogs and now weighs 236 pounds, according to his NFL.com draft profile. This, along with his 10-inch hands and 32-inch arms should help him stack and shed blocks at the second level.

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What not to like about Smith

Speaking of stack-and-shed, Smith was not great at it in college. Brett Kollman did a solid film study of Smith on YouTube. He discusses multiple games-but in particular-one I watched in Georgia versus Oklahoma, in the College Football Playoffs.

That was Smith’s worst game as a collegiate linebacker. The large Oklahoma offensive line manhandled Smith on the second level for most all the entire game.

To play MIKE linebacker for San Francisco, Smith could not have this happen.

Final Thoughts

Smith would give the 49ers versatility in their linebacking corps. Our own Chris Wilson detailed the Niner linebackers in, 49ers linebacker positional analysis after Korey Toomer signing. Wilson wrote, “Like Foster, Toomer has the ability to play both MIKE and WILL linebacker, so the two could be an interchangeable combo at the two stacked linebacker positions.”

Smith and Toomer could potentially do the same thing for San Francisco.

Another upstart writer, Andrew Kerr of thehometownfan.com, wrote about Smith being the best choice for the team as well. He was spot-on with his analysis during the 2017 NFL Draft, telling me, “I have no doubt that the Niners will select Mitch Trubisky or Solomon Thomas with the second-overall pick.”

We agree here, as we’re both bullish on Smith.

Next: 3 mistakes the 49ers could make in Round 1 of the 2018 NFL Draft

It goes without saying that there is only one scenario in which the Niners shouldn’t take Smith. If Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson makes it pas the Chicago Bears at the eighth overall pick, the Niners should pounce. He would give head coach Kyle Shanahan a dangerous offensive presence with versatility and help protect starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Otherwise, just take Smith. He’s a player that fills the biggest need the 49ers have.