2018 NFL Draft: Why the 49ers whiffed on Kentavius Street pick

Niner Noise looks at why the San Francisco 49ers should not have selected defensive end Kentavius Street with their fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Look, I am a huge fan of what San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch, head coach Kyle Shanahan, vice president of player personnel Adam Peters and the whole scouting department have done since they came here. They brought in quality starters in the mid-to-late rounds last year that helped build a strong foundation for this team.

With that being said, I have no idea what happened when they submitted the card to pick defensive end Kentavius Street out of NC Stat in Round 4 of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Yes, this was the first pick they used to address their dire edge-rusher need.

San Francisco 49ers

Yes, I get that they view him as a potential replacement for the disappointing Arik Armstead, whose rookie contract ends after this upcoming season.

However, from what I saw on tape, Street will not even be a marginal upgrade from Armstead. There is actually a good chance that he will be even worse.

I’m going to start with the promising qualities Street showed on tape first.

Street is solid against the run. When a running back approaches him, he is usually able to disengage from his offensive lineman and either slow the back or completely make the tackle.

Also, when Street times up the snap perfectly — he does once or twice per game — he is able to get a very good burst off the line and get to the quarterback quickly, which is ideal for the pass-rusher need the team needs to fill.

However, all good things end there for Street, who is coming off of a freshly torn ACL suffered less than a month ago.

If Street does not time up the snap with perfection, he automatically becomes a non-factor in the pass rush. He knows it too.

“Against the pass, I just use my quickness, instincts, trying to time up the snap, stuff like that,” Street said in a conference call with 49ers beat writers (h/t Chris Biderman of Niners Wire).

Despite his overwhelming strength, Street’s miniature height for a defensive end at 6-foot-2 limits his ability to become a true terror to opposing offensive lines.

Even without the height problem, Street seems to have no special pass-rush moves any big end should have. On every snap he simply flutters his hands around to try to disengage, which he very rarely does.

I am rooting for Street to prove me wrong and succeed as a member of this team, but based on what I saw on his tape, it is frankly incredibly difficult to see that happening.

Next: 49ers' winners and losers from 2018 NFL Draft

I hate to say it, but this pick just reeks of former Niners GM Trent Baalke.