49ers’ 2018 ‘Who Is?’ series: Defensive lineman Blaine Woodson
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise wraps up the player portion of our 2018 “Who Is?” series with a look at San Francisco 49ers rookie free-agent offensive lineman Blaine Woodson and his chances to make the 53-man roster.
If you’ve never heard of San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Blaine Woodson, you’re not alone.
Woodson, who played his college ball at Delaware, joined the Niners as an undrafted free agent on May 15 this year after the team made most of its UDFA moves following the 2018 NFL Draft.
A four-year starter, Woodson managed 8.5 sacks his freshman year but dropped in production the three years afterwards:
| SEASON | SCHOOL | TOT | SOLO | AST | PD | SACK | FF | INT |
|---|
San Francisco showed some interest in Woodson before signing him, inviting him to a rookie minicamp tryout, per Pro Football Talk. He clearly did enough to warrant some extra consideration. And with the 49ers looking to explore additional ways to bolster what was an anemic pass rush in 2017, the flier could easily be worthwhile.
At 6-foot-2 and 280 pounds, Woodson projects as a shorter, squattier edge rusher with the capability of lining up at multiple positions along the defensive line. While, perhaps, a bit undersized to take on 1-technique positions at the pro level, it would be possible to see him utilized at inside spots too.
Depending on how he performs in training camp and the preseason.
Why Blaine Woodson Improves in 2018
Woodson noted, via NFL Draft Diamonds, his ability to play any position along the D-line. That’s good, as any depth player needs to have some versatility for consideration on a 53-man roster.
And while his own comparison to the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald might be a bit far-fetched, it’s at least good to see the lineman has some lofty expectations for himself despite coming out of a small-school program.
Judging by some of his highlight reels, Woodson seems to have a decent motor and pursuit ability:
He changes direction relatively well and flashes a nice little variety of inside moves. On top of that, his tackling technique of wrapping up ball carriers looks sound.
If those translate well over to his NFL game, Woodson might be able to carve out a nice little niche on a roster somewhere.
Why He Regresses
As with any small-school prospect, there’s always the concern how he’ll match up against tougher competition. While Woodson’s tape looked good enough, nothing particularly stood out that shouted “playmaker.”
Anothing thing that could hinder Wilson is his straight-line speed. He ran a 5.12 40-yard time at his pro day, which isn’t terrible for an interior lineman. But for someone coming off the edge, it’s fairly slow. And nothing on tape suggest he’s a true edge-bending lineman.
San Francisco 49ers
While his shorter size might help with leverage against bigger offensive linemen, the lack of a true punch is probably going to translate to him being easily eaten up by average NFL-level blocks.
Chances of Making the 49ers’ 53-Man Roster in 2018
Woodson is a project piece, plain and simple. After finishing last season with just 30 sacks (29th in the NFL) and not having a true and elite outside pass-rusher on the roster, it makes sense the Niners would at least be willing to explore Woodson’s development.
San Francisco is already deep along its defensive line, even at the edge where they have some quality depth option if not a true three-down pass-rusher.
This all but translates to Woodson seeing plenty of time with the third-string unit during training camp and into the preseason. He’ll see some of the field late in the first three games of the preseason, perhaps getting an elongated look during Week 4 of exhibition.
After that, it’s the practice squad Woodson will be gunning for.
Next: Predicting 3 UDFAs who make 49ers' 53-man roster in 2018
Yet if he shows some solid promise between now and roster cuts, and uses the practice squad time for additional development, there’s a good chance he winds up being a situational backup on the 49ers roster down the road.