49ers 2019 mock NFL Draft: Assessing team needs over all 7 rounds

3 of 7

TALLAHASSEE, FL – OCTOBER 15: Punter Dom Maggio #48 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons fumbles the ball in front of defensive end Brian Burns #99 of the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium on October 15, 2016 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /

A secondary is only as good as its pass rush allows it to be, right?

True. So it’s good the 49ers can sit and wait to address their outside pass-rushing needs until early in Round 2 of the draft.

Some of the big names — Nick Bosa, Mississippi State’s Montez Sweat and both EDGEs from Clemson’s standout defensive line — are gone by this point, leaving Florida State’s Brian Burns as the best option at No. 34 overall.

Burns’ collegiate numbers don’t exactly scream high-quality production. At least not before 2018:

Brian Burns Defense & Fumbles Table
		Tackles	Def Int	Fumbles
Year	School	Conf	Class	Pos	G	Solo	Ast	Tot	Loss	Sk	Int	Yds	Avg	TD	PD	FR	Yds	TD	FF
*2016	Florida State	ACC	FR	DE	8	14	9	23	9.5	8.5	0	0		0	0	0			1
*2017	Florida State	ACC	SO	DE	13	26	22	48	13.5	4.5	0	0		0	4	1			3
2018	Florida State	ACC	JR	DE	5	13	6	19	6.5	5.0	0	0		0	1	1			1
Career	Florida State					53	37	90	29.5	18.0	0	0		0	5	2			5

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 10/4/2018.

There’s some chatter Burns can wind up squeaking into the back end of Round 1, meaning this is nice value if he falls to the early stages of Round 2.

At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, Burns has the speed to burst off the weak-side edge, which is something San Francisco has lacked ever since the days of former pass-rusher Aldon Smith. While he might need to add some bulk to his frame, Burns’ ceiling is already showing to be awfully high.