Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Grading the 2018 NFL Draft class halfway through the season

By Peter Panacy

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces a draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces a draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 30: Kyle Postma #3 of the Houston Cougars runs the ball against Jullian Taylor #94 of the Temple Owls in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on September 30, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Houston Cougars defeated the Temple Owls 20-13. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 30: Kyle Postma #3 of the Houston Cougars runs the ball against Jullian Taylor #94 of the Temple Owls in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on September 30, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Houston Cougars defeated the Temple Owls 20-13. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

C. . DT. Temple. JULLIAN TAYLOR

It’s still a bit of a shock the 49ers haven’t activated Temple defensive tackle Jullian Taylor more than the one game he’s seen this season.

Taylor had a phenomenal preseason, which certainly helped him make the 53-man roster. But with a loaded defensive line, Taylor’s role has been largely relegated to an inactive backup on a week-to-week basis.

And that one game in which he was active, Taylor failed to crack the stat sheet.

All this is OK, though. Coming out of college, Taylor was seen as a pretty raw prospect — full of strength and potential but needing a lot of polish. The fact San Francisco has kept him on the regular-season roster says a lot about what it thinks he can be down the line.

Taylor’s grade might not be that high, but there’s a lot of room for a sizable impact when it comes.