Niner Noise
FanSided

2019 Senior Bowl: 5 prospects 49ers should watch

By Peter Panacy

MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 28: Kareem Hunt #33 of the North team runs with the ball as Duke Riley #0 of the South team defends during the second half of the Reese's Senior Bowl at the Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 28, 2017 in Mobile, Alabama. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 28: Kareem Hunt #33 of the North team runs with the ball as Duke Riley #0 of the South team defends during the second half of the Reese's Senior Bowl at the Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 28, 2017 in Mobile, Alabama. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 06: Kris Boyd #2 of the Texas Longhorns wears the Golden Hat trophy after a win against the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2018 AT&T Red River Showdown at Cotton Bowl on October 6, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 06: Kris Boyd #2 of the Texas Longhorns wears the Golden Hat trophy after a win against the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2018 AT&T Red River Showdown at Cotton Bowl on October 6, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Cornerback Kris Boyd, Texas (North)

The 49ers likely use at least two picks in this year’s draft to address their secondary, meaning all eyes should be on defensive backs during the Senior Bowl.

One player to watch is Texas cornerback Kris Boyd who, at 6-foot-0 and 195 pounds, is just slightly undersized for coordinator Robert Saleh’s Cover 3 defense. Yet Boyd makes up for this by being particularly tough at the line of scrimmage, jamming his receivers and preventing them from easily breaking into their routes.

That should help a lot, especially considering Boyd lacks top-end speed and generally struggles to recover if beaten beyond the line of scrimmage.

And remember, veteran cornerback Richard Sherman never had elite speed, either.

NFL Draft Scout currently lists Boyd as a Round 4 prospect, which would be a great bargain for San Francisco. A strong Senior Bowl performance and solid efforts at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine could increase Boyd’s stock.

For now, he remains a player San Francisco should watch.