Niner Noise
FanSided

5 players the 49ers need to watch at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine

By Peter Panacy

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 03: Running back Dalvin Cook of Florida State runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 3, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 03: Running back Dalvin Cook of Florida State runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 3, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 02: General manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers answers questions from the media on Day 2 of the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 2, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 02: General manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers answers questions from the media on Day 2 of the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 2, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

The league has listed names of participants at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine, and the San Francisco 49ers would be wise to pay closer attention to these five names leading up to the NFL Draft.

With the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers are going to have their choice of all but one name of draft-eligible prospects come this April.

It’s a great position to be in, particularly with all the team’s defensive needs and a mostly defensive-heavy NFL Draft class. And while general manager John Lynch and his scouts have already been hard at work scouring over reports, game film and the like, the Niners’ next task will be the crucial evaluation at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The NFL just released the names of all 338 invitees to the combine, which takes place starting Feb. 26. And, of course, San Francisco will be keeping tabs on each one of those. So will the remaining 31 squads in the league.

But there are a few who should stand out a little more than the rest, at least in terms of interest.

True, the combine is little more than glorified athletic drills while wearing spandex uniforms. There’s no contact, no pads and realistic in-game situations. Yet it’s a good atmosphere to measure the intangibles: speed, athleticism, strength and, perhaps just as important, character.

Case in point, former 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster was dismissed from the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine after an altercation with a medical staff member. That, combined with other red flags, heavily influenced Foster dropping from a likely top-10 draft spot all the way down towards the end of Round 1 that year.

So, which players should the Niners observe a little more closely this combine?

Here are five names on such a list.