Unlike quarterback, the 49ers will be searching for an edge rusher in this year’s NFL Draft. Fortunately, there are going to be more than a few on display at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Ohio State EDGE Nick Bosa, who is still the consensus No. 1 overall prospect, won’t have a lot to prove at the combine. Kentucky EDGE/SAM linebacker Josh Allen probably doesn’t either, unless he absolutely wants to convince scouts he belongs in the top three.
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After that, things get a bit cloudier for pass-rushers. Is the third best prospect Clemson’s Clelin Ferrell? Florida State’s Brian Burns? Or will a pass rush-needy team, such as San Francisco, have its eyes on Florida EDGE Jachai Polite?
At 6-foot-2 and 242 pounds, Polite looks to be more of a pass-rushing specialist only leading up to the combine. That’s fine in today’s pass-first NFL.
But what Polite has to do at the NFL Scouting Combine is separate himself from the crop of second-tier pass-rushers behind Bosa and Allen. Polite has amazing speed, so his 40-yard time shouldn’t be too big a question mark. What might be of interest, however, are both his shuttle times and cone drills — aspects that will test his agility and change-of-direction speed.
It’s not too hard to find big boards listing Polite within the top 10, while others have him going late in Round 1.
Yet a strong performance from Polite could change that a lot.
The 2019 NFL Scouting Combine officially kicks off on Tuesday, Feb. 26 from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.