2021 Senior Bowl: 5 NFL Draft prospects SF 49ers must watch

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Defensive Tackle Trevon Hill #95 from Miami of the North Team makes a sack on Quarterback Jalen Hurts #1 from Oklahoma of the South Team during the 2020 Reese’s Senior Bowl (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

The SF 49ers have way more NFL Draft picks in 2021 than they did a year ago, meaning more attention is needed for prospects at the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Back in 2019, the SF 49ers were fortunate enough to serve as coaches for that year’s Reese’s Senior Bowl.

While the Oakland Raiders’ head coach, Jon Gruden, managed to pull off a win over Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan during the game, the weekend’s slate of events had another positive outcome.

One of Shanahan’s notable players, South Carolina wide receiver Deebo Samuel, made quick work of cornerbacks during practices and in red-zone drills. Later that spring in the NFL Draft, San Francisco selected Samuel with a second-round pick, and he’s quickly emerging as one of the SF 49ers’ top offensive players.

Shanahan and his staff won’t be coaching at the 2021 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, this year. No, those honors go to the Carolina Panthers’ Matt Rhule and the Miami Dolphins’ Brian Flores. Yet that doesn’t mean there’s no chance for Shanahan and Co. to spend some key time evaluating up-and-coming collegiate prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft.

With eight picks, currently, in the draft and likely two more compensatory picks coming, looking at these five Senior Bowl prospects would be an awfully good idea.

SF 49ers Prospect No. 5: EDGE Daelin Hayes

Daelin Hayes. 5. player. 819. . EDGE. Fighting Irish

The Niners may need to revamp their pass-rushing depth behind EDGE Nick Bosa, particularly with fellow pass-rusher Dee Ford’s back injury and 2021 cap hit major concerns. And with the team’s leading sack specialist last season, Kerry Hyder, poised to hit the free-agent market, it’s prudent to at least considering using a mid- or late-round pick to supplement the defensive line depth.

One player worth watching is Notre Dame defensive lineman Daelin Hayes.

At 6-foot-3 and 258 pounds, he might seem slightly undersized to win on the inside, but he’s capable of playing at a 3-technique position anyway, giving him some versatility. With only nine sacks over five collegiate seasons with the Fighting Irish, there’s some concern he won’t generate much success at the pro level.

But Hayes has an excellent motor and the functional strength to overpower opposing blockers at the point of attack.

The lack of stats could keep him a late-round pick, but there’s a lot of hidden-gem talent to look at here to bolster San Francisco’s pass rush.