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

SF 49ers Prospect No. 4: Offensive Tackle Liam Eichenberg

Yes, another Fighting Irish prospect to watch here.

The SF 49ers have some serious offensive line questions to answer this offseason. Is perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams coming back in 2021? If so, he’ll cost the Niners a lot of money and will limit their abilities to spend elsewhere without some serious roster jockeying and cap cuts.

Even if Williams returns, San Francisco showcased a lack of O-line depth last season, and it would be beneficial to land some quality help to either support Williams and right tackle Mike McGlinchey or act as a long-term replacement.

Notre Dame has put out quality O-linemen for years now, and the next in line could be tackle Liam Eichenberg.

Per our friends over at NFL Mocks:

"Eichenberg consistently shines as a run blocker, showing impressive initial quickness and fantastic natural power at the point of attack. He displays a powerful initial punch and also maintains impressive grip strength at all times. Once Eichenberg gets his hands on the defender in the run game, it is typically game over. The Notre Dame product also shows fantastic mental processing as a pass protector. His on-field awareness is top-notch and is shown in his ability to diagnose and take care of blitzing players and not being fooled by stunts. Eichenberg also shows solid range in pass protection, snapping into his pass set quickly and cutting off angles for quicker edge defenders. His ability to sink in and anchor against power also stands out as a positive trait."

Eichenberg’s lateral movement isn’t the best, which might hinder him in Kyle Shanahan’s zone-blocking scheme.

But the other traits are there to suggest Eichenberg would be an ideal fit.

Currently slated as either a late day-two or early day-three pick, a strong performance at the Senior Bowl could propel Eichenberg up the NFL Draft ranges.