5 players 49ers should have taken in 2021 NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
player. 866. . EDGE. Panthers . Patrick Jones II. 3
No. 3: 49ers neglected the pass rush by passing on EDGE Patrick Jones II
Going after Trey Sermon in Round 3 at No. 88 overall wasn’t a bad move in of itself by San Francisco. Sermon could be a multifaceted weapon who could have some serious success in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
But there’s an argument Sermon was a bit of a luxury pick by the 49ers, and doing so ultimately led to them neglecting another area of need on the roster: the outside pass rush.
True, EDGE Nick Bosa is coming back from a 2020 ACL tear. If he’s healthy, that’s great news, and Bosa should assure fellow defensive linemen like Arik Armstead, Samson Ebukam, Javon Kinlaw and Maurice Hurst, among others, feast on opposing quarterbacks.
Yet veteran pass-rushers tend to get expensive fast, and Bosa will be no exception when it’s time to offer him a contract extension. So landing a youthful and potentially talented pass-rusher now would have been a smart move.
Plus, teams can never have too many pass-rushers.
Pitt EDGE Patrick Jones II would have been an excellent day-two pick. While the 6-foot-4, 261 Jones lacks a high-energy motor and can, at times, get pushed behind the pocket, his agility and build are more than enough to work with. His production was there, too, with 17.5 sacks the last two years along with 24 tackles for a loss over that span.
Instead, the Niners are banking on their current crop of pass-rushers, which ultimately led to Jones being selected by the Minnesota Vikings two picks after grabbing Sermon.