49ers 2021 ‘Who is?’ series: Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles a sleeper?
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers are hoping safety/linebacker hybrid Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles can turn into a quality reserve piece after seeing modest action in 2020.
Every now and then, NFL teams are graced with one of those undrafted free agents who seemingly emerge out of nowhere and become quality additions to a 53-man roster.
One of the more recent players to do this for the San Francisco 49ers is cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who went from the undrafted ranks all the way to starting in the Super Bowl a little over a year ago.
Yet the Niners are hoping another former UDFA, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, winds up following a similar path after being signed by San Francisco out of Arizona following the 2019 NFL Draft.
After failing to make the regular-season roster his rookie year, the safety/linebacker hybrid ended up seeing action in 11 games in 2020, mostly due to the overwhelming number of injuries the 49ers suffered over the course of the year.
| Game | Game | Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | Sk | Comb | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits |
| 2020 | 24 | SFO | 45 | 11 | 1 | 0.0 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Care | Care | 11 | 1 | 0.0 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com
Generated 6/15/2021.
During those 11 games, Flannigan-Fowles primarily was used on special teams and saw 195 total snaps there (43 percent) compared to being used only sparingly on defense, taking the field for just 61 defensive snaps (six percent).
The 49ers spent considerable effort restocking both the safety and linebacker depth during the offseason, which doesn’t bode well for Flannigan-Fowles’ roster chances. Yet the Niners seem to appreciate his versatility, and he might be able to rise above the rest of his competition heading into 2021.
Why Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles improves with 49ers in 2021
Hybrid-type players are becoming increasingly popular in today’s pass-happy NFL, meaning linebackers need to have coverage skills like a safety.
The fact Flannigan-Fowles was used so sparingly on defense last year makes this a hard assessment, but the fact he had six interceptions and 16 passes defended over his four collegiate years suggest he’s capable of flashing a decent pass-coverage skill set.
And at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, he could move like a defensive back while retaining some of the traits of an inside linebacker.
Why Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles bottoms out with 49ers in 2021
It’s one thing to have the ability to do multiple things within a defense, but it’s another to do any of them particularly well.
Flannigan-Fowles has solid speed, having run a 4.58 40-time during his pro day, but this shouldn’t be interpreted as making him equal to covering NFL-level tight ends and running backs. There just isn’t enough tape or data to suggest he’ll be effective here.
On top of that, which we’ll get to next, San Francisco’s stockpiling of both the safety and linebacker positions during the offseason will ultimately cut into Flannigan-Fowles’ chances to impress during training camp.
And that could cost him a roster spot.
Chances of making 49ers’ 53-man roster
Flannigan-Fowles 2021 contract numbers are negligible, so there aren’t any financial concerns from the 49ers’ vantage point if he were to be waived prior to Week 1.
Instead, all one has to do is look at the number of players at both spots the Niners onboarded during the offseason to see why Flannigan-Fowles faces a tough competition this offseason.
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Linebackers like Justin Hilliard, Elijah Sullivan, Azeez Al-Shaair and Nathan Gerry are all competitors for perhaps two depth spots behind the presumed starters, Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, while the additions of backup safeties like Tavon Wilson and Talanoa Hufanga will make it tough for Flannigan-Fowles to carve out a roster spot behind the starting tandem of Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt.
One way Flannigan-Fowles can stand out is if he emerges as a solid contributor on special teams, which was the case a year ago, but Hufanga also potentially checks off that box, and San Francisco has more invested in Hufanga than Flannigan-Fowles at this point.
Flannigan-Fowles will have to outperform at least four and perhaps even five of the aforementioned reserves named above to stand a chance. The good news, though, is the 49ers’ depth battles at both safety and linebacker are very fluid and wide open, meaning he has just as good a chance of making the cut as anyone else.
Provided he takes that next step and emerges as yet another UDFA key find.
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