49ers 4-round mock draft including blockbuster Deebo Samuel trade

Round 3, Pick No. 93 Overall: 49ers select S Nick Cross

While the entire football world is watching safeties Kyle Hamilton and Daxton Hill, Maryland’s Nick Cross is quietly building his case for being the best at his position. No shade intended to the previously mentioned two, but Cross could prove to be the sleeper of the entire draft.

You don’t have to be the fastest player on the field to be successful at the safety position, but nonetheless the former track star might be the fastest person in the whole stadium. His physicality will not only help against the pass, it’ll serve him against the run game as well.

He plays single-high, is a great open-field tackler and jars the ball loose when he makes contact with the receiver.

Cross has experience covering tight ends and lines up well against receivers in the slot. His special teams play will get him on the field early in his NFL career, but if given the chance, he’ll have no problem adjusting to the next level at his position. He brings stability to a position that is unproven as a group and is a day one starter if drafted by general manager John Lynch and Co., perhaps taking over for Jimmie Ward at free safety and allowing him to bump down to strong safety in the wake of Jaquiski Tartt’s free-agent departure.