49ers sign off from Round 6 of NFL Draft with LB Dee Winters
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers had only one pick in Round 6 of the 2023 NFL Draft, and the opted to go with TCU linebacker Dee Winters to reinforce that position group.
The San Francisco 49ers have had some money picks on day three in the NFL Draft, and the 2023 version is already looking to be trending in that direction after the fifth-round pickups of defensive back Darrell Luter Jr. and EDGE Robert Beal Jr.
Armed with only one pick in Round 6, though, the Niners had to think carefully about which player they’d want.
Having to wait until the end of the round, San Francisco ultimately went with linebacker Dee Winters out of TCU at No. 216 overall.
Why 49ers drafted Dee Winters in Round 6 of 2023 NFL Draft
The 49ers lost linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to free agency during the offseason, meaning the duo of Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner had something of a lack of depth behind them. Sure, players like Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles could fill a void, but finding some additional help would be wise.
That’s where Winters could come into play.
At 5-foot-11 and 227 pounds, Winters is a bit undersized and can be taken advantage of by bigger running backs and tight ends.
That said, he’s around the ball a lot and can play both MIKE and WILL roles with relative ease:
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| 2019 | TCU | Big 12 | FR | LB | 8 | 19 | 9 | 28 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | TCU | Big 12 | SO | LB | 10 | 40 | 25 | 65 | 9.5 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2021 | TCU | Big 12 | JR | LB | 12 | 53 | 21 | 74 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| *2022 | TCU | Big 12 | SR | LB | 15 | 48 | 31 | 79 | 14.5 | 7.5 | 1 | 29 | 29.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | TCU | 160 | 86 | 246 | 33.5 | 12.5 | 3 | 36 | 12.0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 4/29/2023.
He also had a decent pedigree in coverage, too, and that’s something the Niners will likely value from him. Especially if he can also contribute on special teams, which is what Al-Shaair did back when he was a rookie.
That’s probably a role Winters will wind up filling right away in year one.
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