The San Francisco 49ers have a historic knack for finding talent in the latter rounds of the NFL Draft. While quarterback Brock Purdy is perhaps the best example of this, being the last pick of the 2022 class, others like tight end George Kittle, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and others have shown to be exemplary day-three selections.
The Niners hope they just found another in defensive tackle Gracen Halton out of Oklahoma.
Taken with the No. 107 overall pick, one that fell in Round 4, Halton has plenty of developmental upside that should translate quickly to the NFL ranks. Sure, there are concerns about the defensive tackle's short-ish arms, and one might be a bit worried about his leverage when trying to disengage from blocks.
That said, there are plenty of intruiguing characteristics fans should immediately recognize and San Francisco's coaching staff should have no issue harnessing.
Check out this scouting report on Halton from Bleacher Report:
- Halton shows good overall quickness and athleticism for an interior defensive lineman.
- Quickness and agility allow him to be an effective looper in line games, testing opposing offensive linemen's reaction times and taking efficient paths to the quarterback.
- Has show a solid swim move that he can win with as a pass-rusher.
- Good motor as a pass-rusher to get coverage/clean up sacks.
- Impressive upper body strength and pop in his hands to stun offensive linemen when he uses his hands to take on blocks against the run.
Sure sounds promising enough, right?
Now, day-three draftees almost always have a tougher road toward carving out a significant role on an NFL roster, and Halton is no different. He's already facing veterans like Alfred Collins and Osa Odighizuwa ahead of him on the depth chart, and it's probably not going to be an immediate rise to the top right out of the gate.
However, in light of the positives, one shouldn't be surprised if the rookie winds up turning more heads than expected, and the 49ers can tack on yet another late-round gem to their list of quality finds on day three of the draft.
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