The NFL Draft might have been over, but the roster signings never cease. The 49ers welcomed eight undrafted free agents to the mix.
With the NFL Draft over, the San Francisco rounded out the festivities with eight undrafted free agents signing a deal with the club for preseason.
The team has had its fair share of undrafted free agent success stories in the past, so it's always an interesting time to see which UDFAs are making the journey to the Bay Area to try to carve out a spot in the league for themselves.
Read More: 49ers live undrafted free-agent tracker 2024 (every signing we know)
This is the second year in a row we're analyzing the UDFAs for the team, and hopefully there's more success this year after only center Corey Luciano played in 2023 (although the 2023 UDFA, edge Spencer Waege, has signed a contract with the 49ers for the 2024 preseason).
Who are the eight UDFAs? Here's a quick run down before we analyze the fit:
- Tanner Mordecai, Quarterback, Wisconsin
- Cody Schrader, Running Back, Missouri
- Terique Owens, Wide Receiver, Missouri State
- Mason Pline, Tight End, Furman
- Briason Mays, Center, Southern Miss
- Drake Nugent, Center, Michigan
- Evan Anderson, Defensive Tackle, Florida Atlantic
- Jaylen Mahoney, Safety, Vanderbilt
As opposed to last year which was a pretty even spread of offensive and defensive players, six of the eight UDFAs for the 49ers this year ply their trade on the offensive side of the ball. Also of note about the two offensive linemen signed, both of them are centers.
Let’s take a look at all eight of the UDFAs, an overview of how they fit in the organization and some personal thoughts on exactly what they can do to make waves.
With any luck, one or two of these players are going to shine in the preseason and find their way onto the roster.
Overview for 49ers 2024 UDFA class: Offensive skill players
Tanner Mordecai, Quarterback, Wisconsin
An intriguing signing for the 49ers that has a lot of physical similarities to starting quarterback Brock Purdy, Tanner Mordecai was considered a borderline draftable prospect that was at Oklahoma, SMU and finished at Wisconsin.
There's some attributes about Mordecai that make him an interesting candidate to be the No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart. Not just a dink and dunk QB, Mordecai can spiral it down the field, absorb pressure and make plays while having much better athleticism than people might think.
Verdict: The San Francisco 49ers have kept three quarterbacks on the roster in recent years, a strong camp could see Mordecai as an interesting chance to make it to Week 1.
Cody Schrader, Running Back, Missouri
Can lightning strike not only twice, but a third time? Twice in the John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan era, an undrafted free agent outperformed a drafted player and ended up being the one that stuck on the roster.
For those struggling to place the names, that was Matt Breida over fourth-round pick Joe Williams in 2017 and Jordan Mason over third-round pick Tyrion Davis-Price in 2022. In addition, sixth-round pick Elijah Mitchell outperfomed third-round pick Trey Sermon in 2021.
There's a trend, to be clear.
Cody Schrader was a bit of a surprise to be undrafted after running for 1627 yards and 14 touchdowns at 5.9 yards per carry in 2023, but a poor 40-yard time of 4.61 seconds and his 5-foot-8 and 202 pound size didn't excite teams enough to pick him on Day 3. But a tough runner with a low pad level with experience in a zone-blocking scheme? Hmm.
Verdict: Watch with extreme interest.
Terique Owens, Wide Receiver, Missouri State
As the line from Chris Rock in The Longest Yard goes: "We didn't get the whole chocolate bar, but we got a Hershey's Kiss."
There were potentially four 49ers legacies that could have made their way onto the roster, so it wasn't shocking that at least one of the made their way on the roster as Terique Owens (son of Terrell Owens) signed a UDFA contract.
Standing at 6-2 and 200 pounds while running his 40-yard time at 4.51 seconds, he isn't quite his father on the field but he certainly shares his confidence. He recorded 28 receptions for 528 yards and four touchdowns at Missouri State in 2024.
Verdict: Too much of a logjam at receiver ahead of him, but could be a stash option on the practice squad.
Mason Pline, Tight End, Furman
There was some minor surprise the 49ers didn't draft a tight end given how vocal they've been wanting to give George Kittle some help, so it isn't a surprise they dipped into the UDFA pool to boost the depth a bit.
A basketball convert with some size to him at 6-foot-6 and 254 pounds, Pline hasn't yet shown the speed to stretch defense or the physicality to be an exceptional blocker. There's some upside however given he's late to the sport and showed some improvement in 2023 at Furman with 31 receptions for 282 yards and four touchdowns.
Verdict: Hard to see him stick onto the active roster, needs to fight to be a developmental stash option on the practice squad.
Overview for 49ers 2024 UDFA class: Offensive line and defense
Drake Nugent, Center, Michigan
An experienced collegiate body with 39 starts at Stanford and Michigan, Drake Nugent is slightly undersized at 6-foot-1 and 298 pounds with average arm length and below average athletic ability.
The ceiling probably isn't the biggest in the UDFA class, but the depth on the interior offensive line isn't the strongest either. There just doesn't seem to be that much to be excited about though unless something shines through in training camp.
Verdict: Low ceiling, but could maybe stick around as a backup with a strong camp.
Briason Mays, Center, Southern Miss
Briason Mays doesn't have nearly the profile that Drake Nugent had at Michigan, but he's a much more intriguing physical prospect at 6-foot-4 and 298 pounds combined with the second-longest wingspan among centers in the draft.
Mays did spent time at left tackle at Southern Miss, but he will be a center for the pros.
Verdict: The floor might be low, but there's an intriguing ceiling for Mays in the NFL.
Evan Anderson, Defensive Tackle, Florida Atlantic
It's clear the the San Francisco 49ers love Evan Anderson, given they held a top-30 meeting with him before the draft and invested $280,000 guaranteed (a colossal sum for a UDFA) at him to ensure he became a UDFA signing.
A run-stuffing defensive tackle who stands at 6-foot-0 and 319 pounds (which is much skinnier than his top weight of 356 pounds) and can handle double-teams, the team has an eye on him clearly to help tackle their run defense while providing some interesting pass-rush upside given he had 3.5 sacks at Florida Atlantic in 2023.
Verdict: The 49ers didn't throw this much money at him for no reason, the most likely to make the roster
Jaylen Mahoney, S, Vanderbilt
Jaylen Mahoney was a versatile defensive back at Vanderbilt who looks set to be a safety for the NFL, but his size at 5-foot-10 and 194 pounds combined with a 40-yard time of 4.54 seconds could see him try to be a nickel corner as well.
There's some talent to work with too. Mahoney is good at making plays in space and he's very physical with the added bonus of being a good run defender. While he's not an exceptional athlete, he's not lead-footed either.
Mahoney isn't a playmaker (he had only six passes defended and no interceptions in his 2023 season at Vanderbilt, and only four interceptions in five seasons with the Commodores), but he's shown enough that he could stick it out in the NFL.
Verdict: Not the most publicized signing, but one with a good chance of sticking on the roster as a versatile backup.