2024 NFL Combine standouts the 49ers can't allow to become draft busts

No. 3: LB Payton Wilson, NC State

San Francisco might easily be looking for a linebacker at some in the middle of the NFL Draft to account for the potential absence of star backer Dre Greenlaw, who suffered a torn Achilles in the Super Bowl.

Certainly not a first-round pick and someone who'll likely be called toward the end of Round 2.

At 6-foot-4 and 233 pounds, Wilson is somewhere in between a traditional middle linebacker and a strong-side edge rusher, yet he nevertheless commands some serious athletic prowess despite some notable over-aggressiveness.

Tack on his 4.43 40-yard time and 34.5-inch vertical at the NFL Combine, and its easy to see why scouts are intrigued.

But Wilson comes with serious injury risks, too, including having two torn ACLs and a shoulder injury during his days at NC State. Those will knock down his draft stock considerably.

For a 49ers team that has had more than its fair share of serious injuries in recent seasons, Wilson is a player they'd be wise to pass over.