We had to switch things up this week, pushing our normal Tuesday Twitter mailbag back a couple of days.
To your questions!
It’s certainly possible. We might be talking about Landry as a top-five prospect if he replicated his production from his junior season (16.5 sacks, 22 tackles for loss) as a senior (five sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss). Some of that drop off has to do with an ankle injury that caused him to miss four games. But Landry is expected to test well and at the combine later this week.
A favorable comparison might be Vic Beasley, the eighth overall pick of the Falcons in 2015. The have similar builds and explosive qualities, but it took Beasley a full season to develop before leading the NFL with 15.5 sacks during his second seasons. Atlanta, of course, runs the same defensive scheme as San Francisco and Beasley was a key piece in helping that defense improve to get to the Super Bowl.
Landry is going to face questions about why his production dipped so dramatically during his final season in Boston College. But teams won’t forget about what he did as a junior, which makes him arguably the best pass rusher available and someone the 49ers should evaluate thoroughly given the limited supply at the position.
The 49ers are most likely to take the best player available with their pick ninth or 10th. Whether that’s Smith, Tremaine Edmunds, Josh Jackson or anyone else, it seems unlikely they’re going to stray from their draft board just to hit on a position of need.
So, no. I don’t think taking Smith (or Edmunds) would be an overreaction to Foster’s situation. He’s facing a possible six-game suspension next season – which would mean another domestic violence-related incident would lead to a lifetime ban. Additionally, the guaranteed money in Malcolm Smith’s contract runs out after 2018, essentially making it a contract year for the veteran who wasn’t particularly good with the Raiders his previous two seasons.
Addressing linebacker this offseason is prudent because the 49ers still need to figure out the long-term status of the position regardless of Foster’s standing. And if Foster cleans up his act and stays out of trouble, he’ll need a running mate for the long run – so why not draft Smith or Edmunds if either is the best player on the board?
Free agency could dramatically impact the 49ers’ planning. There could be some quality linebackers available that allow San Francisco to go another direction with that first-round pick. I’ll hit on which players in the mailbag (tease alert!).
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