The teams that are most successful in the NFL draft find players at the right value that fit their scheme. It’s not always about landing the best player available or addressing the most pressing need on the roster. Improving is about identifying players that marry both lines of thinking.
For the 49ers, they could use a long-term starter at linebacker, even after trading back into the first round last spring to take Reuben Foster 31st overall. Foster’s status is tenuous after a promising first season where he looked like he could become one of the league’s premier defenders.
Foster has been arrested twice this offseason – once for alleged marijuana possession in Alabama and again for alleged domestic violence, threats and possession of an assault weapon in the Bay Area last month. Foster could be facing a lengthy suspension to start 2018.
One draft prospect that’s been commonly linked to the 49ers’ at pick No. 9 is Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who is one of the most promising defensive players atop the draft. Edmunds was the pick from Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller in his recent mock draft published this week.
From Miller on Edmunds:
Tremaine Edmunds is just 19 years old and already looks like an immediate NFL starter. At 6’4 ½” and 253 pounds, he doesn’t look like a teenager and doesn’t play like one either. Edmunds is a versatile asset on defense, and given Reuben Foster’s off-field issues, he would also provide insurance in case the Niners lose last year’s first-rounder for an extended time. And should they get on the field together? Watch out.
Some believe Edmunds’ physical tools could lead to becoming a pass rusher along the edge, where the 49ers also have a pressing need. Very few NFL players can play off the ball at linebacker and rush the passer from defensive end. If Edmunds can become that player, he could solve two of San Francisco’s key areas of need with one selection.
Veteran Malcolm Smith is projected to start next to Foster in 2018 after missing last season with a torn pectoral. The guaranteed money in Smith’s contract runs out after the coming season, which could create a void in the starting lineup in 2019, when Edmunds could presumably step in as a long-term option.
The team also brought back Brock Coyle after he started 10 games in 2017 and was a key player on special teams. Coyle is expected to miss most of the offseason program after having surgery on his shoulder following last season.
About the Author: Insidethe49
