The 49ers should add talent at linebacker this offseason in either the NFL draft or free agency. That was true before Reuben Foster’s recent legal troubles.
That’s because veteran Malcolm Smith, who signed a five-year contract last spring, has the guarantees in his contract run out after 2018, according to Overthecap.com. That essentially makes the coming season a contract year for the veteran, who missed all of last season with a torn pectoral suffered in training camp.
Additionally, the 49ers’ top “Mike” linebacker from last season was Brock Coyle, a pending free agent who will miss most of the offseason program recovering from surgery to repair his shoulder.
That’s why it’s the 49ers have been projected to take a linebacker early in a number of mock drafts. That’s the direction ESPN’s Todd McShay went in his first mock coming after the NFL combine. He projected Virginia Tech’s talented linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to San Francisco with the No. 9 pick in April. His take:
The 49ers need another cornerback, but in this scenario (Denzel) Ward is gone at No. 8. The 49ers have invested heavily on the defensive line high in previous drafts, but I think they look to the second level of the defense here. And Edmunds is a gift at No. 9. At 6-foot-4, 254 pounds, he has elite speed (4.47 40) and athleticism — and he’s only 19. Edmunds has the ability to play off the ball on first and second downs and rush the QB on obvious passing downs.
Edmunds will be just 20 years old by the time his rookie season begins. He played primarily inside linebacker at Virginia Tech, making him an immediate fit at both “Mike” and “Will” linebacker for the 49ers, where he could presumably play next to Smith if Foster is suspended.
Foster, of course, was arrested twice in nearly a month, including for alleged domestic violence and weapons charges February in Los Gatos. The minimum suspension for domestic violence is six games, but Foster might be subject to a longer suspension due to his January marijuana arrest in Alabama. Foster presumably entered the league’s substance abuse policy at his combine last year for submitting a dilute urine sample, which the league counts as a failed drug test.
If the 49ers drafted Edmunds, and Foster stayed out of trouble going forward, they could form an imposing linebacker tandem for the team to build around. Or, Edmunds could be a seamless replacement if Foster’s off-the-field troubles persist.
Edmunds has the athletic profile (and length with 34 1/2-inch arms) to try rushing the passer along from edges. If Edmunds proves to be valuable as an edge rusher, he could solve two of San Francisco’s prominent needs with one selection.
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