NFL comparisons for 3 of the 49ers draft picks

A few high-end comps for the 49ers draft class.

During the NFL Draft cycle, egregious comparisons are tossed around loosely with little repercussion. I recall BYU’s quarterback being compared to Aaron Rodgers during the 2021 draft. As we know, that didn’t come close to working out.

Comparing a collegiate prospect to a Hall of Famer sets up the rookie for failure. But that doesn’t stop us from making comparisons. What makes them so challenging is that some of the best are based on style, while others resemble athletic testing.

We’ll do our best to merge both as we search the internet to see which players the San Francisco 49ers draft class resembles the most.

Ricky Pearsall: Roddy White, Nate Burleson, Brandon Stokely

Athletically, Pearsall is similar to White, a player Kyle Shanahan used to coach at the tail end of his career.

Burleson didn’t run as fast, but his height, vertical, and short shuttle times are identical to Pearsall’s. Their playing styles aren’t far off, either. All three players tested well but come off as “possession” receivers when you watch them.

Pearsall, like Burleson, has inside and outside flexibility and tracks the ball well. Like White, Pearsall will use every part of his body to get open and will be where he’s supposed to be on time.

That brings us to the former Indianapolis Colt. Stokely, 6’1 with an elite short shuttle was a chain mover who seemingly never dropped the ball and did most of his work out of the slot. He only went over 1,000 yards once, but we’re not talking about a statistical comparison. If Pearsall is as sure-handed and reliable as “The Slot Machine,” the 49ers will be…stoked.

Renardo Green: L’Jarius Sneed, Marcus Trufant, Aqib Talib

After seeing what Sneed did to the 49ers wideouts in the Super Bowl, it’s no surprise the team gravitated toward that kind of player in the NFL Draft. Sneed, Trufant, and Talib were all better pros than they were collegiate players.

Over-aggressiveness is sometimes viewed as a bad thing. For Trufant, he’s listed for baiting quarterbacks and coming up with plays in zone coverage. Sneed wants to take your head off at the line of scrimmage and dares you to run his way. Talib was consistently in position. That’s half the battle.

Were there penalties? Yes. Is that true for Green? You bet. But I never watched Green during the regular season and came away thinking, “This guy holds too much to succeed in the NFL.” I’ll take the trade-off of a penalty once every few games for lockdown coverage and excellent run defense.

Jacob Cowing: T.Y. Hilton

Hilton is lofty praise. Their speed, vertical, broad jump, short shuttle, and 3-cone times were nearly spot on with each other. Both players can flat-out fly. Hilton was tough enough to make plays over the middle and hold on after contact but also understood how to get open and find the openings in a zone defense.

The more you watch the 49ers draft picks, the more excited you get about Cowing’s prospects and what he can do in this offense. He’s not somebody to be slept on. Don’t let his draft status fool you. His route running and play speed will be an asset to the 49ers.

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