The 49ers will host Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith on one of their 30 official visits ahead of the NFL draft, as first reported by the Macon Telegraph.
Smith, a speedy linebacker known for his coverage skills and sideline-to-sideline range, is a popular prospect for San Francisco to draft prognosticators and fans alike.
Smith would seemingly pair well with embattled second-year player Reuben Foster, whose status is uncertain following two arrests since the end his promising rookie campaign, including one for alleged domestic violence in February.
Regardless of Foster’s status, Smith would be a logical choice for the 49ers. Veteran Malcolm Smith, who missed last season with a pectoral injury, is expected to start at one of the inside linebacker spots in 2018.
But the guaranteed money in his contract runs out by next spring, according to Overthecap.com. That leaves open the possibility of becoming a salary cap casualty before the 2019 league year if he doesn’t play well enough to stick around. The Super Bowl MVP from 2013 signed a five-year contract with San Francisco last spring after two underwhelming seasons with the Raiders.
Malcolm Smith will be 30 by the 2019 season and the 49ers could look for an eventual replacement this offseason or the next. Roquan Smith, 21, finished 10th in Heisman voting with the Bulldogs in 2017 while leading the SEC with 137 tackles. He was named the Butkus Award winner, given the nation’s top linebacker, the same award Foster earned the previous season at Alabama.
San Francisco also has visits on the docket with Iowa’s James Daniels, one of the top centers in the draft, and Kansas State receiver Byron Pringle, according to the Sacramento Bee.
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