Latest 49ers NFL draft buzz, chatter from scouting combine

Latest 49ers NFL draft buzz, chatter from scouting combine originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Free agency is up first, but the NFL Scouting Combine last week signaled that draft season is here and not going away for a while.

The 2024 NFL Draft is scheduled for Thursday, April 25, through Saturday, April 27, in Detroit, so get prepared for plenty of draft talk and speculation over the next seven weeks.

The college all-star games were overshadowed, of course, by the NFL playoffs in January. So the combine is annually the first event on the calendar in which everybody in the football world is watching and talking about the draft prospects.

Here are some of the conversations overheard in Indianapolis, which has hosted the event for the past 37 years:

— This draft is loaded at the top with offensive talent. There might not be a defensive player selected inside the top 10. The defender most expected to break the run of offensive players: Alabama edge Dallas Turner.

— The way this draft looks for cornerbacks, wide receivers and defensive linemen should be a sweet spot for the 49ers, who have two picks in both the third and fourth rounds.

— This is a good year for cornerbacks, but there might not be anyone at the same top level as a year ago. Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez were universally thought to be the top two. Seattle took Witherspoon at No. 5 overall. Then, Washington selected Emmanuel Forbes at 16, one spot ahead of Gonzalez (New England).

— There should be a cornerback run, beginning in the middle of the first round. Approximately a half-dozen corners could be selected from, say, 15 to 30. Then, there could be another run on corners and potential nickel backs at the end of Day 2 and the beginning of Day 3.

— New 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen will have a huge influence on the team’s plan at nickel back. That’s the position he coached the past two seasons. Three to keep in mind for the mid-rounds: Michigan’s Mike Sainristil,…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/latest-49ers-nfl-draft-buzz-200544114.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-03-05 05:01:51

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