Seven non-QB draft prospects for 49ers to target in Round 1
The 2020 season didn't go the way the 49ers planned. Injuries curtailed their season from the jump and they never really got out of the starting blocks.The upside to that is the culture built by Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch will allow them to survive the season from hell. The foundation is strong and the roster is in a good place for a 2021 rebound. Also, the 49ers will have a draft pick between No. 10 and No. 15 depending on how Week 17 plays out.All the talk has centered around the quarterback position. You know the names. Trevor Lawrence. Justin Fields. Zach Wilson. Trey Lance. Mac Jones.But what if the 49ers elect to run it back with Jimmy Garoppolo, something that feels more likely with each passing day? Well, then they'd have a top pick to use on a different area of need. Cornerback and edge rusher come to the top of mind. Interior offensive line also is a need, but it's rare to see a guard or center go that high in the draft.So let's look at seven non-quarterback prospects who the 49ers should target in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. (Spoiler: It's not a cornerback and EDGE only list.)
School: Miami
Nick Bosa, when healthy, is one of the best edge rushers in the NFL. The 49ers need someone to pair with him. Dee Ford can't be relied on to stay healthy and his time in Santa Clara probably is over.
Rousseau is expected to be the top edge rusher in the draft class. He opted out of the 2020 season, but had a fantastic 2019 season. The 6-foot-7, 260-pound edge registered 15.5 sacks, which trailed only Chase Young.
He has a frame that NFL defensive line coaches dream about with long arms, explosive burst and a good punch as a bull-rusher. He is excellent in pursuit and has a tackle radius from San Jose to Sacramento.
He needs to improve his hand technique and learn more pass-rushing moves to truly reach his ceiling.
Rousseau is an ultra-athletic edge with only one season of collegiate production. But if all turns out accordingly, he has a Danielle Hunter-type ceiling.
School: Alabama
Rousseau is the No. 1 edge in the class at the moment, so here's the No. 1 cornerback. The 49ers likely will try to re-sign Jason Verrett, but Richard Sherman probably won't return and K'Waun Williams' future also is in doubt as he heads toward unrestricted free agency.
Surtain, 6-foot-1, 203 pounds, is the ideal height, weight and length for an NFL cornerback. He has excellent ball skills and is tremendous at shrinking throwing windows and squeezing the receiver to the sideline as an extra defender. He can play in any scheme, is patient and knows how to use his hands. Shows great anticipation when in zone coverage.
The biggest knocks on Surtain are his short-area quickness and his tackling ability.
Surtain reminds many scouts of Byron Jones and would be an excellent future CB1 for the 49ers.
School: Michigan
After Rousseau, there's expected to be a slight drop off in edge prospects. The next on the list is Michigan's Kwity Paye, who has been skyrocketing up draft boards this season.
At 6-foot-4, 272 pounds, it's unfair that Paye is as quick and explosive as he is off the edge. He's one of the best athletes in all of college football and is scheme versatile.
He might enter as a No. 3 edge rusher, but if he develops properly he should be a top-tier edge rusher.
School: Virginia Tech
Another player who elected to opt-out of the 2020 season, Farley has all the traits you look for in an elite corner.
He's long, physical, great at route mirroring, has good size and is outstanding in press coverage. He has great footwork, fluid hips, tremendous balance and has great ball skills.
He's very sticky in man coverage and excels at using his physicality to disrupt routes and re-direct receivers.
The only red flags with Farley are his injuries -- torn ACL in 2017 and back spasms in 2019. He's still growing in zone coverage but as long as he's healthy he should excel there as well.
School: South Carolina
At 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, Horn is the prototypical NFL corner built for battling X receivers.
He's long, physical in coverage and aggressive. He's great in press coverage and uses his hands well to re-route receivers. Horn, the son of former NFL wide receiver Joe Horn, also is great at using his body to pin receivers along the sideline.
If Surtain and Farley are off the board, Horn would be a home-run pick for the 49ers.
School: Florida
Alright, these last two are a little out there as they don't address top positions of need, but it would be a lot of fun.
First up is Pitts. Florida's star tight end is a 6-foot-5, 235-pound matchup nightmare. He can play in-line, flexed out and on the hip of the tackle. Pitts is outstanding at using his frame to create a bigger target for his quarterback and has an absurd catch radius.
He's more of a hybrid tight end-wide receiver than a true F. He needs to crisp up his route-running and improve blocking, but putting him in an offense with George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk would make the 49ers impossible to defend.
So, no, they don't need another tight end. But why not?
School: Alabama
As I said, it's not a top need but would Waddle be too hard to pass up?
When you talk Jaylen Waddle, you only talk speed. All he knows is acceleration and he is able to play at that high speed instead of ramping up to it. When he gets the ball, he's a dicey runner who easily dissects defenses by cruising through them at top speed.
He's a great deep threat, works the middle of the field well and has elite lateral quickness. The interchangeability with him, Aiyuk and Samuel would be off the charts fun.
