There are a couple ways to view the 49ers’ glut of third-round compensatory picks. Of course it’s three throws at the dart board at the end of Day 2 of the draft where perhaps some high-end talent fell through the cracks. However, it’s also a nice starting point for a potential trade up, and they met with an offensive lineman at the draft worth trading up for.
The Draft Network’s Justin Melo reported Utah’s Braeden Daniels met formally with the 49ers at the combine. Daniels is a fascinating potential selection for San Francisco if they want to move up in this year’s draft.
Versatility is one of the common threads with the offensive linemen the 49ers are meeting with before this year’s draft, and there aren’t many players with Daniels’ versatility.
During his career with the Utes he played in 49 games with 43 starts. That experience alone is intriguing. Consider though that he started 18 games at left guard, 14 at left tackle and 11 at right tackle, and suddenly his experience comes with important context.
The 49ers don’t have to guess on whether Daniels can play multiple spots. His experience at both tackle spots and left guard indicate he could make a pretty easy move to right guard too if needed.
His size at 6-4, 294 pounds he profiles more as an interior lineman, but athletically he can play anywhere. Per Pro Football Focus, Daniels allowed 58 pressures and five sacks on 1,463 pass blocking snaps. He also graded out as an elite run blocker in 2020 and 2021 before falling back to the average range in 2022.
Daniels is the type of player who can push potentially any of the 49ers’ starters outside of Trent Williams or Jake Brendel. Without a ton of certainty along the line, having a player who can compete at right tackle or either guard spot would make Daniels a worthwhile add via trade up since he won’t likely fall to the late third round.
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