Tag: 49ers

USC’s Jarrett Kingston surprisingly picked No. 215 by 49ers in NFL draft

Jarrett Kingston did not have a great 2023 season, but the 49ers saw something in him.

No one saw this one coming. USC offensive lineman Jarrett Kingston, who had a difficult 2023 season with the Trojans after transferring in from Washington State, was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the No. 215 pick in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft on Saturday afternoon.

Kingston was part of an underachieving offensive line in 2023. That USC line caused Caleb Williams to scramble and improvise and make a lot of plays on his own. Caleb had to fend for himself far too often, lacking the structure and comfort he had in 2022 behind a much better offensive line which included Andrew Vorhees, Brett Neilon, and Bobby Haskins. Maybe some NFL analysts felt Kingston could sneak into the back end of the draft, but the idea that he would be drafted was hardly unanimous. What makes the selection extra surprising is that Kingston went off the NFL draft board before USC teammates Brenden Rice and Tahj Washington, two guys who both had much better 2023 seasons than Kingston and who seem to offer much more NFL upside than Kingston.

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49ers add to OL, select USC G Jarrett Kingston in 6th round

The pick is in! It’s USC OL Jarrett Kingston to the #49ers with the 215th pick.

The 49ers made another addition to their offensive line late in this year’s draft. With the 215th overall pick San Francisco selected USC guard Jarrett Kingston.

Kingston played a lot of football across his six-year college career. He began his college time with Washington State where he played in 37 games with 26 starts. In his lone year with the Trojans after transferring he started 11 of the 12 games he played.

Impressively, Kingston started at four of the five spots on the offensive line. He started 16 games at left guard, 10 at left tackle, six at right guard and five at right tackle. Given his 6-4, 308-pound frame and relatively short arms (just over 32 inches) he’ll probably wind up sticking as a guard in the NFL.

He’s a good athlete with plenty of experience. His NFL future will rely on him settling at a position and honing his skill set there.

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WATCH: 49ers 4th-round draft pick Jacob Cowing college highlights

Jacob Cowing highlights? Jacob Cowing highlights. Check out the #49ers 4th-round pick at WR:

The 49ers’ quest to revamp their receiving corps started with their first-round pick in this year’s draft. It continued at the end of Round 4 when they took Arizona wide receiver Jacob Cowing No. 135 overall.

Cowing didn’t measure in with great size at the combine where he came in at 5-8, 168 pounds. While that size may be a bit of an issue that limits him to working out of the slot in the NFL, he has plenty of athleticism to make a living playing from that spot.

At the combine Cowing clocked a 4.38 40-yard dash so he has the speed to take the top off a defense, but he’s not just a speed merchant. He works a lot in the short areas of the passing game where his ability to create separation makes him a potential go-to target on third downs and in the red zone for San Francisco.

Check out these highlight clips:

 

 

 

 

WATCH: 49ers 4th-round draft pick Isaac Guerendo makes tackle breaking look easy

49ers 4th-round RB Isaac Guerendo can MOVE. Check out these highlight clips:

Adding running back depth was such a priority for the 49ers in this year’s draft that they traded two fifth-round picks to slide up to No. 129 in the fourth round to take Louisville RB Isaac Guerendo.

The raw numbers for Guerendo aren’t super impressive. He rushed for 1,392 yards and 17 touchdowns on 231 college carries. He added 358 receiving yards and one touchdown on 42 catches.

Watching him tells a much different story than the numbers though, and it’s clear from his one season at Lousiville that his lack of statistical production hard more to do with injury problems during his time at Wisconsin than his overall talent.

Check out these highlights of the 49ers’ newest RB:

 

 

 

 

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WATCH: 49ers 4th-round draft pick Malik Mustapha brings the thump in college highlights

Check out these highlight clips of #49ers 4th-round pick S Malik Mustapha:

The 49ers made Wake Forest safety Malik Mustapha the 124th overall pick in the 2024 draft. He may not start on Day 1, but there should be a long-term role available for him beyond the 2024 season.

Watching highlights of Mustapha makes it clear why San Francisco loves his upside. There won’t be a ton of electric athletic flashes, but he is an outstanding, instinctual football player who is able to constantly be around the football despite not having the elite speed traits teams may typically look for at safety.

Mustapha has enough athleticism to cover tight ends and wide receivers in short areas, but his calling card is the thump he brings as a tackler, and that shows up constantly in his highlight reels:

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Instant analysis: Is there room on 49ers roster for WR Jacob Cowing?

Can 4th-round pick WR Jacob Cowing carve out playing time in a crowded 49ers WR corps?

The 49ers have created a logjam at wide receiver. That position group was already crowded by San Francisco’s selection of Florida WR Ricky Pearsall in Round 1, and it got more crowded at the end of Round 4 when they picked Arizona WR Jacob Cowing with the 135th overall selection.

Cowing will have a chance to compete for a roster spot. He’s undersized at 5-8, 168 pounds, but he has a versatile enough skill set that he should push for snaps as a slot option. In college he has some flashes as a deep threat, but he did a lot of work on routes in the short area of the passing game where he hauled in 39 of 51 targets for 357 yards and six touchdowns.

Gaining separation on short throws is something the 49ers’ wide receiver room lacks, so that’s where Cowing could make his mark as a rookie.

The snaps won’t be easy to come by though with Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel atop the depth chart, and Jauan Jennings and Pearsall likely working as the third and fourth options. Veteran Chris Conley is back in the mix, as are 2022 third-round pick Danny Gray and 2023 seventh-round pick Ronnie Bell. The 49ers also brought back Trent Taylor who will likely be a return specialist if he makes the team.

With question marks beyond 2024 there could be a heavier snap load available in the near future, but there are a lot of players vying for one or two roster spots this year. Cowing will need to have an outstanding camp to prove he can hold down offensive snaps and contribute on special teams if he wants to have some kind of role as a rookie.

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Instant analysis: Will 4th-round pick RB Isaac Guerendo play right away for 49ers?

Can 49ers 4th-round RB Isaac Guerendo break a troubling NFL draft trend for San Francisco?

49ers fans may be holding their collective breath after the team traded up to select running back Isaac Guerendo in the fourth round of this year’s draft. San Francisco ditched a pair of fifth-round picks to jump up to 129th overall pick where they snagged the super-athletic Louisville product.

Running backs taken before Round 6 haven’t had much success in the Kyle Shanahan era. Joe Williams, Trey Sermon and Ty Davis-Price were all selected in Round 3 or 4 and all three flamed out before getting a real shot at playing for the club.

Guerendo could certainly change that though.

He wasn’t a star in college, playing 27 games without a start in five seasons with Wisconsin before transferring to Louisville. With the Badgers he had 99 carries for 582 yards and six touchdowns. Injuries limited him a lot in those seasons. He dealt with two hamstring injuries and a foot injury that lost him for 23 games in three years.

The Cardinals utilized him more though as he got healthy, but he still started only one of the 13 games he played for them. Last season he posted 132 carries, 810 yards and 11 touchdowns while hauling in 22 catches for 234 yards.

His athleticism is evident in the way he moves through and around contact, but he still has plenty of speed to hit home runs.

There’ll be stiff competition for snaps behind Christian McCaffrey with Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason both in the mix. Availability has been an issue for Mitchell though and Mason hasn’t been able to consistently get on the field for offensive snaps. If Guerendo can reliably pass block and catch passes he could push for snaps as a secondary or tertiary option right away,  and he could shoot up the depth chart in future years with Mitchell and Mason both heading for free agency next offseason.

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Instant analysis: Why 49ers added S Malik Mustapha in Round 4 of NFL draft

Why’d the #49ers draft a safety? Because getting cheaper at that position may be key over the next couple years:

The 49ers brought in more safety help with the 124th overall pick in this year’s draft by taking Wake Forest safety Malik Mustapha. That selection illustrates what changes are likely coming in San Francisco’s secondary.

Mustapha plays an instinctive, hard-hitting style that should fit nicely long-term alongside 2023 third-round pick Ji’Ayir Brown. With cap space likely to be tight for awhile, the chances the 49ers are able to sign former All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga this offseason could dwindle if he bounces back strong from a torn ACL.

There could be a bag waiting for Hufanga in unrestricted free agency that prices him out of what the 49ers can afford. Having young, cost-controlled starting safeties will be key to solidifying the back end of their defense.

If Mustapha brings the physicality he played with in college he should quickly find a home in San Francisco.

The snaps won’t be there right away though. The 49ers are anticipating Hufanga will be back from his torn ACL during training camp, and the other starting job is carved out for Brown. Contributions from the fourth-round safety may be limited to special teams this year, but he has plenty of experience there so he should be able to help on those coverage teams while the team grooms him as their starting strong safety of the future.

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49ers add secondary help, select Wake Forest S Malik Mustapha with 124th overall pick

The pick is in! It’s a hard-hitting safety for the 49ers at No. 124 overall.

The 49ers added more help to their secondary with their first pick in the fourth round of this year’s draft. At pick No. 124 they took Wake Forest safety Malik Mustapha. The 49ers acquired this selection in the trade that sent quarterback Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys.

Mustapha is in a similar mold to 49ers second-round pick Renardo Green in that he doesn’t bring ideal measurables, but he plays extremely hard and brings a ton of physicality at safety.

He began his college career at the University of Richmond, but transferred to Wake Forest after one year. In three years at Wake Forest Mustapha played in 35 games with 23 starts. He posted 175 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, four forced fumbles, 10 pass breakups and three interceptions with the Demon Deacons.

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Updated 49ers Day 3 draft picks after pair of Day 2 trades

Here’s an updated list of the #49ers Day 3 draft picks after a couple of Day 2 trades:

The 49ers got active on Day 2 of the NFL draft with one trade in each round.

In the second round San Francisco slid down one spot in a swap with the Chiefs that also included a swap of Day 3 picks. Then in the third round the 49ers got aggressive and traded up to No. 86 in a deal with the Eagles that included the 49ers’ third-round pick and a fourth-round choice.

After the dust settled, here’s where San Francisco stands with its picks heading into Day 3, which features Rounds 4-7:

Round 1, Pick 31: WR Ricky Pearsall, Florida
Round 2, Pick 64: CB Renardo Green, Florida State
Round 3, Pick 86: OL Dominick Puni, Kansas
Round 4, Pick 124 (via DAL)
Round 4, Pick 135
Round 5, Pick 173 (via KC)
Round 5, Pick 176 (Compensatory)
Round 6, Pick 215 (Compensatory)
Round 7, Pick 251 (Compensatory)

The 49ers have checked their major needs in the draft with some offensive line help, secondary help and wide receiver depth. There’s still plenty of work to do at running back, tight end and on the defensive line. More offensive line help wouldn’t hurt either.

Day 3 of the draft should be fun for the 49ers. They hold six picks, but it’s hard to imagine they use them all so some more trades could be in the works.

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