I, a 35-year-old man, have neglected my family and other responsibilities over the last few months to spend time with guys in college.
Few things in sports are as interesting or as engrossing to me as the NFL Draft, so night after night (starting well before the Niners’ run to the Super Bowl), I’ve popped on some college football and gone to work, evaluating the class of 2024.
Unlike past classes, it’s a great crop that proved well worth the time.
Now, I could give you all a list of every prospect, but there are enough of those lists. How about I send you the CliffNotes instead?
Here are my favorite prospects on offense for the 49ers in this upcoming draft, broken down into early (top 50), middle (top 150), and late picks:
Quarterback
Early: Michael Penix – Washington
The 49ers won’t take a quarterback early, but I’ll put my bet on Penix to be the best of the Day 1/Day 2 bunch. This early draft crop has 2021 redux written all over it.
Middle: Jordan Travis – Florida State
A program-changer with great feel and brilliant vision, I like Travis as much as any quarterback in this draft. He could be everything Trey Lance was not for the 49ers. Why not take him at 124 and bolster the quarterback room?
Late: Austin Reed – Western Kentucky
The Niners should add a camp arm this week, and this guy absolutely rips it. He sees the field well and delivers the ball from all bases with complete conviction. He’s worth a shot — though he might break a receiver’s finger at minicamp.
Running Back
Early: Trey Benson – Florida State
The Niners won’t be taking a running back early. Kyle Shanahan should be scarred for life. But Benson represents the ideal outside zone back. One cut and go with home-run speed and a bit of power to boot — he’s a joy to watch.
Middle: Tyrone Tracy Jr. – Purdue
There is only one Deebo Samuel, and the Niners have faced that problem a few times in recent years — their offense struggles when Samuel isn’t on the field. Tracy represents a viable backup for the “wideback”. Outstanding and a scheme fit as both a receiver and a running back, Tracy is a yards-after-catch machine who needs to find himself in a more creative offensive system than what he ran in West Lafayette.
Late: Kimani Vidal – Troy
Five-foot-seven and 213 pounds, Vidal is a bowling ball. He also has crazy speed with a 4.46 40-yard dash with a 1.56-second speed. Basic physics can tell you why that works. Vidal was a workhorse at Troy who made Sun Belt competition (don’t sleep on it) look inadequate, as he broke 94 tackles his senior year. And he carries my favorite stat of this draft: He carried the ball 781 times in college (including 297 times last season) and he didn’t fumble the ball once. Vidal is my favorite prospect in this draft and a perfect Elijah Mitchell replacement.
Wide Receiver
Early: Ricky Pearsall – Florida
He’s the prospect I couldn’t stop thinking about during the draft process. Nothing about Slick Rick stands out. He’s average in nearly every measurement. But here’s the thing: He caught everything. He’s a student of the craft, he’s committed to all facets of the game, and he has a temperament that you need to be successful but cannot teach. Plus, his gloves are clearly covered in superglue. While he was primarily a slot guy at UF, I think the Niners’ tight splits could make him Brock Purdy’s favorite target in short order. Wherever he goes, I’m convinced he’ll be an impact player.
Middle: Javon Baker – UCF
With a catch radius that is second-to-none in this class and herky-jerk movements that make him a bear to cover, Baker provides first-round upside from what is likely a Day 3 pick.
Late: Ainias Smith – Texas A&M
Smith is an incredible open-field runner whose ability in the return game will pay immediate dividends, especially with the new rule changes on kickoffs. You can also line him up in the backfield or tight to the line. He needs to be schemed open (Shanahan’s specialty), but find a way to get him the ball in just a bit of space and he’ll do the rest. It took two, often three guys to take him down in the SEC. I’d imagine the same truth applies in the NFL.
Tight End
Early: Cade Stover – Ohio State
The Niners have struggled for competence behind George Kittle for years and cannot afford another miss at this position. Stover, meanwhile, is competent to above average at everything. Sometimes, the draft is hard. This isn’t. Just take Stover.
Middle: Tip Reiman – Illinois
Hidden by an offense that used him more as a blocker than a receiver (remind you of any other former Big Ten tight ends?), Reiman is an athletic stud whose size (6-foot-4, 270 pounds) makes him a perfect blocking TE2 with serious TE1 upside once he’s in a real offense.
Late: Thomas Yassmin – Utah
The Aussie was one of the most fun prospects to watch, as his rugby background was undeniable on film. New to the game, injuries prevented him from breaking out last season, but when he did catch the ball, he showed incredible fluidity for a big man (6-foot-4, 245 pounds) with Pac-12 defenders looking like toddlers trying to tackle him. He’s a mean blocker who looks natural running with the ball in his hands. A marginal investment could produce massive upside.
Offensive Tackle
Early: Amarius Mims – Georgia
Picking a realistic option for the 49ers, Mims represents the highest-ceiling prospect the Niners could reasonably land at No. 31. Mims’ name had been discussed earlier in the first round, but there’s been a cooling effect in recent weeks, making it an outside possibility — but a possibility nevertheless — he falls to San Francisco. At 6-foot-7 and 340 pounds and having run a 5.07 40-yard dash, Mims has the physical potential to be unbeatable, if not downright unfair. Mims issue is that he’s raw. But post-Halloween, I can foresee him being capable of pass protection at right tackle, with an eye on being Trent Williams’ replacement at left tackle in the not-too-distant future.
Honorable mention: Kingsley Suamataia – BYU
He has the second-highest ceiling of any prospect in the Niners’ range, and starts at an equal point of rawness to Mims. He’d be a reasonable pick at No. 31.
Middle: Javon Foster – Missouri
At the very least, you’re drafting a tackle who can anchor himself to the ground and stop a power rush. There are worse levels of baseline competence. Foster doesn’t look physically imposing, but he got the job done repeatedly at Mizzou, leaning on his strengths — his strength and tactician’s hands — to be first-team All-SEC last season.
Late: Frank Crum – Wyoming
This is a bet on physical talent and temperament. Crum has no idea what he’s doing on the field, but he is hellbent on hitting someone in the face — hard. He can do that at a high level at 6-foot-8 and 313 pounds with a sub-5-second 40-yard dash. Teach him how to harness that rage, and he could be special.
Interior offenisve line
Early: Cooper Beebe – Kansas State
A two-time All-American (consensus in 2023), Beebe doesn’t have the measurable and he shows some warts on tape, but Kansas State’s entire offense was built around him — they threw to his side and certainly ran it his direction. He’s a scrapper, a fighter, and allowed one sack in his final three years of college, playing both guard and tackle.
Middle: Zak Zinter – Michigan
My favorite guard in this draft, Zinter is only in this range because of a horrible injury (broken tibia and fibula in left leg against Ohio State). A three-time All-Big Ten player, Zinter won rep after rep in college and was the best lineman on the best offensive line in college football. If he were healthy, he’d be a borderline first-round selection. To land him on Day 2 (or 3) could be a coup.
Late: Dylan McMahon – NC State
I have no idea what I’m missing with McMahon, who strikes me as a top center in this draft and a viable Day 2 pick. His movement is off the charts (7.26 three-cone) and it translates on the tape. He was also a high-school wrestler (a must for any center on my board) who understands angles of attack. Paired, it makes him a perfect fit for Shanahan’s system. To land him on Day 3 (possibly late) is absurd, but take the wins where you can get them.