Jeff Chiu - AP Photo
Under the Lynch and Shanahan regime, the San Francisco 49ers have been to known to find some hidden gems late in the draft. Brock Purdy, George Kittle, and Dre Greenlaw to only name a few. In the 2024 NFL Draft, the 49ers have 7 dart throws on day 3. For a team that is known for hitting the bullseye on late picks, the odds of the 49ers finding a sleeper are substantial. The past couple years, the 49ers have drafted 4 prospects that they met with at the combine. Knowing that fact, while understanding the team’s needs, and their tendency to hit on late picks, let’s highlight a few standout sleeper draft prospects that the 49ers have been targeting. These are the day 3 prospects that the 49ers have met with at the combine that could be the next hidden gem:
Tommy Gilligan - USA Today Sports
Theo Johnson, Penn State
Tight End
Theo Johnson is an elite athlete with enough speed to stretch the field vertically and a large enough frame to box out any defender that attempts to cover him in the red zone. The Jimmy Graham clone is 6’6” and 260 pounds, ran a 4.57 40-yard dash, recorded a 39.5-inch vert, and his Relative Athletic Score is 9.92 which ranks 10th out of 1,197 Tight Ends from 1987-2024. But he is not just an impressive athlete, he has shown major production scoring 7 touchdowns in his last 8 games for the Nitty Lions. Theo can also block at a high end, with the size to put defenders in the grass and the movement ability to track down opponents in space. He does need to improve his explosiveness when getting out of his stance and throttling down when ending his curl and in-breaking routes, but those things can be mastered with coaching and time to develop. Johnson has proved that he has a nose for the endzone and is continuing to develop as both a receiving threat and a capable blocker. Currently, he is ranked as a fringe top-100 prospect that could go at the beginning of day 3. If he lands on the 49ers roster, he could be a high-end TE2 immediately which could add some complexity to the offense while being the perfect red zone target for Brock Purdy for years to come.
Jacob Kupferman - AP
Malik Mustapha, Wake Forest
Safety
Another athletic phenom that the 49ers have met with at the combine and should be keeping a close eye on is Malik Mustapha. His strengths are filling the running alley, hitting with tenacity, and causing ruckus around the line of scrimmage. Malik is a team captain who led the team in solo tackles and plays effortlessly at an extremely high speed. He has an aggressive playstyle, but while closing in on ball carriers he can occasionally over pursue, or he can get caught up in the box which leads to letting a few runs go wide. What sets Malik apart from other prospects are his ferocious hits and his raw athletic ability. When he seems out of place, he makes up for it with his pure speed and quick twitch reactions. When he arrives at the defender, he usually ends it with his pads, he’s a traditional thumper with center field speed. Malik’s Relative Athletic Score was a 9.38, which has him ranked as the 68th most athletic safety prospect out of 1,082 safeties since 1987. The only knock on his RAS score was his height, which he can easily make up for with his 42-inch vertical. This is a low-risk prospect who has a high-ceiling attitude. Surprisingly, NFL Draft Buzz has him ranked as the 13th safety in the draft and he’s projected to go in the 6th round. I envision the 49ers drafting Mustapha in the 5th and him seeing immediate playing time with the Hufanga injury. Maybe he’s even the next diamond in the rough the 49ers are so good at identifying.
Jeff Blake - USA Today Sports Kentucky
Andru Phillips, Kentucky
Cornerback
Andru Phillips is the closest thing you’re going to get as a Deommodore Lenoir replica in this draft. Both were 5’10”, ran a 4.48 40-yard dash, and weighed about 190 pounds coming out of college. Just like Lenoir, Phillips closes in on opponents relentlessly after the catch, showing off-man coverage potential as well as the skill to dissect the play and react with quickness while in zone coverage. During the Senior Bowl, Phillips showed improvements on his press-man coverage in which the scouts noted, as well as shutting down route-running demon Ladd McConkey in the one-on-one reps during practice. He has the versatility to play nickel or outside corner but excels inside, and he would fit the 49ers player type with his solid run support and aggressive pursuit. The Kentucky standout is the 16th ranked CB on NFL Draft Buzz and currently projected to go in the 4th round but Matt Barrows of The Athletic recently said he has a 3rd round grade on him. The 49ers have showed massive interest in Phillips, as they have met with him formally at the combine and recently Barrows reported that they will have him in for a top-30 visit. If the 49ers use a day 3 pick on Andru Phillips, expect him to push Ambry Thomas and Issac Yiadom for snaps. He has the potential to be the next breakout 49ers cornerback, and he could fit in a key role as both depth at nickel and getting playing time on special teams.
Will Shanahan and Lynch find another hidden gem on day 3? With 7 picks in rounds 4-7, the odds are in their favor to find an impact player late in the draft.
Who will they pick in the 1st round? I summarized my prediction in an article last week, you can find that here.
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