If Mason Graham were to fall to No. 11 in the NFL Draft, the 49ers won’t need to wrestle with their decision for very long.
That’s the view of Daniel Jeremiah, the lead draft analyst for NFL Network who spent nearly three hours Thursday fielding questions about the prospective Class of ’25 ranging from blue chip prospects to the more obscure third-day selections.
“If you are looking for someone who I think would be a home run pick for them, what’s the dream scenario?,” Jeremiah said. “To me, it would be if Mason Graham were to fall down to them where they could scoop him up and pick him up.”
Graham, a 6-foot-2, 323-pound defensive tackle from Michigan, is widely considered to be the top defensive tackle available when the draft begins on April 24 in Green Bay.
The NFL Scouting Combine gets underway Wednesday with 49ers general manager John Lynch leading a contingent of scouts and assistant coaches with coach Kyle Shanahan likely working from Santa Clara.
The 49ers have already determined they’re going to release Javon Hargrave, signed in the 2023 offseason but lost in Week 3 last season with a torn triceps. Hargrave helped the 49ers reach a Super Bowl, but the bottom line is the 49ers weren’t satisfied with what they got in free agency, opting to move on rather than get to Year 3 of a deal originally worth four years and $84 million.
Still under contract are Maliek Collins, Jordan Elliott and Evan Anderson. None managed create the kind of push or leverage that would enable the 49ers to stop the run or enhance their pass rush.
You could make the argument it’s been an area of need since DeForest Buckner was traded to Indianapolis in March of 2020 to make room for a contract extension for Arik Armstead and enable the 49ers to take Javon Kinlaw at No. 14 overall.
Armstead moved inside to help the 49ers rally to a 10-7 record and reach an NFC title game in 2021, but played only 21 games over the next two seasons. Kinlaw injured a knee early and never developed as hoped, with the 49ers declining a fifth-year option before last season.
Graham, in theory, would be a fire hydrant presence in the middle of the defense. One of the best heavyweight wrestlers in California at Servite High, Graham shines more on film than he will during the combine’s array of drills and tests of physicality. He was a unanimous Associated Press All-American each of the last two years and contribute to a national championship following the 2022 season.
“He’s got crazy elite balance, leverage and instincts,” Jeremiah said. “He’s never on the ground. He gets underneath guys. I had `block destruction’ written down so many times.”
Jeremiah said it’s not far-fetched to see the 49ers trading up a few spots to make sure they their defensive line anchor, although he doesn’t rule out getting lucky at No. 11.
Why? Because Graham may not appear as dominant in the “looks good getting off the bus” aspect that former Raiders owner Al Davis considered so vital.
“He’s going to have short arms,” Jeremiah said. “Body-type wise, he’s not going to be someone that’s going to stand up on a stage in a line full of defensive lineman and you’d say, `Oh, that looks like a Top 10 defensive lineman.’ He doesn’t cut that image.
“I have no clue how he’s going to run and jump and do all those things. And I do know some of the other guys are going to blow it out in those drills.”
Eleven years ago, a 6-foot-1, 290-pound tackle with a high school wrestling background out of Pittsburgh dropped to No. 13, where the then-St. Louis Rams were delighted to snatch him up. His name was Aaron Donald, who made 10 Pro Bowls, was named first-team All-Pro eight times and was twice the NFL Defensive Player of the Year before his retirement following the 2023 season.
On the flip side, during the 49ers’ first draft under Shanahan and Lynch, the 49ers used the No. 3 overall pick on Stanford’s Solomon Thomas, a solid player and an even better person who never approached his draft status. At 6-foot-3, 279 pounds, Thomas wasn’t overly imposing but impressed everyone with his attitude and technique.
Walter Nolen of Ole Miss gets in some work at Senior Bowl practice in late January in Mobile, Ala. A.P. Photo
Jeremiah wonders whether enough teams would be concerned about Graham’s physical traits to “overthink” drafting him in the same way 12 teams passed on Donald in 2014.
“We talk the football pants off, put the shorts on, maybe he would take on some water there,” Jeremiah said.
If not, Jeremiah considers Walter Nolen of Ole Miss, a 6-foot-3, 304-pound defensive tackle, an option if the 49ers were to trade back a few spots. CBS Sports mock draft had the 49ers taking Nolen at No. 11.
Regardless, Jeremiah is among many who believe the 49ers will be thinking about trench warfare on the offensive and defensive lines as opposed to more bells and whistles for Shanahan’s offense.
“Sometimes you’ve got to shop at the hardware store before the toy store,” Jeremiah said.
Campbell has his say
De’Vondre Campbell, the 49ers linebacker who was suspended for the final three games of the season after refusing to enter the game against the Rams on Dec. 12, directed a profane rant at his detractors on “X” that included the following:
“I’m rich and never have to work another day of my life and I told Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch that when they FaceTime me and begged me to come out there an hour after Green Bay cut me . . . I play because I want to.”
Campbell is an unrestricted free agent.
The Stafford buzz
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The Rams have been dodging the question about the status of quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is seeking a new contract with future guarantees. Stafford’s departure from the defending NFC West champions would be significant for the 49ers.
Jeremiah said heading into the combine Stafford’s situation will be something other teams are watching closely.
“I don’t know if there are a lot of legs to it, but it’s something that’s got a lot of coaches and G.M.’s intrigued,” Jeremiah said.
