San Francisco 49ers address depth concerns on both sides of the ball at the NFL draft
After making a splash with quarterback Trey Lance on in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch on Friday’s Day 2 were focused on adding depth and replenishing areas of the roster that needed some TLC.
San Francisco on Friday drafted three players at positions the team didn’t address a year ago during the 2020 draft — and it took some maneuvering. The positions: guard, running back and cornerback.
“I really feel like we got better today and I think we moved well,” Lynch said. “We worked as a unit well up there to encourage each other to be patient. And it was a really good day for the Niners.”
The day started with a trade back five spots from pick No. 43 to No. 48 in a move with the Las Vegas Raiders to acquire an extra fourth-round pick. The pick was used on Notre Dame’s mauling guard Aaron Banks, who is expected to compete for the starting right guard spot come training camp to allow Daniel Brunskill to serve as a potential backup to all five spots along the offensive line. Lynch said Banks was the target at 43, but he was still able to move back five spots and get him.
The 49ers later used their fourth-round pick received in the trade back to move up for Ohio State’s talented running back Trey Sermon — joining Lance as the second player named Trey in the team’s draft class — to provide physical punch to a position that was battered with ankle injuries in 2020. The 49ers hadn’t drafted a running back since Joe Williams in the fourth round of the 2017 draft.
The day ended with a compensatory pick late in Round 3, No. 102 overall, to take Michigan cornerback Ambry Thomas, filling a void opened by the departure of Ahkello Witherspoon and Richard Sherman, whose remains an unsigned free agent.
Adding to the 49ers offense
On Banks, the 49ers haven’t drafted a true guard since Shanahan and Lynch took over in 2017, though they tapped tackles Justin Skule and Colton McKivitz in the sixth round of 2019 and fifth round in 2020, respectively. Both have seen time at guard while also adding depth outside behind Trent Williams and Mike McGlinchey.
Banks (6-5, 325) is a physical guard believed to be better utilized in a power-based rushing attack, not necessarily an outside-zone scheme that Shanahan typically employs. Shanahan’s guards have often been lighter with the athleticism of tackles to make blocks on the move in space. Banks is considered more of a traditional downhill blocker, though Shanahan didn’t believe there would be an issues with his fit.
“People talk about us always wanting small guys, but that’s not the case,” Shanahan said. “You’ve got to have certain guys to run a certain type of scheme that can move well.
“Just usually it’s hard to get those guys because they go pretty early and we just haven’t been in a situation where we can take a guy like that. And to be there in the second round and for him to fall to us where we were picking, we felt he was the mover that we wanted. The size and everything was even, much more of a bonus and it’s not just the size, but it’s the way he plays. That’s what I liked the most, his physicality, his demeanor, kind of his mindset with how he carries himself.”
The 49ers have Banks’ former teammate for one season, Mike McGlinchey, at right tackle, who apparently made a strong push for the player that redshirted during McGlinchey’s final season with the Irish. Banks in college replaced another first-round pick, Quenton Nelson, and went on to start 31 straight games, offering the 49ers durability after playing four different right guards in 2020 due to injuries and a lack of production. Shanahan is hoping Banks can solidify the position for the foreseeable future.
New 49ers running back
Sermon’s highlight of 2020 was rushing for 331 yards in Ohio State’s victory over Northwestern in the Big Ten championship game. He spent his first three seasons at Oklahoma before transferring to the Buckeyes, where he averaged 7.5 yards over 116 carries in eight games.
Sermon doesn’t have elite speed (he ran a 4.59 at his pro day), but makes up for it with a physical and dynamic running style. He’s a one-cut runner Shanahan believes is a good fit for his outside zone scheme. Sermon’s expected to compete for playing time with Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr. and recent free agent addition Wayne Gallman.
Mostert and Wilson both missed time last season with high ankle sprains and the 49ers lost Jerick McKinnon (Chiefs) and Tevin Coleman (Jets) in free agency, making running back a sneaky need heading into the draft.
“I look at it as you’re just trying to find NFL backs that you always feel you have guys who have the ability to be a starter. We’ve never looked for a one back, a two back, a three back, a four back. We always look for guys that we think can play as a starter, whether they are or not.”
Sermon said he’s been in close contact with position coach Bobby Turner, who takes a leading role in identifying running backs during each year’s draft.
“Throughout my process, he’s probably the coach that I talked to the most,” Sermon said. “So, over time I was able to just get real familiar with him and just build a great relationship.”
Regarding his speed, Sermon said anyone who questions it should watch his game film. Lynch said Sermon’s explosiveness makes up for his lack of breakaway speed. Sermon had a 1.49-second 10-yard split (94th percentile) and 37-inch vertical jump (80th percentile) and 125-inch broad jump (88th percentile).
“So you see that burst, you see that ability to stick his foot in the ground, break tackles and hit it in a hurry,” Lynch said. “And then he’s very adept at making the free safety, the second-level defender miss and he’s really good out of the backfield in the pass game as well. I think he’s a good fit for what we do.”
Shoring up the secondary
Finally, the 49ers used a compensatory pick, No. 102, on Thomas (6-0, 191), the cornerback who opted out of last season due to the pandemic. He was a one-year starter in 2019 and allowed a completion rate when targeted of just over 56%. He ran a 4.40 in the 40 at his pro day with a 38-inch vertical jump. Thomas has long, 32 1/4-inch arms and is believed to be able to play both outside and inside.
Lynch said Thomas was a late riser during the evaluation process who became a favorite of assistant GM Adam Peters.
“Ambry is a kid that we were able to talk as the process went deep and we started to really have a liking for him,” Lynch said. “I think his greatest asset is poise at the moment of truth. When that ball’s in the air, he has an ability to locate it. Which is not as easy to find as you might think for DBs.”
The 49ers are slated to have four more picks Saturday. They don’t have any during Round 4 after their movement Friday.
Saturday picks
Round 5, No. 155
Round 5, No. 172
Round 5, No. 180
Round 6, No. 194
