It appears the San Francisco 49ers are just about wrapped up with their pre-draft workouts and visits, and the final few names are starting to leak out. NFL Network reporter Rand Getlin tweeted this morning that the team had either a workout or a hosted visit with Eastern Washington offensive lineman Clay DeBord. This is the first mention of DeBord in connection with the 49ers.
The FCS product did not plan on playing football after high school. At 6'5, 240 pounds, he planned on attending a trade school, and potentially becoming a welder. However, after his junior year, he attended an Eastern Washington football camp in the summer of 2010. He caught the eye of their offensive line coach and scored a late scholarship offer. He was an academic non-qualifier, so he had to redshirt his freshman year in 2011. According to that article, he started practicing with the team in August 2012, and by late August was the team's starting left tackle.
The only scouting report I could find was at NFL.com. They describe a guy who is intelligent and athletic, with solid agility and lateral maneuverability. His weaknesses are in his mechanics and footwork. They question his functional strength at this point.
FOXSports.com took a look at FCS players to keep an eye on in the upcoming draft. They had this to say about DeBord:
He started the 2015 season as a third-team STATS FCS All-American, which by most accounts is pretty good. That certainly wasn't good enough for DeBord, who finished his senior year as a first-team selection of STATS, The Associated Press, College Sporting News and, of course, the Big Sky Conference. Over his career at Eastern Washington, DeBord played in 52 games, starting a school-record 51, and finished his tenure with a performance in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. With enough size to compete in the NFL, DeBord was part of an offensive line for the Eagles that was coached by offensive coordinator Aaron Best and led the FCS in passing offense at 353.3 yards per game and ranked eighth in total offense. As FCS offensive tackles go, DeBord is the second-highest behind North Dakota State's Joe Haeg and Harvard's Cole Toner. There are plenty of studs ahead of him on the depth chart, so if he fails to get drafted in the late rounds, look for several teams to try to sign him as a free agent.