Mike Mayock is a huge fan of 49ers UDFA safety Lorenzo Jerome

The San Francisco 49ers have not formally announced their UDFA signings, but reports have them agreeing to terms with St. Francis (PA) safety Lorenzo Jerome. The FCS product did not perform well at the NFL Combine, putting up a 4.70 40 and a 7.63 three-cone drill. However, he made his bones at the NFLPA Bowl and Senior Bowl to become a priority free agent.

ESPN’s Todd McShay ranked him the best UDFA on the market when the draft ended. He said he was a smaller safety (5’10, 204) who, “is a better football player than athlete.” McShay said a strong Senior Bowl eased concerns about his college competition.

Over at NFL.com, Lance Zierlein had projected him as a fourth or fifth round pick prior to the draft. One AFC scout had this to say about Jerome:

He was easily the most instinctive safety at the Senior Bowl. He jumps everything, and I mean everything. I don't think he knows what NFL speed is going to look like so he could get himself in some trouble if he just wants to sit on everything. He has average athletic ability and average speed from what I can tell on tape. He's a good football player though.

He ended up going undrafted, but not without one last plug on day three. During the NFL Network broadcast, analyst Mike Mayock beat the drum hard for Jerome. He likes what he brings to the table, and had him as No. 100 on his list of 100 best players available. He acknowledged a lot of NFL people don’t think of him nearly as highly, but he made it clear Jerome was his guy. Here’s some video of his vocal endorsement.