The NFL Draft season is officially here, and while we all wait to see who will host the Lombardi Trophy next weekend, we get to spend this week up until Saturday, January 27th, intensely gazing upon potential future 49ers performing in the premier collegiate all-star game, the Senior Bowl. Let’s take a look back at current 49ers who have graced the field of the Senior Bowl.
Elvis Dumervil, DE - 2006
Joe Staley, OT - 2007
Zane Beadles, OG - 2010
Kyle Juszczyk, FB - 2013
Marquise Goodwin, WR - 2013
Jimmie Ward, DB - 2014
Dontae Johnson, CB - 2014
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB - 2014
Trent Brown, OT - 2015
Jaquiski Tartt, S - 2015
Laken Tomlinson, OG - 2015
Aaron Burbridge, WR - 2016
Josh Garnett, OG - 2016
Sheldon Day, DT - 2016
C.J. Beathard, QB - 2017
Trent Taylor, WR - 2017
The Senior Bowl is a scouting haven where NFL talent evaluators, draft analysts, and couch GM’s decipher the best of the best senior prospects in this years’ class. For those selected few seniors, it’s their last chance to play collegiate football competitively against quality talent, where iron sharpens iron in hopes of increasing a players’ draft stock or create a memorable and lasting blip on an NFL teams’ radar.
The week of practice leading up to the Senior Bowl is imperative for all prospects involved, since it allows NFL GMs and scouts the opportunity to evaluate players during team practices and in one-on-one competitions. Moreover, it shows scouts and coaches how quickly a player is able to pick up the offense/defense hopefully displaying their capacity to improve throughout the week.
Today, we take a look at few standout players on the offensive side of the ball from the South squad, specifically players who could fit with the 49ers.
James Washington - WR
James Washington, No. 28 - Oklahoma State
Height: 5107 | Weight: 210 | Age: 21
Arm: 33 7/8” | Hand: 9 5/8”
40 time: 4.45
Washington’s 2017 season stats: 74 receptions for 1,549 yards averaging 20.9 yards per reception with 13 touchdowns.
James Washington entered the 2017 college football season as the top ranked senior wide receiver prospect of the class. After seriously considering entering the 2017 NFL Draft, Washington returned to Oklahoma to build upon his impressive resume. The former high school basketball and tennis star, as well as the Winner of the Biletnikoff Award (nation’s top receiver), lead all FBS players with 1,549 receiving yards and 119.2 receiving yards per game.
Washington is a smooth dynamic playmaker on the field with a great ability to utilize suddenness, excellent technique (nice hands and feet) to break in and out of his cuts and separate from defenders. Has the desired speed to take the top off coverages eating ground extremely fast. Displays solid size and strength counteracting at the line of scrimmage when pressed. Possesses excellent ball skills and eye-hand coordination with reliable soft hands consistently making impressive catches all over the field. Shows a great ability to take a short pass and create big yards after the catch and being a constant threat to hit the home run with excellent speed. Strong work ethic and plays with tremendous toughness.
Measuring a little over 5-foot-10-inches, Washington’s size is not ideal, but in Kyle Shanahan’s offense size is not necessarily a requirement. Speed, toughness, and reliability are key, and above all, the ability to separate and move the chains. Washington displays all those requirements in spades and would be an ideal fit for the 49ers.
Round Projection: 2nd
D.J. Chark - WR
D.J. Chark, No. 7 - LSU
Height: 6025 | Weight: 196 | Age: 21
Arms: 33” | Hands: 9 1/4”
40 time: 4.39
Chark’s 2017 season stats: 40 receptions for 874 yards averaging 21.9 yards per reception with 3 touchdowns. 12 rushing attempts for 63 yards averaging 5.3 yards per rush with 1 touchdown. 18 punt returns for 190 yards averaging 10.6 yards per return with 2 touchdowns.
As one of the top deep threats in college football, D.J. Chark is a large target big-play lanky receiver showcasing elite speed, nice body control, great ball skills, impressive leaping ability, strong hands, and the over the shoulder tracking awareness to be a dynamic vertical threat downfield. He displays amazing burst off the line of scrimmage and has the quick-twitch quickness and impressive speed to blow past defenders and quickly get on top of them in a hurry, as well as a keen ability to sell deep routes.
Chark shows grit attacking balls in the middle of the field and shows the capability to take a short pass and turn it into a big gain. Shows flashes to elevate and climb the ladder at its highest point to make the grab with strong hands. He utilizes his impressive speed and athleticism to separate from defenders and is a work in progress as a route runner, but showcases nice suddenness to break in and out of cuts creating separation with the ability to turn on burners and explode and separate. Brings added value in the return game.
Chark will need to gain functional strength at the next level to counteract at the line of scrimmage when pressed, but he does possess elite speed and toughness that fits in the Shannon system. His height at a little over 6-foot-2-inches tall is also an added benefit.
Round Projection: 3rd
Isaiah Wynn - OG
Isaiah Wynn, No. 77 - Georgia
Height: 6024 | Weight: 308 | Age: 22
Arms: 33 1/8” | Hand: 8 1/2”
40 time: 5.06
Although Isaiah Wynn lacks the ideal measurables at a shade over 6-foot-2-inches and 33 1/8-inch arms, he is a prospect that should not be underestimated. With the versatility to play both tackle and guard positions, Wynn is an ideal athletically gifted guard prospect with excellent explosion, strength, and quickness.
Wynn displays fluid and light quick feet, impressive explosion and excels pulling and reaching the second level quickly. He showcases excellent lateral agility adjusting to movement and mirroring well in pass protection maintaining superb balance (rarely off his feet). Wynn has a nice pop at the point of attack with violent hands, and also displays the athletic ability to swing his hips blocking in space when reaching the second level and/or pulling effectively creating clear lanes.
Wynn has a slender lower half (will need to improve functional strength), but his explosion and impressive athleticism allows him to move swiftly with fluidity, and the mindset to win with technique and leverage. A zone blocking prospect at the next level that would be an ideal fit for the 49ers.
Round Projection: 3rd
Austin Corbett – C/OG
Austin Corbett, No. 73 - Nevada
Height: 6041 | Weight: 310
Arms: 33 3/8” | Hands: 10 5/8”
40 time: 5.15
Austin Corbett is another offensive linemen prospect with tremendous versatility. An offensive tackle at Nevada, Corbett has shown the ability at the Senior Bowl to play all offensive linemen positions extremely well. Ideally a guard at the next level, Corbett is a highly technically sound prospect that provides the utility style versatility and reliability (played more than 600 snaps in college) that would benefit the 49ers.
Corbett is a smart hard-nosed physical player with tremendous strength. The former high school football, basketball, wrestling, and track and field star is a strong broad-shouldered prospect with a tenacious competitive playing style and nice body control (great knee bend), balance, and toughness finishing blocks all the way to the whistle. Although a bit stiff, he displays solid athletic ability to adjust in in pass protection sliding laterally adjusting to movement staying square while mirroring (great awareness). Corbett has good technique in his hands and has fluid feet working extremely well in concert with his upper body driving defenders off the ball.
Round Projection: 3rd
Rashaad Penny - RB
Rashaad Penny, No. 20 - San Diego State
Height: 5110 | Weight: 224 | Age: 21 (2/2/1996)
Arm: 31 1/2” | Hand: 9 1/8”
40 time: 4.52
Penny’s 2017 season stats: attempted 289 rushes for 2,248 yards averaging 7.8 yards per carry with 23 touchdowns. 19 receptions for 135 yards averaging 7.1 yards per reception and 2 touchdowns. 17 kick returns for 521 yards averaging 30.6 yards per return and 2 touchdowns. 2 punt returns for 70 yards averaging 35 yards per return and 1 touchdown.
Rashaad Penny has impressively come out of the shadow of former explosive Aztecs - current Philadelphia Eagles - running back Donnel Pumphrey. With the keys to the backfield firmly in hand, Penny has shown to be an explosive and powerful runner showcasing great speed, short area quickness, vision, body control, and nice balance leaning forward gaining positive yards (needs better pad level consistency). He excels running between the tackles, but also possesses the speed and quickness turning the corner on the outside. He is adept showcasing his decisiveness to cut and turn up the field with impressive foot quickness accelerating through his cuts displaying amazing stop and go suddenness in traffic blazing to top speed quickly separating from defenders.
Penny offers the versatility as a receiver out of the backfield and spilt out wide with natural hands and flexible body control. He is a versatile athlete easily capable of running inside and outside succeeding in both zone and gap schemes, as well as being a dynamic threat in the return game (7 career KR touchdowns and 1 PR touchdown). If Carlos Hyde leaves in free agency, Penny would be an ideal, and better fit, candidate as a bigger back that can one cut and explode in Shanahan’s system.
Round Projection: 2nd
J’Mon Moore - WR
J’Mon Moore, No. 16 - Missouri
Height: 6025 | Weight: 209
Arm: 33 1/2” | Hand: 9 1/4”
40 time: 4.54
Moore’s 2017 season stats: 65 receptions for 1,082 yards averaging 16.6 yards per reception with 10 touchdowns.
J’Mon Moore is an explosive deep threat receiver with deceptive speed and a smoothness to his game. He possesses a lanky frame, a good ability to break in and out of his cuts with great suddenness gaining enough burst separating from defenders. Running a limited route tree at Missouri, Moore will need to further develop technique and expand NFL concepts. He displays the ability to extend his arms with decent hands, but also makes plenty of body catches. He showcases good body control and tracking awareness with the speed to run under the ball smoothly. He also displays the ability to take a short pass and run after the catch with a big gain.
Moore has great size and will need to improve on functional strength counteracting when pressed at the next level. He displays an eagerness in the blocking game, but it is an area in need of improvement. He shows the ability/flashes to run crisp routes gaining separation, so the ability to show the capacity to improve his game with consistency would bode well in a 49ers offense. His size and speed are definitely desirable.
Round Projection: 4th-5th
Colby Gossett - OG
Colby Gossett, No. 70 - Appalachian State
Height: 6046 | Weight: 304 | Age: 22
Arm: 33 1/4” | Hand: 10”
40 time: 5.43
Colby Gossett is an athletic quick footed guard prospect showcasing impressive fluid lateral movement and explosion to reach the second level promptly. Adept in a zone blocking scheme, Gossett displays the ideal frame, length, and movement speed using angles well (shows great hip flexibility) finishing blocks all the way to the whistle. He shows impressive lateral agility adjusting to movement and using his hands to stifle and steer defenders. He flashes a good anchor, but has a tendency to lose on leverage with high pad level and will need to improve technique as well as functional strength at the next level. A very smooth athlete with the versatility to play the tackle position.
Gossett is a technically sound prospect with tremendous upside and is a scheme fit in Shannon’s system that could be a Day 3 gem.
Round Projection: 5th-6th
Mike White - QB
Mike White, No. 14 - Western Kentucky
Height: 6041 | Weight: 221
Arm: 32 5/8” | Hand: 9 3/8”
40 time: 4.87
White’s 2017 season stats: completed 368-of-560 passes (65.7%) for 4,177 yards with 26 passing touchdowns and 8 interceptions for a 140.8 passing efficiency rating.
Mike White has the prototypical NFL build standing 6-foot-4-inches tall and weighing 221 pounds. White stands tall and is extremely poised in the pocket displaying good movement with an excellent ability to navigate and move the pocket with his feet. He showcases a big arm capable of making throws in all three levels of the field, and shows impressive throws throwing off platform with accuracy. He has great arm strength and zip in tight windows and possesses solid touch, good ball placement (impressive deep ball), accuracy, and a decent job on anticipation throws. Operates exclusively in shotgun, so will need work from operating under center.
Although the 49ers have found their franchise quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo, adding additional talent at the position would benefit the entire room. White would provide an additional arm during camp an the opportunity to battle it out with C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullins heading into the 2018 season. Even though White does not come from a pro-style offense, he has some NFL traits that translate at the next level, specifically processing information efficiently scanning all the field, Tom Brady type movement sliding in the pocket, and the ability to manipulate defenders throwing off platform with accuracy.
Round Projection: 5th
Other South Offensive prospects of note:
QB Kyle Lauletta, No. 5, 6025 - 217 lbs., 4.86 40 - (6th) - Richmond
RB Ito Smith, No. 25, 5090 - 201 lbs., 4.50 40 - (6th-7th) - Southern Miss
TE Dallas Goedert, No. 86, 6044 - 260 lbs., 4.81 40 - (2nd) - South Dakota State
WR Bryon Pringle, No. 89, 6010 - 201 lbs., 4.45 40 - (5th) - Kansas State
OT Alex Cappa, No. 71, 6055 - 299 lbs., 5.27 40 - (4th-5th) - Humboldt State
OT Brandon Parker, No. , 6072 - 303 lbs., 5.07 40 - (4th) - North Carolina A&T
C Bradley Bozeman, No. 75, 6045 - 317 lbs., 5.56 40 - (6th) - Alabama
Player measurables courtesy of Senior Bowl. 40 times projected.