49ers met with Washington TE Hunter Bryant via FaceTime on pre-draft visit

NBC Sports Matt Maiocco reported that the San Francisco 49ers have met with two Washington Huskies on pre-draft visits via FaceTime leading up to the draft. Tight end Hunter Bryant and running back Salvon Ahmed wee the prospects. There are a lot of Bryant fans in the draft community. The 6-foot-2, 248 pound tight end had 52 receptions for 825 yards and three touchdowns as a junior before leaving for the NFL Draft. I’ve seen mock drafts have Bryant in the early third-round range

Bryant didn’t wow at the combine. He was below average in every test save the 3-cone, which is arguably the most important athletic testing number out there given it is the most football related drill. Bryant ran a 4.74 40-yard dash and jumped 32.5” in the vertical, with a 4.46 20-yard shuttle. Here is how Sports Info Solutions rookie handbook described Bryant:

Bryant has the requisite blocking willingness, receiving traits, annd assignment executionn to be a solid player at the next level, but his electric top-end speed adds a mismatch wrinkle of which few others at his position compare.

Bryant projects as a low-end starting H-tight end only at the next level, ideally in a spread offense where he can work in space and be schemed to beneficial matchups. His limited experience coupled with his athleticism and raw talent suggest he has plenty of room to develop, and his willingness in the run game will allow him to stay on the field on early downs if utilized correctly.

If the 49ers trade back and acquire a third or fourth-round pick, would you be on board with drafting a tight end, regardless of what position has been addressed?

Ahmed ran a 4.62 40-yard dash, and wasn’t inn SIS’s top-25 running backs. Ahmed averaged 5.4 yards per carry and finished the season with 84 yards receiving. He also had five kick returns for Washington. Looking at the current running backs on the roster and reading up on him, Ahmed doesn’t seem like a Shanahan type of runner. Here are NFL Network’s weaknesses for Ahmed:

• Pitter-pat downhill approach allows defenders to gather
• Left tons of explosive plays on the field
• Doesn’t see it well enough between the tackles
• Runs with indecisiveness
• Stutter steps when the situation calls for one cut from outside zone
• Racks up the step meters
• Needs a clear point of entry
• Below-average second-level elusiveness
• Whiffs on bull rushes fill his pass protection tape

None of that bodes well in an outside zone scheme.