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The Athletic’s Arif Hasan writes about the Minnesota Vikings and does thorough work. We ate lunch together at Levi’s Stadium in January before the San Francisco 49ers beat upon his time. Arif knew what was coming, so it wasn’t even enjoyable trash-talking him. All that is to say, Arif isn’t one of those “homer” writers, so I value the information he puts out. He put together a consensus draft board before the NFL Draft, and was able to piece together the top UDFA classes by team as well as the top individual UDFA’s:
Top UDFA classes and the top 25 UDFAs by consensus board rank
— Arif Hasan, but inside (@ArifHasanNFL) April 30, 2020
(value number is arbitrary but useful in this case to demonstrate scale) pic.twitter.com/J22eNWHnxe
The 49ers are ninth on the list, and RB JaMycal Hasty is 24th on the individual list. Hasty was ranked 187th on PFF’s big board and listed as the tenth rated running back. Here was their blurb on Hasty:
Hasty has as many ankles saved in his closet as any running back in the nation over the past few years. His jump cuts are special and embarrassing for opposing defenders. There’s not much to him, however, and those jump cuts rarely did much on traditional runs. He’s a scat back through and through without exceptional speed or power to add to the mix. That has value in the NFL, but there are a lot of players around the league who can barely see playing time with that skillset.
It doesn’t take long to realize Hasty can make you miss in the open field. Those same traits allow him to get open as a receiver, which is why Hasty has a chance to make the 49ers roster—especially if McKinnon can’t stay healthy. Hasty is the third-down back Shanahan has been seeking.
Hasty wasn’t the only player ranked high. Alabama safety Jared Mayden received a fourth-round grade from NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, who used to scout in the NFL:
144 of my top 150 players were drafted. Here’s a list of the 6 players that weren’t selected: pic.twitter.com/u9r5Pxl80W
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) April 29, 2020
Sports Info Solutions rookie handbook gave Mayden the same grade as they gave Terrell Burgess of the Rams, who was selected in the third round.
Mayden started his career as a cornerback, so thee positional versatility is there. Though Mayden played free safety for Alabama, he looked much more comfortable near the line of scrimmage so he could use his physicality. Mayden said he would run a sub 4.45 40-yard at his Pro Day, but that was canceled due to the global pandemic. Naturally, playing under Nick Saban, Mayden has excellent instincts. I’m curious as to what role the 49ers have planned for Mayden. A possible replacement for Tartt?