49ers roster rankings 71-80: The last wave of UDFA’s and a third-rounder

We’re back with the next wave of ranking the San Francisco 49ers roster. Last week, we debuted 90-81. Let’s get into No. 80, a nose tackle that I expect to make the roster.

80) DT Darrion Daniels

The Niners invested more money in Daniels than they did in any other undrafted free agent from the 2020 NFL Draft class. Daniels is a run-stopping defensive tackle with limited value on passing downs. He does provide much-needed size inside and feels like the player most likely to replace Sheldon Day and what he brought to the team in 2019.

79) S Chris Edwards

Edwards played in the CFL before joining the Niners. The 6’2”, 215-pound safety played 18 regular-season games before signing with San Francisco on a futures contract. Edwards ran a 4.54 40-yard dash back at his Pro Day in 2016. He’ll have to beat out Marcell Harris and a couple of the other UDFA safeties.

78) QB C.J. Beathard

Man. There was not a lot of love for C.J. in the rankings this year. To be fair to him, he had no business going as high in the draft as he did. Then, Beathard was forced into the lineup without much support. He’s here because C.J. didn’t play well, no matter how you slice it.

77) DT Willie Henry Jr.

Henry Jr. was thought of as a first-round pick before his final season at Michigan. Henry was added to the Niners roster after the Super Bowl. The fourth-round pick of the 2016 NFL Draft didn’t play a snap in 2019 and only saw the field for 82 snaps in 2018. Henry landed on the injured reserve twice in the past three seasons and was cut following Week 4 of the 2019 preseason. Henry has the upside and is worth rolling the dice, but he has to stay healthy.

76) FB Josh Hokit

An undrafted fullback was ranked higher than Beathard. We are scarred.

75) TE Chase Harrell

Another UDFA, this time tight end Chase Harrell. The 49ers must value his athleticism as Harrell worked out as a defensive lineman as well. In June, he was in Nashville, working out with George Kittle and Charlie Woerner, so Harrell is getting acclimated with his teammates. Harrell didn’t have many stats during his time at Arkansas. He’s going to be one of the unknowns turned fan-favorites during training camp.

74) RT Jaryd Jones-Smith

Jones-Smith was signed after the Super Bowl as well. The right tackle has an uphill battle to make the final roster. The real question is, how much will Trent Williams have to pay Jones-Smith to wear No. 71 this season?

73) Edge Johnathan Kongbo

Cam Inman of The Mercury News wrote a nice story on Kongbo back in May. The 24-year-old edge rusher is also on a futures contract. A torn ACL in October of 2018 that all but killed Kongbo’s chances of being drafted. Kongbo played both track and basketball in high school, so athleticism won’t be a problem. Talent isn’t, either. Kongbo was the No. 1 JUCO recruit out of Arizona Western in 2018. Fast forward to the CFL, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers drafted Kongbo fifth-overall last year. The 6’5”, 262-pound lineman, is the type of player Kris Kocurek with.

72) WR Chris Finke

Speaking of fan favorites, the Slippery Fox screams the new Kory Sheets. With an injury to Richie James, Finke’s odds of making the roster slightly improves as he has value as a kick and punt returner. The question becomes, will that be enough to make the roster? Finke will have two games during the preseason to show his worth.

71) TE Daniel Helm

Helm was an undrafted free agent out of Duke in 2019. The 6’4”, 247-pound tight end ran slowly at his Pro Day. Helm ran a 4.87 40-yard dash but wowed everywhere else. Helm jumped a 39.5” vertical, had a 10’5” broad jump, and 7.02 3-cone drill. All of those would have been good enough for a top-five finish at his position at the NFL combine, where Helm didn’t have a full workout due to a hamstring injury.