49ers scheduled to meet with several 2021 NFL draft prospects

We are officially less than two months away from the 2021 NFL Draft. Depending on what happens with compensatory picks, the San Francisco 49ers could have ten selections this year.

The Niners have a few positions of need that will need to address this offseason. The team has nine players from its secondary that are up for new contracts and could also look to add some pieces to both the offensive and defensive lines.

General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are beginning to do their homework on several prospects. The NFL rules for this year’s draft will be different than normal years. Teams can have up to five one-hour video calls with players leading up to the draft, but no in-person meetings will be allowed. With no NFL Scouting Combine scheduled for the offseason, NFL teams will get to see players up close during their school’s pro days.

Justin Melo of The Draft Network has done a great job keeping the public informed on which prospects are meeting with NFL teams. He mentioned several players that are scheduled to have meetings with the 49ers in the coming weeks.

Melo reports that San Francisco will meet with Notre Dame tight end Tommy Tremble. The junior had 35 receptions for 401 yards and four touchdowns last season.

San Francisco has also reportedly been in consistent contact with University of Miami tight end Brevin Jordan. It looks like Lynch and co. want to add another tight end to play alongside superstar George Kittle.

Tremble is listed at 6’3, 224 pounds.

Another prospect the Niners are keeping tabs on in Syracuse DB Trill Williams. The junior is listed at 6’2, 198 pounds and finished with 24 tackles, one pick, five passes defended and one tackle for loss with Syracuse last season.

Melo says Williams can play different positions in the secondary, an area San Francisco will surely address in the coming months.

Joe Marino of The Draft Network put together a scouting report on Williams.

Trill Williams was a steady presence in the Syracuse secondary since 2018 where he spent time at wide corner, slot corner, and at safety. While he is versatile and has appeal in any role, I like him best at wide corner. Williams is long, rangy, athletic, physical, and aggressive. His physical skill set is exceptional and he doesn’t have any restrictions. He is springy and explosive, capable of thriving in both man and zone coverage. With that said, he does have room to grow when it comes to anticipatory skills and there were some instances where he didn’t get his head around to the football with his back to the line of scrimmage.

Another corner the 49ers will meet with is Northwestern’s Greg Newsome II. The junior was named an All-American by the Athletic after putting up 12 tackles, an interception and nine pass breakups last season.

Newsome was given first-team All-Big Ten last season. He’s viewed as one of the most talented corners in the draft behind Patrick Surtain II, Jaycee Horn and Caleb Farley.

Pro Football Focus has Newsome No. 60 on its top 300 big board.

Newsome looked like a different player on the 387 snaps we saw from him as a junior in 2020. He only allowed 12 catches from 34 targets for 93 yards all season.

Two other players the Niners have shown interest in are Louisville running back Javian Hawkins and West Virginia defensive lineman Darius Stills.

Hawkins ran for 822 yards and seven touchdowns in 2020 before deciding to opt-out of the remainder of the season in late November. He set a school record with 1,525 rushing yards in 2019.

The 49ers aren’t expected to bring back veteran running backs Tevin Coleman and Jerick McKinnon, who are both set to become free agents. The team could use some depth at the position behind Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr.

The speedster is ranked No. 202 on PFF’s big board.

Stills reportedly met with San Francisco last week. The senior had 25 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for a loss in 10 games with the Mountaineers last season. Still is listed as 6’1, 285 pounds and had 25.5 total sacks during his collegiate career.

Here is The Draft Network’s scouting report on the 22-year-old:

Darius Stills is a quick mover off of the snap. He uses his natural leverage to his advantage by remaining low, which helps him win quickly in a multitude of ways. Having overwhelming hand strength/power at the point of attack, he plays very aggressively and isn’t shy with using them quickly. Few match his suddenness and play violence off of the line, which are the main culprits of how he experiences so much success. A consistent pressure generator, he can disrupt pockets with straight ahead rushing attacks or get home on twists/stunts as the looper. A motor that constantly runs hot, even as an interior rusher, he has outside of the tackle box type of range in ball pursuit when chasing plays down. He is very undisciplined in his approach as a run defender. He will do many outlandish moves in order to create penetration, but in turn it leaves his gap voided for gaping running lanes for ball-carriers. Stills is a true up-the-field penetrator that doesn’t yet understand the meaning/discipline behind run fits. As a pass rusher, he’s developed the habit of winning so quickly that when faced with blockers who can match his intensity/strength, he lacks an effective counter move. As a result, he often gets stuck and left experimenting with tactics to see which eventually become effective for him in that moment.

Lynch and Shanahan haven’t been shy when it comes to selecting defensive lineman at the draft. The Niners have picked six defensive lineman since Lynch and Shanahan were hired prior to the 2017 NFL Draft.