Golden Nuggets: Who’s your sleeper defensive lineman prospect in the draft?

Why Dante Stills is a perfect sleeper for 49ers in 2023 NFL Draft

“Stills lacks the girth of a 4-3 three-technique, the get-off of a 4-3 end and the two-gapping take-on of a traditional odd-front end. However, he has physical/play attributes that have allowed him to play in all three spots. Finding a fit for him will be paramount, but his quickness and agility will be valued in schemes employing gaming, active fronts.”

Unnamed GM: 49ers talking Lance trade ‘worst-kept secret’

“John [Lynch] taking calls on him was probably the worst-kept secret since Indy,” the GM told Schultz. “I know they’ve listened. Lance is still young and on a rookie deal. He’s pretty talented. [Sam] Darnold has tons of incentives in his deal and Purdy has the elbow problem. … I think it would take a pretty strong offer to get Lance.”

San Francisco 49ers 2023 NFL Draft big board: 40 prospects for Rounds 3-7 (paywall)

“But just like in the run-up to the 2022 draft, there’s been no sign that the 49ers are preparing for a major trade. There have been no reports about them hosting the top draft prospects on visits or putting them through workouts...Which seems to suggest that while the 49ers might get some calls about Lance — just as they did about Samuel during last year’s draft — they’re not expecting the offers to be tempting enough to trigger a deal...Our draft board follows that logic. There are a few players on the list who could be taken earlier than the 99th pick — the 49ers could trade up a bit — but most are expected to be selected in the rounds where the 49ers currently have picks. Though the 49ers currently have no picks in the fourth round, we projected a few potential fourth-round picks on the assumption the team will make some draft-day trades.”

Daniel Jeremiah on why the 49ers are so successful in later rounds of the draft

“Well, it’s interesting when you list all those names off in a row,” Jeremiah said. “To me, I think there’s some continuity there. You’re talking about guys that are incredibly football-smart, and they’re incredibly passionate. They were leaders at the places that they played. In other words, what I’m getting to is I think they’ve figured out the makeup part of this whole thing. They have found it.”.....“Hufanga, they raved about him at USC,” Jeremiah said. “He walked into that program and was a leader. He was incredibly productive. He just didn’t run fast. So they were able to see past some of that stuff and see guys that are really, really smart, tough, and instinctive football players and plug them in.....“Sometimes this thing is not evaluating these guys as players,” Jeremiah said. “It’s evaluating them as people and competitors and all that. I’ve got to believe it helps having John there as somebody who kind of epitomizes what you would want in a football player. He knows what it looks like.”

Branch: 49ers have Javon Hargrave, but still lack a full house on the D-line (paywall)

“We watched (Hargrave) terrorize the league,” Lynch said. “Terrorize us. And it’s nice to have him on our side. It’s fun to kind of daydream about him, and Armstead and Bosa.”

Five players 49ers are counting on making strides in 2023

“After Brunskill signed with the Houston Texans as a free agent, there is no safety net for Burford as he enters his second NFL season.”