49ers Day 3 Draft Cheat Sheet: Players to keep an eye on

Are you someone who wants to watch Day 3 of the NFL Draft but has no framework for any of the players? Are you completely lost? Great! That's a good thing. Diving deep into the draft is lunatic behavior. Unfortunately, I am in that category, and familiar with quite a few of the remaining players on the board.

This is something of a cheat sheet on Day 3. It is not a comprehensive list, just some names that could be fits for the 49ers at almost every position. As context, my final mock draft had San Francisco drafting Ricky Pearsall and Renardo Green, and my first had Green going to them at 63. (The latest had the 49ers taking Washington tackle Roger Rosengarten, who they wanted, but missed by a pick, early in the second round. When they missed him, they traded back a spot for Green).

Yes, that's me patting myself on the back, but it's proof of my draft sicko bona fides. Without further ado...

What I would do if I were the 49ers
Go up and get Cade Stover, the tight end out of Ohio State. You desperately need a TE2. Cam Latu isn’t going to cut it. Brayden Willis doesn’t seem to be well-rounded enough. Illinois’ Tip Reiman is gone. Stover is the last confidently good tight end for the 49ers’ purposes.

He is a very committed, capable blocker with excellent play at the catch point, as well as after the catch. Someone needs to teach him how to run a route, but that's possible for the former linebacker-turned-tight-end.

If you don’t take Stover, consider edge rushers Brennan Jackson and Mohamed Kamara, safety Malik Mustapha, another offensive lineman, one of the top defensive tackles remaining… or even linebacker Cedric Gray.

Quarterback
I will not pretend to have evaluated the QB position with any seriousness. Devin Leary of Kentucky, though, showed some zip, good footwork and the sort of grip-it-and-rip it decisiveness Kyle Shanahan likes. If he's there at 251, sure, why not?

Running back
Isaac Guerendo, Louisville (Round 4): Outrageous athlete, plug-and-play No. 2 running back.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. (Rounds 4-6): Screw the Malachi Corley Deebo comps, this is closer to that. Played WR + RB, and can very much do both. So, so difficult to tackle.
The Round 5 on crew
Blake Watson, Memphis: This is the guy I’ve earmarked for the 49ers around 215, if he’s there. Perfect outside zone fit, has great speed and shockingly good vision combined with patience.
Kimani Vidal, Troy: Just a fantastic football player, excellent speed, had 1,661 yards and 14 TDs last year. He's going to work in the league.
Dylan Laube, UNH: AliExpress CMC, don’t @ me.
George Holani, Boise State: Surprisingly well-rounded, physical, great elusiveness, has enough speed and ability to play on 3rd downs as a good blocker.

Tight end
Cade Stover, Ohio State (Go get him now): Complete tight end, requisite athleticism. Was stunned he didn’t elect for last year’s draft.
Jared Wiley, TCU (Round 4): Don’t like his blocking, has great receiving upside.
Erick All, Iowa (Rounds 4-6): Super athletic, has major injury concerns, not a dominant blocker, but major upside.
McCallan Castles, Tennessee (Rounds 6-7): Off-brand Ben Sinnott, really sneaky good value in Round 6-7 and an insane name.

Wide receiver
I don't think the 49ers are sick enough to take another wide receiver. But... BUT! If they did, Louisville's Jamari Thrash is a quick router, Virginia's Malik Washington plays way above his weight, Texas A&M's Ainias Smith is a shifty menace in the open field, and Javon Baker is a genuine first-round talent available in the fourth. Brenden Rice is fine. His inconsistencies make him hard to fall in love with.

Offensive tackle
Javon Foster, Missouri (Rounds 4-5): Just stout, excellent in pass pro, immediate swing tackle.
Frank Crum, Wyoming (Rounds 6-7): Total project, has no idea what he’s doing, but has the same size/athleticism as the top first rounders.

Interior O-line
Tanor Bortolini, Wisconsin (Round 4): Could give Jake Brendel a run for his money, has perfect size/athleticism for the 49ers’ scheme, moves like a bat out of hell in the run game.
Beaux Limmer, Arkansas (Rounds 4-5): Similar to Bortolini, not sure he anchors as well but again, super athletic and can deliver in the run game.
Mason McCormick, South Dakota State (Rounds 4-5): Needs a little more anchor in the pass game/gets too vertical in his stance, but gets after it in the run game.
Trevor Keegan, Michigan (Rounds 5-7): Almost every Michigan O-lineman is good, and Keegan might get too vertical at times, but he is really intelligent in both facets of the game, with requisite athleticism.
Dylan McMahon, NC State (Rounds 5-7): Sort of the ideal zone scheme developmental center, great movement skills, not a great anchor.

Defensive end
Brennan Jackson, Wash State (Go get him now): In a weak defensive end draft, he could be a steal. Converts speed to power incredibly well, has high athletic upside and the frame + play strength to set the edge. Had 8.5 sacks last year in an immensely productive college career.
Mohamed Kamara, CSU (Rounds 4-5): I think he plays massively above his size. He is an athletic specimen who consistently creates pressures. It’s not at all a shock he had 13 sacks last year.
Trajan Jeffcoat, Arkansas (Rounds 6-7): Had inconsistencies, but when you see it, you see it. Gave OT2 J.C. Latham of Alabama a run for his money at times, and has the frame/tape to set the edge, and create occasional pass rush havoc. He’s great value in Rounds 6-7.

Defensive tackle
Tyler Davis, Clemson (Round 4): Has great size for the position and underrated upside. He could be a really solid fit in terms of providing the space-eating size they need in the run game, while betting on some pass-rushing athleticism.
Leonard Taylor III, Miami (Rounds 4-5): Consistently disruptive, not elite in really any trait, but well above average in everything.
Jaden Crumedy, Miss. State (Rounds 4-7): Genuinely well-rounded, holds up in the run game and has enough wiggle to make stuff happen as a pass rusher)
Fabian Lovett Sr., Florida State (Rounds 6-7): You want a cheap, effective, gap-plugging nose tackle? You gotta Lovett.

Linebacker
Cedric Gray, North Carolina (Go get him now) : He’s just an excellent football player. He had high-level production at North Carolina, fits the run well, with solid ball skills and coverage instincts. He’s very well-rounded with above-average athleticism.
Jordan Magee, Temple (Who on earth knows) : This guy is one of my favorites. He has the best movement skills in the draft and could play at safety, nickel, or linebacker, where he played at Temple. Hell, he had to play outside corner at times. He absolutely flies around the field and his 14 tackles for a loss were 24th in the country.
Edefuan Ulofoshio, Washington (Round 4-6): I want to like him more than I do, but like Magee, he’s got supreme speed and athleticism, with fantastic coverage talent. I just see him playing well below his size and struggling to shed blocks. But he’s an option.

Cornerback
I’m not sure how much the 49ers will want to invest in corner at this point after picking Renardo Green, but Auburn’s D.J. James is a very promising slot corner, and Decamerion Richardson is a super long, crazy fast, developmental outside corner. Qwan’Tez Stiggers is the ultimate project corner, who has top tier athleticism after a rookie-of-the-year season in the Canadian Football League.

Safety
Malik Mustapha, Wake Forest: Flies out every play like he was shot out of a cannon. He does all the dirty work. Coverage skills are a question mark, but I’ve seen enough to feel more confident about his range and coverage potential than I ever was about Talanoa Hufanga’s. He’s an elite athlete. That helps.

You will notice Utah’s Sione Vaki is not on this list. The 49ers apparently have great interest in him and some have claimed he is just a good football player. I disagree. His pursuit angles are horrendous. He makes head-scratching plays that spring explosives, and he’s undersized. He’s not that great of an athlete for the love of him to make sense to me. But the 49ers will probably take him in the sixth. Fine.