Everyone is ready for round one, but the draft is won in the later rounds
Day one of the NFL Draft kicks off tonight in Green Bay, and all eyes are on the San Francisco 49ers and their selection at pick 11. If we’re reading the pre-draft tea leaves, the 49ers will add a defensive lineman in the first round. Whether that is Walter Nolen from Ole Miss, Derrick Harmon from Oregon, or Mykel Williams from Georgia remains to be seen. There is even the possibility that Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham falls into the 49ers’ lap with a top-ten shakeup.
While the first round is the team’s best chance to add an instant impact player, days two and three offer intriguing options, and a team’s draft is judged by how its class performs coming from the later rounds.
Here are three names to monitor after day one.
Jalen Rivers, T, Miami
Rivers played parts of five seasons for the Hurricanes, but his 2024 campaign was his best. Posting a career-best 78.8 pass-blocking grade and only allowing one sack, one QB hit, seven hurries, and nine pressures over 348 pass-blocking snaps, Rivers excelled in his shortened season due to a leg injury.
Replacing Trent Williams isn’t an easy task, but Rivers could be the answer at left tackle. The end of the 2024 season was Rivers’ time to shine, posting a season-high 90.9 pass-blocking grade in Week 14, followed by an 81.0 pass-blocking grade against Iowa State, while only allowing one pressure and one QB hit over the final two weeks.
Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, EDGE, Georgia
Mykel Williams has garnered more attention for obvious reasons, but Ingram-Dawkins could be an intriguing day-three addition. The Georgia EDGE rusher only tallied nearly 375 snaps in his first three seasons combined, but in 2024 was on the field for 536 snaps.
Round five is the sweet spot for Ingram-Dawkins and exactly the place to take the risk of developing a raw pass rusher. If Kris Kocurek is who you think he is, then this is a worthwhile risk. Totaling 19 pressures, three sacks, and 15 hurries. This is a low-risk, high-reward pick.
The concerns come in the form of inexperience and the high number of missed tackles. In back-to-back seasons, Ingram-Dawkins missed 12 tackles while only finishing with 19 total tackles combined. 34.7 tackling grade is majorly concerning. Still, it’s a late-round flier and could be worth the pick in the fifth round.
Teddye Buchanan, LB, California
After a four-year stint with UC Davis, Buchanan transferred to Cal and sparkled in 2024. 77.5 defensive grade, 71.8 run defense grade, 83.5 tackling grade, 74.3 pass rushing grade, and 76.2 coverage grade while adding six sacks, 75 tackles, 48 defensive stops, and three forced fumbles.
Buchanan attended the 49ers’ local pro day, so there is a connection, but finding Dre Greenlaw’s long-term replacement on day three would be an incredible win for the organization. 871 snaps is an every-down linebacker and even in 2023 was stellar at UC Davis with career-high run defense and pass rush grades of 85.4 and 90.4.