The 49ers are less than a week away from participating in the NFL’s first-ever all-virtual draft. According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports, the 49ers are “showing interest” in late Day 3 linebacking prospect Shaun Bradley. The team met with him informally at the NFL Combine per Maiocco and met again via video call, the latter of which was first reported by The Athletic’s Matt Barrows.
https://twitter.com/MaioccoNBCS/status/1251959232561217536?s=20
Bradley said this week to NBC Sports’ Dave Zangaro that he’s probably spoken to about 15 teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers. Why are the 49ers and about 14 other teams at least doing their due diligence with Bradley?
He’s fast (and the 49ers absolutely love great broad jump numbers). And not just fast, but agile. It shows up on tape too, where he can flip his hips in coverage. There is some stiffness there, but in the run game, he’s patient and shoots his gap with speed.
Not all that far off from the mold of Kwon Alexander aside from the massive gap in bench press, but that’s not surprising giving how much better big school guys tend to perform given better facilities and weight training regimens.
Like Azeez Al-Shaair, he’s a small school product who is at least theoretically undersized (speed seems to becoming more and more important over size for linebackers), with fantastic production (his 61 solo tackles were tied for 39th-most in all of college football last season, also had 8.0 TFLs, 3 PBUs, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery) and would project as a special teams weapon with backup outside linebacking capability. It’s unlikely he would be thrust into the duties of a cover linebacker immediately, unless multiple injuries were to take hold.
Bradley’s not the only linebacker the 49ers have interviewed in the draft process. Per Barrows the 49ers have also talked to Akeem Davis-Gaither, an Appalachian State stud (Ronald Blair III’s alum), as well as Cassh Maluia from Wyoming.
