Daily Democrat (Woodland)

Favorite NFL Draft prospects for 49ers

I, a 35-year-old man, have neglected my family and other responsibi­lities over the last few months to spend time with guys in college.

Few things in sports are as interestin­g or as engrossing to me as the NFL Draft, so night after night (starting well before the Niners' run to the Super Bowl), I've popped on some college football and gone to work, evaluating the class of 2024.

Unlike past classes, it's a great crop that proved well worth the time.

Now, I could give you all a list of every prospect, but there are enough of those lists. How about I send you the CliffNotes instead?

Here are my favorite prospects on offense for the 49ers in this upcoming draft, broken down into early (top 50), middle (top 150), and late picks:

Quarterbac­k

EARLY: MICHAEL PENIX – WASHINGTON » The 49ers won't take a quarterbac­k early, but I'll put my bet on Penix to be the best of the Day 1/Day 2 bunch. This early draft crop has 2021 redux written all over it.

MIDDLE: JORDAN TRAVIS – FLORIDA STATE » A program-changer with great feel and brilliant vision, I like Travis as much as any quarterbac­k in this draft. He could be everything Trey Lance was not for the 49ers. Why not take him at 124 and bolster the quarterbac­k room? LATE: AUSTIN REED – WESTERN KENTUCKY » The Niners should add a camp arm this week, and this guy absolutely rips it. He sees the field well and delivers the ball from all bases with complete conviction. He's worth a shot — though he might break a receiver's finger at minicamp.

Running Back

EARLY: TREY BENSON – FLORIDA STATE » The Niners won't be taking a running back early. Kyle Shanahan should be scarred for life. But Benson represents the ideal outside zone back. One cut and go with home-run speed and a bit of power to boot — he's a joy to watch.

MIDDLE: TYRONE TRACY JR. – PURDUE » There is only one Deebo Samuel, and the Niners have faced that problem a few times

in recent years — their offense struggles when Samuel isn't on the field. Tracy represents a viable backup for the “wideback”. Outstandin­g and a scheme fit as both a receiver and a running back, Tracy is a yards-after-catch machine who needs to find himself in a more creative offensive system than what he ran in West Lafayette. LATE: KIMANI VIDAL – TROY >> Five-foot-seven and 213 pounds, Vidal is a bowling ball. He also has crazy speed with a 4.46 40-yard dash with a 1.56-second speed. Basic physics can tell you why that works. Vidal was a workhorse at Troy who made Sun Belt competitio­n (don't sleep on it) look inadequate, as he broke 94 tackles his senior year. And he carries my favorite stat of this draft: He carried the ball 781 times in college (including 297 times last season) and he didn't fumble the ball once. Vidal is my favorite prospect in this draft and a perfect Elijah Mitchell replacemen­t.

Wide Receiver

EARLY: RICKY PEARSALL – FLORIDA >> He's the prospect I couldn't stop thinking about during the draft process. Nothing about Slick Rick stands out. He's average in nearly every measuremen­t. But here's the thing: He caught everything. He's a student of the craft, he's committed to all facets of the game, and he has a temperamen­t that you need to be successful but cannot teach. Plus, his gloves are clearly covered in superglue. While he was primarily a slot guy at UF, I think the Niners' tight splits could make him Brock Purdy's favorite target in short order. Wherever he goes, I'm convinced he'll be an impact player.

MIDDLE: JAVON BAKER – UCF >> With a catch radius that is second-to-none in this class and herky-jerk movements that make him a bear to cover, Baker provides first-round upside from what is likely a Day 3 pick.

LATE: AINIAS SMITH – TEXAS A&M >> Smith is an incredible open-field runner whose ability in the return game will pay immediate dividends, especially with the new rule changes on kickoffs. You can also line him up in the backfield or tight to the line. He needs to be schemed open (Shanahan's specialty), but find a way to get him the ball in just a bit of space and he'll do the rest. It took two, often three guys to take him down in the SEC. I'd imagine the same truth applies in the NFL.

Tight End

EARLY: CADE STOVER – OHIO STATE >> The Niners have struggled for competence behind George Kittle for years and cannot afford another miss at this position. Stover, meanwhile, is competent to above average at everything. Sometimes, the draft is hard. This isn't. Just take Stover.

MIDDLE: TIP REIMAN – ILLINOIS >> Hidden by an offense that used him more as a blocker than a receiver (remind you of any other former Big Ten tight ends?), Reiman is an athletic stud whose size (6foot-4, 270 pounds) makes him a perfect blocking TE2 with serious TE1 upside once he's in a real offense.

LATE: THOMAS YASSMIN – UTAH >> The Aussie was one of the most fun prospects to watch.