This year, which tight end will the 49ers draft?
Prior to providing a solution, it’s critical to comprehend the kind of tight end the 49ers are seeking.
This year, the 49ers will most likely select another tight end in the draft.
Brayden Willis and Cameron Latu were the two they drafted the previous year. The 49ers recently attempted to acquire Lions backup tight end Brock Bowers, but Latu was just plain bad during training camp. As a result, he ended the season on injured reserve. Willis was a respectable special teams player. In the end, the 49ers were unable to get Bowers, so they will once again have to select one through the draft.
Prior to providing a solution, it’s critical to comprehend the kind of tight end the 49ers are seeking. They are searching for a backup with blocking experience. Not an initiator. Not George Kittle the next. Just the 49ers’ equivalent of Charlie Woerner, who signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons this summer after serving as their blocking tight end from 2020 to 2023. Remember, Woerner only hauled in 11 passes throughout his four seasons with the 49ers. He was an excellent blocker, but that was all.
When the 49ers drafted Latu, they probably thought he could replace Woerner, because they tested similarly at the NFL Scouting Combine. Both are 6’4″, both are 245 pounds and both run 4.78 40s. They’re slow. Which means the 49ers most likely are looking for another slow tight end they can take on Day 3 of the Draft.
Michigan’s A.J. Barner would fit what the 49ers are looking for. He’s the top-rated blocking tight end in the draft and he should be available in Round 4 or 5. And he caught only 64 passes in college, but Michigan rarely passes the ball, so he might have untapped potentia
Leave a Reply