An SEC defensive tackle and an offensive tackle from the B1G help the 49ers upgrade at a pair of critical positions
As we get into mock draft season, we’ll try to avoid mocks giving the San Francisco 49ers the same player. Thankfully, ESPN’s Field Yates shook things up in his latest 2-round mock draft.
In this exercise, Michigan’s defensive tackle Mason Graham went No. 5 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Missouri’s offensive tackle Armand Membou went seventh to the New York Jets. Carolina took Jalon Walker, a linebacker/edge rusher at No. 8. Shemar Stewart and Will Campbell went back-to-back at nine and ten.
That leaves Will Johnson, Mike Green, Kelvin Banks, Mykel Williams, and Jahdae Barron as potential names at No. 11 for the 49ers. But Yates went in a different direction:
Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
The 49ers have major work to do along the defensive line and perhaps a few other spots after losing multiple starters on both sides of the ball this offseason. Nolen would be a play-wrecker for them. He is overwhelmingly powerful and explosive, and he could help replace veterans Maliek Collins and Javon Hargrave. Nolen had 6.5 sacks in his lone season at Ole Miss after two years at Texas A&M. In a league that has put an increased premium on pass-rushing defensive tackles, he would provide San Francisco with a valuable building block.
Nolen makes sense if the 49ers want to go in the opposite direction of the Hargrave and Collins types. Nolen wins with violence and can turn that into speed as he jolts offensive linemen backward. Hargrave and Collins were more finesse players who were liabilities against the run.
Nolen can displace blockers and has the upper-body strength to feast against the run at the NFL level. His play strength is elite. Per Sports Info Solutions, Nolen has the third-highest true pressure percentage among defensive tackles, and was first in run defense and tackles for loss per game. I’d say he’s a fit.
Ahead of the Niners’ pick at No. 43 in the second round, offensive tackles Josh Conerly and Josh Simmons were selected. Doubling down on defensive tackles wouldn’t be a bad idea, but Derrick Harmon and Kenneth Grant were also off the board by the time the 49ers were on the clock again. Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku falling feels too good to be true. Offensive skill players were mixed in, leaving the 49ers to find a Trent Williams replacement down the line:
Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
San Francisco’s search for offensive and defensive line reinforcements will be ongoing, and Ersery could be the heir apparent to Trent Williams (who is turning 37 in July) at left tackle. Ersery allowed four sacks over 39 career starts, and his 6-foot-6, 331-pound frame makes it difficult for pass rushers to get around him.
Ersery has the baseline athleticism to make it in the NFL. He has enough burst to pull and make plays at the second level. He comes from a zone scheme, so you don’t have to guess whether he can execute the kind of blocks Kyle Shanahan asks of his linemen.
There are enough exposures where Ersery is late with his punch. When you don’t get hands on first, the edge rusher gets into your chest, or sets you up with counter moves, and you’re at a disadvantage.
If we compare Ersery to Jaylon Moore and Colton McKivitz, he’s significantly stronger and has the leg up on the athleticism, too. He also has far more upside. Chris Foerster would need to tone down some of Ersery’s aggression, but he has 39 career starts, played in the Senior Bowl, and was a third-team All-American last season. I’d also note Ersery’s footwork is superior to the non-Trent Williams tackles the 49ers have fielded over the years.
In an ideal world, the 49ers could hide Ersery’s recovery skills and get him to not play as upright, but they’ve done wonders for McKivitz. Ersery is a top-50 talent, so this isn’t a reach.