We’re starting to get more and more pre-draft visits from the San Francisco 49ers. Which prospect are you most excited about?
The NFL Draft is two weeks away. The list of prospects visiting the San Francisco 49ers continues to grow. Steph Sanchez has done a masterful job of tracking each one of the 49ers’ visits. You can find those here.
Here’s a list of the players projected to be selected in the first round who the Niners have met with:
Walter Nolen – DT – Ole Miss
Mykel Williams – DL – Georgia
Kelvin Banks – OT – Texas
Mike Green – Edge – Marshall
Derrick Harmon – DT – Oregon
Will Campbell – OT – LSU
Josh Simmons – OT – Ohio State
Armand Membou – OT – Missouri
Kenneth Grant – DT – Missouri
Shemar Stewart – Edge – Texas A&M
Colston Loveland – TE – Michigan
It doesn’t have to be limited to a Day 1 prospect. There are plenty of intriguing names, from Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins to Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson. However, I’ll stay on the defensive side of the ball for my answer.
Which prospect’s pre-draft visit are you most excited about?
My answer: Andrew Mukuba – S – Texas
The 49ers met with Mukuba at the NFL Combine. Mukuba played over 2,000 career snaps during his time at Texas and Clemson. Positional versatility has been the theme of his career. As a freshman and sophomore, Mukuba spent 50 percent of his time at free safety and the other half at nickel. During Mukuba’s final year at Clemson, his primary position was in the slot. Perhaps that’s why he transferred to Texas, where 79 percent of his snaps came at free safety in 2024.
The 5’11”, 186-pound safety ran a 4.45 40-yard dash. Mukuba’s weight (14th percentile) and arm length (8th percentile) might scare teams away. In today’s NFL, there’s no safety I’d rather have in this draft class than Mukuba. On the field, he’s a picture-perfect fit for what Robert Saleh wants in a safety.
His frame will inevitably show up when it comes to preventing bigger running backs from gaining yards after the contact, taking on blockers, or being proficient in 50/50 situations at the catch point. It’s also ignorant to act like he can’t win in those situations or doesn’t have four years of examples of making plays.
There are too many valuable traits Mukuba possesses to make me think he’ll struggle as a pro. Mukuba’s awareness and instincts are first-round-esque. He’s a sensational athlete. In Mukuba’s mind, he’s 215 pounds. That’s how he approaches tackling. We know how important communication is in the secondary, and you can see Mukuba pointing and talking when he sees motion pre-snap every series he’s on the field. He plays like a player familiar with opposing quarterbacks’ tendencies and offense’s route combinations.
Mukuba’s statistical profile in his final year was comical. He was targeted 18 times. Six of those were broken up, and another four intercepted. The other eight were completed. That tells you Mukuba has a knack for being around the football. That’s one of the best qualities you can have as a defensive back. I’ll bet on that kind of player to succeed in the NFL.
Which pre-draft prospect visit are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments.