With one day until the NFL draft, the 49ers are still very quiet about their intentions with the No. 2 overall choice.
Will it be quarterback Mitch Trubisky? Defensive end Solomon Thomas? Myles Garrett, if the Browns pass on him at No. 1? So far, Niners general manager John Lynch is playing it cool, saying all options are on the table, including trading down.
But one NFL draft analyst is indicating the 49ers – if they stay at No. 2 – will surprise all the pundits.
Greg Gabriel, the former scouting director of the Chicago Bears, tweeted Monday that the 49ers will select a player that “will shock all.” That player is reported to be LSU’s standout running back Leonard Fournette.
As David Fucillo of SB Nation has noted, the 49ers have long been reported to be high on Fournette, considered by most scouts to be the best running back in this draft class. Fucillo noted that Tony Pauline of draftanalyst.com wrote earlier this month that the “49ers are very high on Fournette and are seriously considering using the second pick of the draft to acquire him. The new front office wants a bigger back to run the offense and they’re ready to give up on Carlos Hyde, who has had his struggles staying healthy since being drafted” in 2014. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report and Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated’s Monday Morning Quarterback also have reported the 49ers’ interest in Fournette.
The 49ers have holes all over their roster, but at least with Hyde, the Niners have a back who’s shown he can be very productive if healthy. So, it does seem odd that Fournette might be the team’s selection with so many other needs. But, it’s not a pick totally out of the blue. Former NFL executive Charley Casserly of NFL.com also believes Fournette will be the 49ers’ pick at No. 2. Wrote Casserly: “I never bought into Solomon Thomas in this spot. Fournette is the second-best player in this draft.”
Fournette, at 6-foot-1 and 228 pounds, is both fast and powerful. At LSU, he at times took over games. In 2015 he led major college football with 168.2 yards rushing per game. This past season, even battling an injury, he averaged 120.4 yards per game. He scored 42 touchdowns in his college career for the Tigers.
Sports
Wrote Eric Edholm of Yahoo! Sports’ Shutdown Corner feature, in rating Fournette the second-best prospect in the entire draft: “Powerful runner who is a nightmare to tackle. Whips through ankle-tackle attemts, takes defenders head on, can stiff-arm well and has the speed to get to the edge.”
