How Deebo epitomized this short 49ers era before finding new home

“A player who never got tackled by the first defender in previous seasons, seemingly, rarely broke that first tackle attempt last season. And instead of being a spark plug on the team, he seemed to reflect the overall frustrations of a team that stumbled to a 6-11 record.”

49ers’ potential draft target Simmons comes with injury concern

“Simmons said he connected with Lynch during their interview because both are from Torrey Pines. Simmons transferred to Ohio State from San Diego State for his final two seasons.

“So we were chopping it up like that a little bit,” Simmons said of Lynch. “It was a good interview.”

With a clean bill of health, Simmons easily could be the first offensive lineman selected in the draft. But recovery from patellar tendon injuries can be tricky, with the quadriceps muscle often becoming compromised.

“It’s not easy, so you’re going to go in and be angry at every rep in rehab,” Simmons said. “It’s going to feel sore some days, but you have to push through that and push through the eccentrics. Quad is going to be the biggest thing because sometimes that can kind of lack. Other than that, you have to go really, really hard with it.”

Simmons (6-foot-5, 310 pounds) is regarded as a smooth athlete who showed tremendous improvement throughout his college career. His style would appear to suit the 49ers’ system. He also interviews well, as he highlighted his attention to detail and work ethic.

“I like to think I’m very ahead in terms of repertoire of pass sets, the way I think about the game, how I diagnose fronts,” he said. “Obviously, you get all that in your head and you knock that out before you step up to the ball, you can play a lot faster.”

Ian Rapoport says “keep an eye” on 49ers potentially trading WR Brandon Aiyuk

“Michael Silver of The Athletic was asked what he’s hearing about Aiyuk. Silver responded, “The 49ers would be open to trading him, but I’m skeptical that anyone would take on that contract coming off the ACL.” It does seem unlikely that any team would be willing to trade for a player who may not even be healthy in 2025, but stranger things have happened.”

Kurtenbach: 49ers Mock Draft — Walter Nolen is exactly what the Niners need

“The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl for various reasons, one of which was that they drafted exceptionally well.

And for a few seasons, it seemed as if they took Georgia players nearly every pick.

It’s a smart pipeline — UGA was the dominant force in college football then, and no one put together a better defense than Kirby Smart.

The Niners should establish their own pipeline starting with the 2025 draft. It’s time to connect Santa Clara and Oxford, Miss.

Ole Miss built the best team money could buy in 2024. The Rebs’ talent was eye-watering, but their quarterback’s mistakes ultimately kept them out of the playoffs.

The Niners, who need to get younger, faster, and meaner — particularly on the defensive side of the ball — don’t need a quarterback, so Ole Miss’ loss can be their gain….A 3-technique that is tailor-made for the 49ers’ one-gap system, Nolen — more so than any other defensive tackle in this loaded class — has the potential to be a game-wrecker on par with Chris Jones or Jalen Carter. The Niners could take him at No. 11 and feel good about it. Being bold and waiting until No. 23 with this trade will give them another second-round pick. That’s excellent value, like getting Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga for D’Angelo Russell.”

The 49ers Met with Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr. at the NFL Combine

““It was good,” Banks said. “I felt like we connected very well. I was able to show them what I know about the game of football and they got information from me about my personal life.”

Banks played left tackle in college, but there’s debate about which position he’ll play in the NFL. Some teams view him more as a guard, and the 49ers could be one of those teams.

“They asked me if I’d be willing to play any position on the line,” Banks said. “Of course, my answer was definitely yes.”

NBC Sports analyst says 49ers will trade Deebo Samuel “in the next couple of days”

““Deebo Samuel is going to get traded within the next couple of days,” Berry said while at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “Not released. He’s going to get traded, and it’s going to happen in the next few days.” For those who may be skeptical about Berry’s sources, he said he heard that QB Matthew Stafford was staying in Los Angeles immediately after sharing what he had heard about Samuel. So, he has already been proven correct about one of the rumors he passed along.”