NFL Mock Draft: 49ers Pick Texas A&M DE Shemar Stewart in Round 1

It shouldn't be difficult to predict who the 49ers will draft in Round 1 this year.

They have lots of holes, but they desperately need a defensive end. They just released Leonard Floyd, who had 8.5 sacks last season and tried to replace him with Joey Bosa, but he ultimately signed with the Bills. So the 49ers are still in the market for an impact player at this position. So they're probably going to take a defensive end in Round 1.

And we know that defensive line coach Kris Kocurek will be heavily involved in the decision of whom to pick. The 49ers always consult with him when drafting defensive linemen because he's the guru of the Wide 9 front they use.

In 2013 when Kocurek was the defensive line coach for the Detroit Lions, they took defensive end Ezekiel Ansah with the fifth pick. Ansah had recorded just 4.5 sacks in three seasons at BYU, but he was a freak athlete -- 6'5", 271 lbs., 4.63 40 with an explosive first step. The kind of player Kocurek believes he can mold into a star.

Ansah never truly became a superstar, but he was a highly productive player for the Lions for five seasons until injuries derailed his career.

Which brings us to Texas A&M defensive end Shemar Stewart. Like Ansah, he had just 4.5 sacks in three college seasons. Also like Ansah, Stewart is off the charts athletically -- 6'5", 267 lbs, 4.59 40 with an explosive first step. He's almost a carbon copy of a young Ansah.

I just can't see how Kocurek possibly could resist.