One problem for the San Francisco heading into the 2024 NFL Draft concerns a position that is regarded as one of their biggest strengths.
While the 49ers have the premier linebacker in football in Fred Warner, the spot next to him is a little in flux.
All-Pro Warner will once again man the middle linebacker spot and wear the green dot for the 49er defense, but there is a major doubt over the Niners' starting WILL linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who tore his Achilles in a bizarre incident in Super Bowl 58.
Greenlaw is hoping to make his return in time for Week 1 of the 2024 season. However, that is a very optimistic timeline, with general manager indicating there is a strong chance Greenlaw could start the year on the PUP list.
The 49ers did sign De'Vondre Campbell in free agency, but the former Green Bay Packers All-Pro has declined since a career year in 2021, with injuries sapping much of the athleticism that helped him thrive. Campbell was signed after Eric Kendricks backed out of a deal with the Niners to sign for the Dallas Cowboys.
Campbell will likely step in and take Greenlaw's place if he is not ready to go Week 1 and then play the SAM linebacker role when Greenlaw returns.
But the 49ers, having also let Oren Burks walk in free agency, would likely benefit from adding another option at the position who could potentially play a role in the short term and perhaps replace Greenlaw for the long term. Greenlaw is a free agent next offseason.
The 49ers drafted Dee Winters and Jalen Graham in the late rounds last year but both played sparingly as rookies. Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles was re-signed on a one-year deal but has primarily played special teams in his career.
San Francisco already had two linebackers on its top-30 visit list ahead of the draft and NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday that the Niners are hosting Kentucky's Trevin Wallace for a two-day visit.
Wallace is coming off an excellent final season for the Wildcats, one he finished with 8.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and an interception.
At the Combine, he demonstrated hugely impressive athleticism, his A to Z Sports' athletic composite score of 96.5% putting him first among off-ball linebackers.
Wallace's 40-yard dash of 4.51 seconds put him in the 93rd percentile for linebackers while his broad jump of 10ft 7in was in the 92nd and his vertical leap of 37.5 inches in the 84th.
Those numbers reflect an athlete with the kind of explosiveness and long speed that the 49ers look for at the position and have long since been hallmarks of Greenlaw's game.
The Niners' struggles in replacing Greenlaw after his torn Achilles in the Super Bowl played a defining role in their overtime defeat. There's a good chance they will have to find a fill-in for him for at least part of this season, and identifying a long-term successor for one of the emotional leaders of the defense should he depart next year is a task of underrated importance for San Francisco. Athletically at least, Wallace fits the bill.
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