49ers linked to Myles Garrett amid trade speculation
”This would be an interesting long-term gamble on behalf of the Browns. While the 49ers are an excellent, top-10 team right now, their aging roster presents the possibility of a few injuries derailing a season and making future 49ers draft capital look immensely valuable. In the Kyle Shanahan era, San Francisco has picked third, ninth, second and 11th (though some of those higher picks were the result of a trade up).”
Behind the Curtain: Caleb Lomu and Spencer Fano (paywall)
“Caleb Lomu: There’s not an abundance of aggression or violence to his play. That doesn’t mean he can’t or won’t be successful, but I would like to see a little bit of murder in his eyes, particularly in the run game. There’s a gentle quality to his style I don’t love.
While he also has shorter arms, they’re not as dire as Fano, and his wingspan is fine. I don’t see him as someone you’d want to move to guard. He’s too lean for that. So the question becomes, is a redshirt tackle without tremendous drive and some length limitations worth pick No. 27 based on his athleticism? I don’t think so. He feels a bit developmental, and for the 49ers, I’d want guard utility. I don’t see it with him, as far as SF is concerned. If he’s somehow there at 58, then that’s a much different conversation.
Spencer Fano: There’s so much more to like with Fano, even though he is the stumpiest of boys. He plays to his strengths which are quick feet, great hand placement, and overall technique, with some crafty ability to fake punches and encourage rushers to make the first move. Unlike Will Campbell, he’s not trying to vertical set or pretend he’s anything other than what he is. I would try him at tackle and then likely shift him to guard.
The question is what he’s worth. I don’t have too many questions over him being a quality player at guard. While he’s not a driver, he gets his body oriented well, has high-level awareness, and does great work in space. He just might go at pick 12 as a tackle, and turn out to be a guard… which is a heavy investment at that position. If he was there at 27, I do think it would make sense for the 49ers, even though what they really need is an Emmanuel Pregnon, snowplow-type at guard.”
