Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff may well choose to skip attending the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine next week. That is no surprise, the importance of on-field events in Indianapolis have long been overblown and Shanahan will gather the most of the information he desires about prospects from the tape, and the rest from potential interviews the Niners may conduct.
While Shanahan might not be watching events at Lucas Oil Stadium closely, there are plenty of day two and day-three prospects who could be on San Francisco’s radar that those who follow the 49ers would do well to get acquainted with.
Several of those would-be draftees play their football on the interior of the defensive line. For as much as San Francisco has invested on the defensive line during Shanahan and John Lynch’s tenure with the Niners, the heart of the defensive side of the trenches lacked depth in 2022, and former first-round pick Javon Kinlaw’s struggles against the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive line in the NFC Championship Game helped highlight the need for reinforcements in that area of the roster.
Kinlaw, of course, has seen his Niners career hindered significantly by a knee injury and San Francisco will likely give him the chance to prove his worth with a full healthy season in 2023, but it is obvious help is required to take the burden off of him and Arik Armstead, especially in an offseason where the 49ers may lose Charles Omenihu and Kerry Hyder Jr, who both boast inside-out flexibility on the defensive line, in free agency.
The 49ers could go back to Kinlaw’s alma mater to find that assistance.
While Kinlaw has not panned out as yet, the 49ers picking players from South Carolina has yielded a recent success story in the form of wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
And the Niners may be convinced to look to the Gamecocks again to beef up the defensive line, with Zacch Pickens showing plenty to suggest he could excel up front on Steve Wilks’ defense.
Pickens spent four years with South Carolina and though the numbers — 11.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks — are not eye-popping, there is plenty in his game that intrigues when watching the tape.
At 6-foot-3, 305 pounds, Pickens has the size for the position and has consistently used his frame to hold his ground at the point of attack and make plays against the run, using his powerful hands intelligently to disengage from blocks and find the ball-carrier.
Zacch Pickens is an IDL who definitely could be on the 49ers' radar on day 2/3 of the draft. Stout at the point of attack, has strong, violent hands and some untapped pass rush potential.
Here vs. Georgia most of his good work is vs. the run, understandably. pic.twitter.com/WST4uctRtT
— Nicholas McGee (@nicholasmcgee24) February 22, 2023
That same hand usage comes to the fore in Pickens’ best moments as a pass rusher. Pickens has developed a strong repertoire of moves. The club-swim, push-pull, arm-over and club-rip are all part of his arsenal and, combined with the explosiveness he displays when coming off the ball and the consistently low pad level with which he plays, have enabled Pickens to create interior disruption and push the pocket on a regular basis.
Displaying a motor that runs impressively hot for a man of his size, Pickens’ hands are both violent and near-constantly at work. Rare is a snap where Pickens does not fight until the end and, when he does get a free run at a quarterback, he has the body control to flatten his rush and shorten his path to the signal-caller.
Zacch Pickens' tape against Kentucky is a good watch.
Shows his potential as an interior pass rusher who can push the pocket, win with power and hand usage and displays a very high motor. He was dominant by the end of this game. pic.twitter.com/lgr63CnApE
— Nicholas McGee (@nicholasmcgee24) February 22, 2023
Naturally, Pickens would not be a day two or possible day-three prospect without some concerns. His pass-rush explosiveness is inconsistent and double teams have proven a problem for him, with the likes of Georgia and Clemson doing a good job of keeping him relatively quiet.
That former issue is one that makes his Combine performance one that bears watching. San Francisco defensive line coach Kris Kocurek prefers linemen who post fast 10-yard splits when running the 40-yard dash. The tape suggests Pickens should do just that.
If that proves to be the case, Pickens could be a player firmly in the 49ers’ sights if he is still there in the third round, when the Niners have their first three picks of the draft.
The South Carolina defensive lineman the 49ers drafted in the top 15 in 2020 has suffered a series of misfortunes, but that should not deter San Francisco from targeting another Gamecock if he falls to them further down the board to provide Kinlaw and company more support.
