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When the San Francisco 49ers are eventually “on the clock” in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft, they can go in a lot of different directions.
However, the glaring area of need feels like the secondary. The Niners started several different corners this season in an attempt to find something that works, and only found an ideal setup of Ambry Thomas and Emmanuel Moseley towards the very end of the season.
At strong safety, Jaquiski Tartt is set to become a free agent. While Tartt’s season can’t be boiled down to his dropped interception in the Niners’ 20-17 loss in the NFC Championship, he simply didn’t create a lot of noise due to injury.
ESPN draft analyst Eric Reid thinks San Francisco is moving on at the position. The 49ers’ first pick is at No. 61, and Reid predicts the Niners taking Baylor hybrid defender Jalen Pitre.
“Pitre really impressed me at the Senior Bowl, and he was one of the biggest risers from the event,” Reid explained “He primarily played the STAR position in Dave Aranda’s defense at Baylor, but he has a better skill set than playing only close to the line of scrimmage. Pitre is a smooth operator in coverage with some range. With Jaquiski Tartt hitting free agency, the 49ers could try to get younger in their secondary.”
Meanwhile, Pro Football Network has an emphatic description of Pitre in their draft profile that would get any fan of physical football excited.
“When he recognizes plays, he’s relentless. He explodes into the backfield and can track down plays from behind. Simply put, Pitre is a heat-seeking missile in the box who plays with torrid speed and pace.”
With the majority of his experience being split between linebacker and box safety, Pitre might be a little raw in coverage, but his college years show that it has quickly improved already. However, it’s his athleticism and tackling ability as to why he is an attractive replacement for Tartt.
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Pitre’s Transition to Safety
When Pitre first arrived to Waco, Texas, Pitre was a hard-hitting but undersized linebacker. Even in 2022 he’s a little smaller than average, being 6’0″ tall and 197 pounds per Sports Reference. While he started eight games as a freshman, his numbers don’t jump off the page until his fourth and fifth years as a Baylor Bear.
That’s when the switch to safety happened. Pitre didn’t have the coverage experience some of his counterparts had coming into 2020 and 2021, but he totaled four interceptions and 9 passes defended in 23 games over those two seasons. His ball skills aren’t his primary characteristic, but they’re clearly not bad, as seen in the interception below.
Plus, his effectiveness as a tackler and defensive playmaker grew further in the role. After just two sacks in his first three seasons, he totaled six in his final two years with 29.5 total tackles for loss.
This is all because Baylor committed to using his skillset in a variety of ways rather than just let him play as a standard box safety. Instead, he is a “star,” a hybrid position that balances linebacker and safety duties.
The issue that Pitre and the 49ers run into is that they don’t employ a star position in DeMeco Ryans’ 4-3 defensive scheme. That being said, Tartt has shown that the strong safety in the San Francisco DC’s scheme has an emphasis on commanding the box with his physicality, rather than excelling in all forms of pass coverage.
Pitre Shines at Senior Bowl
Pitre went to Mobile, Alabama to boost his draft stock for Senior Bowl week, and he delivered. In practice and in the game himself, there are many clips on Twitter of the defensive back impressing, such as this blown-up screen.
But scouts know he has a nose for the ball and can blow up the run and short stuff. The NFL wanted to see how well he did in coverage, and two plays really stick out. The first features a confident look when defending an outside pass.
The other features Pitre navigating through a moving secondary to close in on a short curl pass and disrupt it with his hands and physicality.
If the Senior Bowl is any indicator, Pitre is worth the pick.
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