Getty The 49ers and Panthers on October 9, 2022.
Potential breakout training camp star labels aren’t just given to late draft picks or undrafted rookies. But also those who are veterans hopping over — which is the case for one “really interesting player” with ties to new San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.
Kyle Madson of Niners Wire on USA Today dropped this name as one to watch when the 49ers head to training camp during the week of July 24: Myles Hartsfield, formerly of the Carolina Panthers.
‘Really Interesting Player’ Who Did ‘Virtually Everything’ for Wilks
Hartsfield, 25, is now entering his fourth NFL season after spending his last three in Charlotte. While not considered a household addition in the same breath as Javon Hargrave or Clelin Ferrell, Madson believes Hartsfield is still one to watch once he takes part in team drills.
“Hartsfield is a really interesting player,” Madson began. “During his time in Carolina, Hartsfield did virtually everything on defense from playing free safety, to slot corner, to strong safety, to linebacker.”
Long story short, Hartsfield brings the type of versatility Wilks is looking for out of this defense. And it’s the kind of versatility that the 49ers have used in the past under DeMeco Ryans as Jimmie Ward was used as a moving option.
Hartsfield went on to collect 118 total tackles in his three seasons with the Panthers. And that includes the season-high of 59 he totaled in Wilks’ final season with the franchise of 2022. Hartsfield also hit new personal bests in solo stops (44), tackles for a loss (two) and delivered his first forced fumble. Hartsfield went on to start in a combined 19 regular season games in his last two seasons with the NFC South franchise.
Competition Still Brewing for Versatile Defender
The downside for Hartsfield, though, is that while he’s familiar with how Wilks’s defense operates, he’s not a guaranteed lock to play immediately even with his reunion with Wilks.
The reason? Another newcomer coming to the Bay Area in their first overall draft pick of 2023.
“A versatile safety is a really nice chess piece for a defensive coordinator to have, but San Francisco drafted Ji’Ayir Brown to hopefully be that player,” Madson wrote. “There’s a logjam at safety, but Hartsfield could force his way onto the roster and become a key piece of the 49ers’ secondary with a strong showing in camp.”
While Brown is an intriguing get and was considered by many analysts as a strong pickup for the 49ers in the third round, he doesn’t have the depth of knowledge yet of the Wilks defense. The fact that Hartsfield has extensive game experience plus a proven track record of being a sure tackler helps give him a slight edge over the Penn State star at the moment.
However, Brown was drafted because of having similar versatile elements on the field. Penn State has used him as a Cover 1 safety to showcase his range and instincts, has lined up close to the line of scrimmage as a box safety and was tasked to cover the slot wide receiver. Brown, additionally, was drafted as the first draft option to help replace Ward.
But if Brown doesn’t see the field immediately, the 49ers will have someone knowledgeable in Wilks’ coaching and scheme to help fill this defense.