If you’re a 49ers fan still desperate for football in the Bay after season’s end, college football’s national championship comes to Levi’s Stadium on Monday. If advance scouting is your thing, too, there may even be future 49ers on the field.
Here are five players on Alabama and Clemson to keep an eye on as college football season ends and draft season begins.
Clelin Ferrell, Clemson DE, No. 99
The redshirt junior will either be the second or third edge rusher taken in the draft. He’s atop the crop at the position with Ohio State’s Nick Bosa and Kentucky’s Josh Allen. Ferrell has 27 sacks in the last three seasons, including 11.5 this season. He’s amassed 49 tackles for loss and at least 18 in each of the last two seasons. He also has five forced fumbles, one fumble recovery for a touchdown and five passes defensed. Certainly sounds like the kind of guy the 49ers could use to complement DeForest Buckner on the defensive line, if they’re set on an edge rusher and Bosa (seemingly the consensus top pick) is off the board. Ferrell is the No. 9 prospect in the draft, according to CBS Sports.
Deionte Thompson, Alabama S, No. 14
If Thompson somehow slips to the second round, the 49ers could fill their free safety need with Thompson there. No chance they take him No. 2 with the defensive linemen available that early, though. Thompson has two interceptions, six passes defensed, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and 3.5 tackles for loss this season. The 49ers finished last in the NFL this season with only two interceptions, an NFL record for fewest in a season. Thompson is the No. 10 prospect in the draft, according to CBS Sports.
Mack Wilson, Alabama LB, No. 30
Wilson leads the Crimson Tide’s linebacking corps, and he might be around at the start of the second round to fill the gaping hole left by the last Alabama linebacker the 49ers drafted — Reuben Foster, 2017 first round. Wilson ranks No. 29 among draft prospects, according to CBS Sports, and he hass accumulated 105 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, six interceptions, one interception return for a touchdowns and seven passes defensed in the last two seasons.
Trayvon Mullen, Clemson CB, No. 1
Mullen might be a second-round target for the 49ers given the aforementioned defensive backfield woes. He’ll have his hands full Monday against either Jerry Jeudy or Jaylen Waddle, so 49ers fans should get a good look at Mullen against the best on their team’s home field. The junior has six passes defensed and three picks over the last two seasons. CBS Sports ranks him as the No. 42 prospect in the draft.
Hunter Renfrow, Clemson WR, No. 13
It seems like this guy has been in college forever. His biggest moment came in the national championship two years ago, when he caught the game-winning touchdown pass from current Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. He wouldn’t be on the 49ers’ radar until the later rounds, but he has the makings of a reliable slot receiver in the NFL. Renfrow has 184 catches for 2,123 yards and 15 touchdowns over his Clemson career.
