As we approach the 2024 NFL Draft, there will continue to be endless speculation about what teams are doing and how they will attempt to improve their rosters for not only the upcoming season but the future overall. That includes the San Francisco 49ers, who will make their first pick in the first round at the No. 31 overall selection in this year's draft.
The 49ers, of course, are coming off yet another Super Bowl defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, their second in five years. They'll look to get back to the big game once again in 2024 with still one of the more talented rosters in the NFL. As talented as this roster is, however, there are certain circumstances that will have the 49ers looking toward the future with this draft.
Whether it be aging players, contract extensions, or something else, if this team wants to stay in their Super Bowl window, it's likely they will have to seek out some key positions in this draft to hopefully fix those problems. They'll have 10 picks scattered throughout every round to do so. However, they should be careful in their selections, knowing that a couple of wrong picks could potentially knock them out of their window.
Now, here are two players that the 49ers should avoid in the 2024 NFL Draft:
Kingsley Suamataia, OL, BYU
As good as Trent Williams has been, earning himself a future Hall of Fame induction, he will be 36 years old by the time the 2024 season begins. Given the draft selection the 49ers have acquired in the first round with the 31st pick, that puts them in a good position to get one of many offensive linemen in a draft class that is full of them.
However, one to maybe avoid should be BYU's Kingsley Suamataia. The main reason for this is Suamataia's lack of experience. He has just two years' worth of experience, having played in just one game back in 2021. In 2022, he played right tackle with 687 snaps in 12 games, then moved to left tackle in 2023 with 644 snaps in 11 games.
The lack of experience makes him rely too much on instinct rather than technique, making him a raw talent that still needs more development, per PFF. At such an important position, the 49ers should seek out a more polished tackle.
Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina
The 49ers could always surprise everyone by selecting a wide receiver with their No. 31 overall pick, making clear their intentions with current disgruntled wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Or, they could wait until the second round (or later) with their No. 63 overall pick.
By that point, the talent of wide receivers could start looking thin; after all, it would be toward the very end of the second round. But one receiver that could still be there waiting is South Carolina's Xavier Legette.
Legette is an interesting prospect. He just came off a season in which he had 71 receptions for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns. But that's as far as anyone should go at looking at his career stats as there isn't much else before that.
The 23-year-old had only a combined 42 receptions before that in four seasons at South Carolina, per Sports-Reference. That has to send up red flags if you're someone like the 49ers. As talented as this 49ers offense is, potentially replacing Aiyuk in the future with someone like Legette is likely not the route to go, even if he is a promising prospect.
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