San Francisco 49ers could answer one of the Kyle Shanahan era's biggest what-ifs in 2024 draft
For the San Francisco 49ers, there isn't much reason for 2019 third-round pick Jalen Hurd to be at the forefront of their minds. The Niners have the most stacked offense in football, one that in 2023 saw four players named first-team All-Pro while Brandon Aiyuk was named second-team All-Pro. But, as the 2024 draft draws […]
For the San Francisco 49ers, there isn't much reason for 2019 third-round pick Jalen Hurd to be at the forefront of their minds.
The Niners have the most stacked offense in football, one that in 2023 saw four players named first-team All-Pro while Brandon Aiyuk was named second-team All-Pro.
But, as the 2024 draft draws ever closer, they have a chance to select a prospect with a markedly similar skill set to a player who remains one of their great 'what ifs'.
What might have been
A physically imposing running back turned wide receiver, the 49ers were planning to eventually transition Hurd to tight end, and the early flashes were extremely promising.
Peter King left the 49ers 2019 training camp believing Hurd would win Offensive Rookie of the Year, per 49ers Webzone. Hurd then increased the hype around him with two touchdowns in a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.
But he never had the opportunity to play a regular-season game for the 49ers, spending each of his three seasons on injured reserve owing to back and knee issues. After a very brief spell with the New England Patriots last year, Hurd retired from professional football.
The 49ers never got to harness Hurd's extremely varied range of abilities. San Francisco, of course, boasts some of the most versatile offensive weapons in the league in the likes of Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Juszczyk, George Kittle and Deebo Samue, the latter's emergence in his rookie year in 2019 after being picked in the second round overshadowing Hurd's injury troubles.
However, in this draft cycle the 49ers have shown interest in Florida State tight end Jaheim Bell, who has the myriad talents to fulfil the role San Francisco once envisaged for Hurd.
The more you can do
Bell played one year at Florida State after transferring from South Carolina, and he played all over the field at both schools.
At 6ft 2in and 241 pounds, Bell is undersized for the archetypal tight end role but undoubtedly has the build for the modern day move tight end, and he proved himself a dangerous weapon in that capacity. He averaged 16.6 yards per reception in his sophomore year at South Carolina in 2021 and 12.9 yards per catch in his lone season with Florida State.
Though he is not the most fluid of route-runners, Bell can win with the explosiveness and burst he displayed at the NFL Combine, where he recorded an A to Z Sports athletic composite score of 91.2%, the fourth-best among tight ends. That athleticism was most prevalent after the catch. Per A to Z Sports' Travis May, Bell led all tight ends in the nation in yards after catch per target (among TEs with 20+ targets) in 2021 and finished inside the top ten in both 2022 and 2023.
That ability in the open field was also a key reason for his success in another role in his time at South Carolina. Bell lined up in-line, in the slot, as an outside receiver, at H-back, fullback and at Wildcat QB. Most interestingly, though, he also has substantial experience lining up as a running back.
Bell carried the ball 84 times in his college career, though only four of them came at Florida State. On his 80 rushes for the Gamecocks, Bell recorded 301 yards and scored three touchdowns, averaging 3.8 yards per carry.
Those aren't spectacular numbers, but the explosiveness, vision, elusiveness and contact balance Bell displayed in flashes as a rusher, most notably in South Carolina's 2022 demolition of Tennessee, combined with what he can do as a receiver, were clearly enough to intrigue San Francisco.
Interest from the 49ers
The 49ers had a formal interview with Bell at the Combine and, while general manager John Lynch was at Michigan's pro day, sent national scout Chip Flanagan to the Florida State pro day on Friday.
Tight end is not a primary need for the 49ers but, after losing Kittle's 2023 backup Charlie Woerner in free agency, there is a hole on the depth chart at the position. With 10 picks in the draft and most of their major needs filled by astute moves on the open market, the Niners are in a position where they can build on strengths.
The offensive skill positions are certainly a strength, but Bell is a prospect who figures to be available on day two or day three who could add another dimension to an already multi-faceted attack by giving them an imposing pass-catcher who can also contribute in the blocking game and make an impact out of the backfield. In short, he would greatly increase their menu of options from two-tight end looks.
It is a dimension the Niners expected to get from Hurd back in 2019. Half a decade on, they might finally get to see what a player with that level of versatility can do in their dynamic attack.
Former NFL All-Pro supports move that would be a huge win for one of the 49ers’ biggest rivals
The odds are against it happening.
