NFL Combine: 5 Prospects to keep an eye on for the 49ers

After media sessions with head coaches and general managers the last two days, the NFL Scouting Combine moves to the field on Thursday. Here are five players for 49ers fans to keep an eye on:

Bryan Cook: Safety, Cincinnati

With Jaquiski Tartt set to be an unrestricted free agent, San Francisco may be in the market for a safety.

The 49ers like their safeties to have the versatility to play down in the box or deep. Cook fits this, playing in the slot, single high, and even taking snaps in the slot.

A strong tackler, Cook shows the ability to fill lanes against the run while also being able to disrupt receivers in the passing game.

Darian Kinnard: Tackle/Guard, Kentucky

San Francisco needs to improve along the offensive line. Kinnard is a natural fit for the 49ers due to his experience playing in an offensive system very similar to Kyle Shanahan’s.

He’s shown the ability to thrive in both gap/power and zone running schemes and RPO heavy pass sets

While Kinnard played primarily right tackle for the Wildcats, he projects better as a guard in the NFL.

Kinnard started on the left side as a true freshman which could allow him to play inside or out on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

Coby Bryant: Cornerback, Cincinnati

Although Emmanuel Moseley and Ambry Thomas played well down the stretch for San Francisco last year, cornerback is still an area of need.

A high-level athlete, Bryant possesses the size, aggression and natural cover skills the 49ers look for in their outside corners.

An area of concern with Bryant is his straight-line speed, which is one of the reasons why he projects as a late day-two or early day-three prospect.

Bryant won the Thorpe reward as the top cornerback in the country last season.

Alec Lidstrom: Center, Boston College

The 49ers are set with Alex Mack at center, for the time being, however, the veteran mentioned retirement following the 2021 season.

Although John Lynch told Bay Area media on Wednesday the team expects Mack to be back for 2022, it makes sense to find a potential replacement in this draft.

The younger brother of Atlanta Falcons guard Christ Lidstrom, his father also played at Boston College and spent three seasons in the NFL.

Lidstrom has the prototypical size and intelligence Kyle Shanahan looks for in a center. He also shows the ability to explode off the ball and cut off linebackers when running outside zone.

Christian Watson: Wide Receiver, North Dakota State 

San Francisco has only Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk under contract at wide receiver for 2022. Jauan Jennings is an exclusive rights free agent but is expected to be back as well. Still, the 49ers have a need at the position.

Watson, 6’5” and 208 pounds, is the type of big-bodied wide receiver Kyle Shanahan tends to lean toward, especially in the middle of his depth chart.

During his time with the Bison, Watson lined up across the formation, another facet to his game that makes him attractive for San Francisco. On any given play he could be found out wide, in the slot, or even in the backfield, and he is a dangerous kick returner as well.

The wide receiver group in this draft class is very deep, which could push Watson into the middle rounds, a perfect spot for the 49ers to add another receiving threat for Trey Lance.