San Francisco 49ers: Three-cone times to note at 2018 NFL Combine

The three-cone is seen as a great drill for evaluating pass rushers. Here we look at five prospects who the San Francisco 49ers should be watching.

While much of the focus at the NFL Scouting Combine is on the 40-yard dash, for edge rushers the most important drill is the three-cone. And it is one the San Francisco 49ers should have a keen eye on this year.

The three-cone is very useful for evaluating pass rushers as it helps demonstrate how quickly they bend and dip round corners. There are several players in the 2018 class who could benefit from a strong performance in the drill.

San Francisco, after finishing 2017 with just 30 sacks, needs to add pass rushers and here we look at some who should be on their radar but would benefit from an impressive three-cone workout.

Hercules Mata’afa

There is no doubting Mata’afa’s production, as he racked up 22.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks as well as two forced fumbles in 2017. However, the vast majority of his production came as an interior disruptor, Mata’afa rarely deployed off the edge at Washington State.

There's concern as to whether Mata'afa can produce on the outside, I'm confident he can. Works to outside here and his speed allows him to easily get around tackle and bring pressure that forces a bad throw and pick pic.twitter.com/HqGl4TYpnZ
— Nicholas McGee (@nicholasmcgee24) February 24, 2018

He does not have the frame to hold up inside at the next level and he will have to convince NFL teams he can combine his excellent first step with the ability to bend. Mata’afa must start to build that case in the three-cone.

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo

Similar to Mata’afa, Oklahoma defensive end Okoronkwo has great burst off the snap to instantly put opposing linemen in trouble but wins predominantly because of his quickness.

Okoronkwo can sell outside fakes and work his way back inside and also has a spin move in his locker but, though he had 29 tackles for loss and 17 sacks in his final two seasons with the Sooners, it is unlikely he will be able to have the same success in the NFL without being able to marry that inside quickness with some bend and dip.

Should he impress in the three-cone, Okoronkwo is athletically impressive enough to enter the first-round conversation.

Marcus Davenport

Save for Bradley Chubb, who would be in the conversation for the first overall pick were their not so many teams in need of a quarterback, Marcus Davenport may have the most upside of any edge rusher in the draft. He is a monstrous presence who excels with the bull rush, showing the ability to transform his speed into power and completely dominate opposing tackles.

More from San Francisco 49ers

Yet Davenport lacks nuance as a pass rusher. He doesn’t appear to have much of a plan of attack and signs of bend have been limited at best. However, for a team as desperate for pass-rush help as the 49ers, even a slightly above-average showing in three-cone should be enough for the 49ers to at least consider him with the ninth overall pick.

Arden Key

Seen before the 2017 season as a potential top-10 pick, Arden Key’s disappointing final campaign at LSU and doubts over his personal discipline mean few players head into the pre-draft process with more to prove.

Key boasts a good first step off the snap but his tape suggests a lack of overall quickness and an approach that is far too straight line for him to have consistent success at the next level. An impressive performance in three-cone will go some way to silencing the doubters and should put him firmly on the 49ers radar.

Harold Landry

There is no doubt that Harold Landry’s tape showcases a player who has the ability to consistently dip and bend around the edge. The problem for Landry is that is 2017 was heavily affected by injury, as he played only eight games and had just five sacks a year after racking up 16.5 in 2016.

Next: San Francisco 49ers: Positional traits to look for in 2018 offseason

As a result he heads into the Combine perhaps needing to prove he is still the same player. Should he do so and perform in three-cone, then the 49ers should absolutely be considering a defender who has demonstrated the ability to win with bend, quickness and power with the ninth overall pick.