27. San Francisco 49ers: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State
The situation that’s going on with the 49ers and starting left tackle Trent Williams is worth monitoring as we get closer to the NFL Draft. We’ll see how aggressive they are in upgrading the line during NFL Free Agency, but this year’s draft class just has so many options they could look to as either instant starters or developmental options.
One player who isn’t getting a ton of buzz right now, but might as the weeks progress, is Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor. Iheanachor was late to start playing football, but his raw talent and combination of size and athletic traits are off the charts.
He might best project to the right side at the next level, but teams could also view this as the perfect time to flip him to the left side with his inexperience and moldable qualities.
28. Houston Texans: Lee Hunter, DL, Texas Tech
The Texans need help in the trenches on both sides of the ball. It was almost difficult to not put an offensive lineman in this slot, but as you’ve seen throughout the first round of this mock draft, the run on offensive linemen has been bordering on legendary.
If there’s a run on offensive linemen, it could push some talented defensive line prospects down the board, and the Texans will have to be ready to capitalize on that. There are a number of veterans on that Houston defensive line set to hit free agency, and the team really needs to reset the clock and get some more talent in there to go with their elite EDGE duo.
Lee Hunter is considered one of the best run-defending defensive linemen in this draft. He won’t sell a lot of jerseys, but he’s going to be a plug-and-play starter on the inside.