2014 DBN Mock Draft: San Francisco 49ers Select DT Ra'Shede Hageman at No. 30

With the 30th pick in the 2014 Dawgs By Nature Community Mock Draft, the San Francisco 49ers select...

Ra'Shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota

This selection and write-up was made by corey.freuen:

I really struggled with this pick in light of my top 6 players for the Niners being snatched away in the last 9 picks, and considering this is such a talented draft class it was difficult to narrow in on the right player to fit their roster.  I spoke with several Niner fans and read countless articles about their wants and needs, but most importantly I'm stuck in the middle of Hawk country and I asked them where they felt the Niners were the most weak.  Unfortunately they weren't much help, because the consensus was that outside of Justin Smith, Frank Gore, and Patrick Willis, their roster is garbage.

The consensus seems to be that the Niners need help at corner and WR more than anything, followed by DL, then interior OL.   I personally feel like a smaller/quicker/body control type receiver would compliment their existing receiving threats who are all big-ish and less than elite in agility.  Anyone who fit that mold was already gone, so I considered my two favorite value receivers in this draft (J. Matthews and C. Latimer) but I felt the value was lacking compared to other positions that are more thin at the top. I also feel like the current receiving core is adequate, and I don't believe that Kaepernick is a skilled enough passer to utilize a 4th receiving threat.  Corner is a big need, but what we are left with is Roby (who I'm not high on) and several guys who are much more fitting in the second round like Desir and Jean-Baptiste, and I'm confident that Trent Baalke can find the right value in the later rounds.  This leaves us with OL and DL, so I thought about X. Su'a-Filo, but the positional value of a guard doesn't compare favorably to the final alternative:  Ra'Shede Hageman.

Hageman is a freak athletic specimen who comes from a lower tier college program, which is mostly due to his incredibly challenging background (you should look into it) and because he began his career as a tight end.  He was also a basketball star, and this athletic versatility was maintained as he filled his giant frame out to 6'6" and 310 lbs.  He is physically ideal to be a hyper athletic 3-4 right or left DT, which the Niners could definitely use.  He can play 5T or 3T, and he's physically capable of stopping the run or rushing the passer.  his arms are insanely long at 34 1/4", so batting down passes and reaching way out to corral ball carriers is well within his capabilities, his vertical jump was outstanding, and it's worth mentioning that he has the second highest SPARQ of all the DT prospects.

He also tore up the competition at the Senior Bowl, for what it's worth.  He is physically comparable to Quentin Coples and Muhammad Wilkerson, except that his athletic measurables are slightly higher and I believe that upper echelon athleticism at a critical position is worth the high cost of the pick rather than some of the other options at positions of higher need, and it's important to remember that Justin Smith won't be around much longer.  Smith is a consummate pro and could help this kid learn the trade and eventually succeed one of the best in the business.  I expect him to immediately push for playing time opposite Smith and has all-pro potential if he can transition to the speed of the game and work out his consistency issues.

It's an interesting point to say that Kaepernick isn't skilled enough to utilize a fourth receiving threat. Cornerbacks jumps out as one of the team's top needs, but I also agree that San Francisco is in position to use one of the their two second-round picks in that area. That leaves them taking one of the top-rated defensive lineman available here, which I'd say is a good pick.

The Denver Broncos are up next, led by Bizono.

2014 DBN Community Mock Draft Results (so far)