49ers officially sign 10 rookies, Trey Lance not among them
The San Francisco 49ers on Thursday made 10 rookie signings official, including five of their eight draft picks and five undrafted free agents.
No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance was not among the players to sign one day before the start of rookie minicamp. Third-round picks RB Trey Sermon and CB Ambry Thomas have also yet to ink their rookie deals.
Given the standardized nature of the NFL’s four-year rookie contracts for draft picks there’s not a ton to iron out and the signings are more of a formality than anything. Players just have to sign before training camp starts or they’ll have to hold out.
There weren’t any surprises among the undrafted players either. San Francisco’s UDFA class is relatively small with four plus their signee via the NFL international pathway program.
Here are the 10 rookies who inked their deals Thursday:
OL Aaron Banks
(AP Photo/Brian Blanco)
Banks was a second-round pick out of Notre Dame. He's the favorite to start at right guard.
OL Jaylon Moore
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The 49ers took Moore with the first of their three fifth-round picks. He'll compete for a roster spot on the interior after playing left tackle at Western Michigan.
CB Deommodore Lenoir
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Lenoir, a fifth-round pick out of Oregon, is a versatile defensive back who projects long-term as a nickel corner. His playing time in Year 1 may depend on the availability of the rest of the CB group.
S Talanoa Hufanga
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
The third of the 49ers' three Round 5 choices wants to be a Pro Bowler as a special teams player in his rookie season. Hufanga filled the stat sheet at USC, and there's optimism he could have an impact on defense down the road.
RB Elijah Mitchell
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Mitchell went in the sixth round following a strong career at Louisiana-Lafayette. He's a big, fast running back who figures to slot in nicely in Kyle Shanahan's outside zone rushing scheme.
OL Alfred Gutierrez
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Gutierrez comes to the 49ers as an undrafted rookie via Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico. He'll join the club's practice squad as part of the NFL's international pathway program, and he won't be eligible to play this year. It won't be hard to miss Gutierrez at practice – he's listed at 6-9, 332 pounds.
LB Justin Hilliard
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Hilliard went undrafted after spending six years at Ohio State. The 49ers' linebacking corps is not exceedingly deep, so Hilliard will have a chance to find his way onto the 53-man roster with a strong camp.
TE Josh Pederson
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Pederson went undrafted out of Louisiana Monroe. The son of former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson will need to offer something more than blocking to jump over Ross Dwelley and Charlie Woerner on the 49ers' roster.
LB Elijah Sullivan
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Sullivan is almost identical to Hilliard in that they're both undrafted linebackers who spent six years in their college programs. Sullivan is an inch shorter and 15 pounds lighter, and he was just a touch more productive than his tOSU counterpart with 60 more tackles and 2.0 sacks.
WR Austin Watkins Jr.
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Expect the undrafted rookie from University of Alabama-Birmingham to be a popular name throughout the offseason. He's 6-3, 210 pounds and had a very productive college career at a position where the 49ers could badly use some depth.
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