Why the 49ers Drafted LB Dee Winters
Linebacker has been the most secured and strongest position on the 49ers for the last few years.
However, with the departure of Azeez Al-Shaair in free agency, the position lost some power. It's still a very stacked position with Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, but they definitely could use a young talent they can groom to reload for the future.
One of those young talents is Texas Christian University's Dee Winters who the 49ers drafted in the sixth round with the No. 216 overall pick. This is how the 49ers can make up for the loss of Al-Shaair in the future as expecting that replacement is an incredibly high demand that won't be met. Drafting a linebacker makes sense for the 49ers, but why Winters? John Lynch revealed why at his post-draft press conference following the conclusion of the draft.
“Johnny Holland (49ers linebackers coach) was a huge Dee Winters fan. We trust Johnny’s eye a lot," said Lynch. "Our scouts like Dee Winters a lot. We had a really nice discussion. We ended up with [LB] Jalen Graham and the reason we drafted him when we already had a linebacker was because we were torn between Dee Winters and Jalen Graham. Ultimately, Dee Winters beat him out. When Jalen is still there at the end, you go get Jalen Graham. We liked them both. Dee kind of fits who we are."
Holland is the main reason the 49ers have been so secure at linebacker. Kris Kocurek may get all the praise for being the best position coach on the team, but Holland is right there next to him. The work he has done with Warner, Greenlaw, Al-Shaair, and more is superb. Holland knows how to spot them and how to get the most out of his guys. So, he is a big part of why the 49ers took Winters, but the 49ers also see similarities with him and another one of their linebackers.
"He is a player who drew some comparisons. Comparisons are dangerous because you have to go do it, but he has similar traits to [LB] Dre Greenlaw. A similar suddenness to his game. I had the advantage. TCU was a heavily scouted school by me, selfishly, because my daughter Lilly goes to school there. I got to be there on three different occasions this year and anyone who I would talk to would talk about Dee Winters as being a real leader on that team. He’s another captain and the unequivocal leader for that defense and the voice of that defense. That carried weight as well and ultimately, we felt like Dee was just a guy we needed to bring in. We’re really excited to take him.”
Winters got the thumbs up from Holland, showcased speed and suddenness, and demonstrated his ability to be a leader. The 49ers always want that in their linebackers as they are a part of being their tone setters. Makes a lot of sense for why the 49ers drafted Winters.
