Why the 49ers Drafted Cameron Latu

The hope is that Latu can be a player the 49ers can groom, but there is more behind the reason for why the 49ers drafted him.

Tight end was one of the more stacked positions in the 2023 NFL draft.

The 49ers made sure to take advantage of that when they selected Alabama's Cameron Latu in the third round with the No. 101 pick. Depth was needed behind George Kittle with Ross Dwelley and Charlie Woerner being afterthoughts in the offense. The hope is that Latu can be a player the 49ers can groom, but there is more behind the reason for why the 49ers drafted him.

“I think his mentality," said John Lynch. "I think he’s a versatile player in that he’s good in both the run and the pass, but he went to ‘Bama as a linebacker and I think he plays like that. He’s an aggressive player, he’s a competitive player when you’re watching film with him, his recall is really good. He grew on you from that standpoint. I know Kyle got to talk to [Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian] Sark over at Texas who had coached him right when he was transitioning over to the tight end position and got some information. We liked the skillset, and we liked the mentality."

So, the 49ers drafted him because of his "mentality" and a good review from Sarkisian. That's similar to why the 49ers drafted defensive end Robert Beal Jr. in the fifth round. They cited his physique and a good review by Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. Of course, film work was done to gain interest, but these two factors look to be a big part of what convinced the 49ers.

Another factor that drove the 49ers into selecting Latu is that he got stronger as the season went on last year. Given the season defensive end Drake Jackson where he fell off as the season went on, that is definitely an attribute that is going to attract Kyle Shanahan. Being able to sustain a strong level throughout a season, and then improving beyond that.

“That’s one of the things we liked about him the most," said Shanahan. "He looked like a good player, but also how much better he got throughout the year and how much more we think is in his body. Then you look at his history knowing he came in playing linebacker the first two years I think then switched over, so he’s late to the position and as you watch him throughout the year, we think he can get a lot better in the run game and the pass game. It’s hard to say whether he’s a run blocker or a pass game guy and we see this guy as both and he can accelerate at both and that’s important to us in all our tight ends.”

Latu is most likely going to be a project for the 49ers. Carving himself out a role in 2023 would be a farfetched reality, so this year is more about finding what he is strong at and enhancing that. From there, the 49ers will have something to work with and can start to get him involved and polish up some of his weaknesses.