San Francisco 49ers get UDFA steal in DB Tarvarus McFadden

The San Francisco 49ers may have gotten a big-time steal in Tarvarus McFadden, who went undrafted after his playing career at Florida State…

The San Francisco 49ers have been one of the most entertaining teams to watch the past two offseasons, and with their quarterback in place, their 2018 NFL Draft class provided balance to the roster.

As we know, the NFL Draft is one of many ways teams can improve their roster, and sometimes putting together a championship caliber crew requires hitting on an undrafted free agent or two.

One player that could have an impact in San Francisco is former Florida State cornerback Tarvarus McFadden, a 2016 All-American and former NCAA leader in interceptions.

Why did McFadden fall out of the draft after an insane 2016 season where he picked off eight passes?

The number one reason may very well be speed.

McFadden showed disappointing game speed in 2017 against faster receivers and was unable to recover far too frequently.

His production also took a nosedive. After picking off eight passes in 2016, McFadden didn’t intercept a single one in 2017, forcing many to wonder whether the 2016 season was merely a flash in the pan.

After running a 4.67-second 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine, the writing was on the wall for the underclassman and former five-star recruit.

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McFadden went undrafted, but he’s heading to a great situation in San Francisco where he will be able to learn from another long cornerback whose draft stock was almost non-existent due to long speed.

Richard Sherman, a former fifth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks, once ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash.

Now, that time is more than 0.10 faster than McFadden’s time, but there will be plenty for McFadden to learn from Sherman that he can implement in his game.

McFadden obviously has great ball skills, but he needs to be in a position to get his hands on the ball in the first place. Sherman will be a good mentor for him and the defense the 49ers are going to run will also be a good fit for McFadden’s skill set.

If they wanted, they could use him as both a boundary cornerback and matchup player against bigger receivers, or they could find ways to get him involved with his size and explosiveness as a safety.

Though McFadden’s timed speed is poor, and his production this past season raised some questions about the legitimacy of his 2016 season, the ball skills are there and if he’s willing to apply himself, he can have a long career in the NFL.

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