Whitner doesn’t appear to think Ward can bring as much to the field at this point in his career. But he does believe Ward could be valuable, as a mentor to some of the young 49ers defensive backs.

“Well, the only thing I see wrong with it, he’s 34 years old,” Whitner said. “Always been like that coach on the field. He understands the game of football. He can be a great mentor to Upton Stout, who plays the nickel position, who’s about his size, to Malik Mustapha, to Ji’Ayir Brown. So if you’re going to have Jimmie Ward around, I say you keep him on practice squad. I say you let that professionalism rub off on those young guys in there.”

The 49ers are known for having a close-knit locker room and Kuechly believes that Evans has the right mentality to be welcomed quickly. The receiver will also help provide leadership in a young and inexperienced receiver room.

“I just like Mike too, he’s a great guy and you guys got a good one,” Kuechly said. “I think he’s going to come in and fit in right away and I think he just wants to win. At the end of the day, he wants to win.”

49ers take Caleb Lomu. Again. In another NFL.com mock draft
“Look, I don’t hate Lomu as a prospect. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the pass protection is real, and that matters. But here’s the wrinkle — this is Kyle Shanahan’s offense. The run game isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s the whole foundation. Outside zone, wide zone, the stuff that makes the offense hum — it all runs through the offensive line. And if Lomu’s run blocking is still a work in progress, you’re essentially drafting a first-round tackle who isn’t ready to do one of the most important jobs a tackle has in this specific system. That’s not nothing.

And look, we’ve been over the scouting report before, but it’s worth repeating in this context: NFL.com’s own profile notes he’s still learning to find lateral landmarks in the run game and can lose his positioning fitting run blocks. In a Kyle Shanahan outside zone system where that precision isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s the whole point — “still learning” is doing a lot of heavy lifting for a first-round pick.

Maybe it gets developed. Maybe Shanahan works his magic. But “high upside to develop” is a phrase that sounds better in April than it does in October when the run game is sputtering.”