NFC Notes: 49ers, Rams, Seahawks

49ers

Former 49ers, Seahawks, and Commanders GM Scot McCloughan had high praise for second-round DE Drake Jackson.

“He has traits you can’t teach,” McCloughan said, via Matt Barrows of The Athletic. “That’s the get-off, that’s the flexibility, that’s the foot quickness, that’s the length. I liked him a lot off the tape this year from the standpoint of athleticism, flexibility, ability to re-direct and ability to get to the quarterback.”

McCloughan keyed on Jackson’s ability as an edge rusher. 

“He’s got that first step,” McCloughan said. “And he’s able to dip coming around the edge and he’s able to counter and go back inside. He’s a unique athlete.”

As for sixth-round CB Tariq Castro-Fields, McCloughan believes he can be a quality backup early in his career. 

“I think he has a chance to be a pretty good player — if not a starter early, a quality backup that can play a couple of positions,” McCloughan said. “Then if you get it right, you get a starter down the line. He played a lot football. He played against some good receivers and stood up, played pretty dang good. Like I said, he was consistent. I don’t think he was great.”

Rams

• CBS Sports analyst and former agent Joel Corry looks at how much a potential new deal for Rams WR Cooper Kupp could come in at. He points out that Kupp is the only player ever to have a receiving Triple Crown season (leading the league in receptions, yards and touchdowns), win offensive player of the year and win Super Bowl MVP in the same year. Jerry Rice is the only other player to achieve all those honors in their career. 
• Kupp has said he’s not looking to reset the market necessarily, he just wants a “fair” deal. Corry projects that based on the range of other deals signed this offseason to be in the range of $22 to $26 million a year. 
• Corry adds guaranteed money and cashflow should be the real sticking points, with $50 million over two years a reasonable ask from Kupp’s standpoint. 

Seahawks

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll on why the team opted to draft Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker in the second round of the draft.

“He took off now, he’s a rocket,” Carroll said, via Pro Football Talk. “He caught the ball really well today, too, which we are really excited about. Our offense, the terminology, and the concepts that we have run, he’s run before, and he was well prepared at Michigan State coming to us. He understood the terminology to some extent too, so it’s really going to facilitate him being comfortable with the transition. We will expect no issues there at all, he will be able to go. He was very bursty, very quick.”

Carroll was asked by reporters if Walker would be the third-down back this coming season.

“Let me wait and see on that one, as far as making him a third-down guy,” Carroll said. “He has a ways to go pass-protection-wise, that’s a real challenge for him, so we will see. I know that his attitude will be in it, he’s a terrific competitive kid. That really needs to be a priority, which it is, and we’ve already talked to him about it. [Running backs coach] Chad [Morton] will take him through it, so we will see how it goes. He looked really good today catching the ball and running routes, so I was really pleased to see that.”