San Francisco 49ers select Robert Beal in fifth round of 2023 NFL Draft

Robert Beal was a key piece of back-to-back national championships at Georgia the last two years. He’ll now try to make an impact in the NFL.

The San Francisco 49ers selected Beal in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He spent five years with the Bulldogs and appeared in 27 games over the last two years.

In 2022, Beal had 36 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks as he became a key role player on Georgia’s vaunted defense. After missing the 2020 season, he totaled 72 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks over his final two years in Athens. In fact, one of his biggest games came in 2021 in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Michigan when he had four tackles and a sack to help take the Bulldogs to the national championship and win their first title in 40 years.

At the NFL scouting combine, Beal ran a 4.53 40-yard dash, which put him third among the defensive ends and EDGEs who participated in the event.

Beal played high school football at Peachtree Ridge (Ga.) High School, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 88 overall recruit in the 2017 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Robert Beal

Although Beal doesn’t necessarily have stats that jump off the page, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein said he still had a strong chance to hear his name called at some point in Kansas City. His measurements — standing at 6-foot-4 and 247 pounds — could’ve been big factors in teams’ decisions to take a look at him on their draft boards as a potential depth piece for the future.

“Beal has been missed out on snaps to more talented players and doesn’t have a history of production that will excite teams, but his size, length and athletic ability are all moldable elements that could attract a team on Day 3,” Zierlein wrote. “He lacks awareness as a run defender and possesses just average range as a tackler, but he can hold his ground against power. As a rusher, the tape can be a little uneven, but he flashes moves and counters that appear to be instinctive and potential fuel for development. Beal is a developmental edge defender who needs to prove himself on special teams while he continues learning the position.”