The San Francisco 49ers will use the 2019 NFL Draft to honor the loss of longtime scout Reggie Cobb, who died on Saturday morning at the age of 50.
Cobb's son, DeMarcus, is expected to announce San Francisco's second-round pick (No. 36) on Friday evening. DeMarcus, 24, lives in Texas and will join 49ers alumnus Earl Cooper on stage for the selection, per the team's website.
In addition, Niners general manager John Lynch told reporters that Cobb's seat in San Francisco's draft room will be left empty for the duration of the draft.
"I think a lot of people just really cared about him, and that's because he had a special way of making people feel really good about themselves," Lynch said of Cobb on Monday. "I think we'll always remember the infectious smile, the laugh and just the person that Reggie was."
Cobb was entering his 11th season with the organization. He previously spent six seasons scouting for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and two seasons scouting for the Washington Redskins. Cobb was named NFC Scout of the Year by the Fritz Pollard Alliance in 2011 when he was with San Francisco.
Before he was a scout, Cobb played seven seasons of professional football. Drafted by the Buccaneers in the second round of the 1990 draft, he played four seasons there, starting 47 of 60 games played. Cobb's best season came in 1992 when he rushed for a career-high 1,171 yards and nine touchdowns. Cobb also played for the Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets.
He finished his career with 1,065 carries for 3,743 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns.
