Click here if you are having trouble viewing the slideshow on a mobile device.
Since Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch took over the 49ers, they have entered the draft trying to rebuild the team.
Obviously, with the 49ers winning the NFC and going to the Super Bowl this past season, the team’s priorities needed to change.
No longer could the Niners select talent with the sole purpose of accruing as much as possible. No, this year, Lynch and Shanahan had to fill specific needs for a team that has an open championship window.
It’s a dance that this Niner administration had not done before, and it’s a tricky one.
But from my vantage point — my couch and desk, which is the same as yours and Shanahan and Lynch’s — the 49ers’ aced the test.
No one knows how any of the new NFL players selected over the past three days will fare. There will be “surefire” prospects that flame out and unheralded picks that become All-Pros. It’s all a crapshoot — educated guesses.
But remove the names — forget the specific prospects — and look at San Francisco’s draft from a business management standpoint. It was a masterclass in professionalism. The Niners’ picks and the moves around them were logical and straightforward. There were no surprises or aggressive double-downs. There was nothing wild or speculative about it. This was a team that entered the draft with a plan and was able to execute that plan amid unique and dynamic circumstances.
A team that came into the draft with two glaring needs — three-technique defensive tackle and ‘X’ wide receiver — filled those needs with crafty maneuvering and two elite athletes in the first round.
A team that needed a left tackle (though they kept that a secret up until Day Three) added an elite one not from the draft, but with marginal draft capital via trade.
A team that needed some salary-cap relief — in no small part because of that new left tackle — found some in trading away veterans buried on the depth chart.
A team that needed a versatile depth lineman, a blocking tight end, and a larger slot receiver picked up all three on Day Three.
This might seem unremarkable. It should, because competence is.
But, let me tell you, it’s not in wide supply in the NFL. (You only need to look at the Packers’ draft. The Niners’ NFC Championship opponent, which desperately needed a wide receiver and offensive linemen, used their first-round pick on a quarterback who will be benched for a few years, at least.)
That why in a league that prides itself on “parity”, the best run teams make the playoffs year after year and the worst teams can’t seem to ever catch a break.
The Niners could be seen as a flash in the pan — a one-year wonder — by some. They caught quite a few breaks this past season on their road to Miami.
But this draft showed that the Niners’ mistake is no accident. We knew that Shanahan knew what he was doing on the field, but in five picks and five trades, Lynch should have earned every Niners fans’ trust.
Round 1
Javon Kinlaw – DT – South Carolina
The ready-made replacement for DeForest Buckner, Kinlaw has the raw athleticism the Niners crave on the defensive line. The drop-off from him — in my opinion the top defensive tackle prospect in the draft — to the next-best prospect available at that position was immense, so strong value for the Niners here. Kinlaw will enter a perfect situation to succeed early. The Niners will need him to capitalize. Only concern: knee tendinitis.
Grade: A-
Brandon Aiyuk – WR – Arizona State
Shanahan’s favorite wide receiver prospect, Aiyuk is a young Emmanuel Sanders. His hands aren’t sure, but he was arguably the most athletic receiver in the draft. Another tremendous scheme fit, he’ll likely be a Week 1 starter opposite (and interchanging with) Deebo Samuel. The duo is unquestionably one of the most interesting young receiver pairs in the league going into 2020.
Grade: A
***
Round 5
Trent Williams – OT – Washington
The offensive tackle wasn’t a draft selection, but he was acquired with this pick, along with a third-round pick in 2021.
The notion that Williams — an All-Pro caliber left tackle — could be had for a future third and a present fifth-round pick is comical, even if he needs a new contract.
Grade: A+
Colton McKivitz – OT – West Virginia
This came via a pick the Niners received in a swap for running back Matt Breida. McKivitz is a versatile lineman who plays with the kind of run-blocking edge San Francisco loves.
He’s a tremendous scheme fit who received comparisons to Dan Brunskill in the draft process and now he’ll likely compete with him for the starting right guard job. As a backup, McKivitz is a viable option to play at right tackle and both guard spots. Pass protection is a concern, but the Niners’ scheme seems to undercut those concerns with many prospects. Overall, McKivitz is a high-floor prospect where there not much upside, so, even on Day 3, he might have been drafted too early. That said, the Niners did sniff out a run on guards in the round.
Grade: B-
***
Round 6
Charlie Woerner – TE – Georgia
Woerner will be the Niners’ blocking tight end this year. He’s roughly the same size as George Kittle and he shows the same kind of tenacity in blocking as San Francisco’s All-Pro tight end. He’ll move people at the NFL level.
He wasn’t used much as a receiver at Georgia, but his athletic testing hints at untapped potential, posing a 120-inch broad jump, 34-inch vertical jump, and a 4.78-yard 40-yard dash — better numbers than Eagles star tight end Zach Ertz. I’m extremely high on this pick, as it not just fills an immediate need but also has a chance to look like a steal in a few years.
It helps the vibes that the pick that selected Woerner was part of a deal to dump the salary of Marquise Goodwin — a huge, positive move for the Niners.
Grade: A
***
Round 7
Jauan Jennings — WR — Tennessee
Jennings doesn’t have the athletic testing the 49ers usually value in the draft, which made his selection a bit of a surprise, but on Day 3, you sacrifice something — either athletic upside, character, or on-field production.
Jennings, a former high school quarterback, had the character and the tape. He’s not fast, but he is shifty and large — he literally ran over SEC competition at Tennessee, breaking tackles on more than 50 percent of his catches last year. That was far and away the highest rate in major college football last year.
Jennings comes in as insurance for the injured all-around “offensive weapon” Jalen Hurd and as a possible upgrade — particularly in the red zone — at slot receiver.
While there were certainly higher-upside prospects, Round 7 was a reasonable point of selection for Jennings.
Grade: B
