His reasoning is quite sound. No, really.
The San Francisco 49ers 2019 draft has concluded and you’ll be seeing all sorts of draft grades coming out. One of the more interesting ones will become from ESPN analyst Mel Kiper who has made a living evaluating prospects and giving his take where team’s progress through the draft.
Kiper released his draft grades for all 32 teams and gave the 49ers a solid B-. Kiper seems to understand what the 49ers are doing, but he doesn’t like the picks they use to do it.
There were two big improvements for GM John Lynch and the Niners this offseason:
Reloading the front seven. This is a defense that set NFL records for fewest takeaways (seven) and interceptions (two) in a season. Trading for Dee Ford will boost the edge rush, while free-agent signing Kwon Alexander will man the middle linebacker spot. And now taking the No. 1 overall player on my board in Nick Bosa gives San Francisco two really, really talented pass-rushers to wreak havoc and force some turnovers on the outside while DeForest Buckner causes interior pressure.
Much like the Garoppolo trade in 2018 where he factored that into their grade, it’s curious what the grade would have been had the 49ers not traded for Dee Ford and gotten Kwon Alexander. would the Dre Greenlaw pick have more impact for the 49ers need at linebacker?
Kiper went on to like the second and third round picks fo Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd respectively, but the love somewhat stops there. He thinks Mitch Wishnowsky was taken early (disagree), but acknowledges it’s a need. He does like the Kaden Smith pick and thinks that more of a need, but doesn’t give near as much praise as he did for the start of the draft. Here’s the rest of what Kiper had to say:
Getting Jimmy Garoppolo some weapons. If Garoppolo is healthy, this is a team that could make some noise in the NFC West. But he needed better pass-catchers, which is why I like the Niners taking Deebo Samuel (No. 36) and Jalen Hurd (No. 67) on Day 2. Samuel is the best slot receiver in the class, while Hurd is a 6-foot-5 athletic specimen who’s still learning the intricacies of running routes. Add those receivers to a depth chart with Marquise Goodwin and Dante Pettis, and you like the upside. (Don’t forget Tevin Coleman, who was a nice free-agent signing.)
The fourth round was far too high for Lynch to take punter Mitch Wishnowsky(No. 110) — he finished No. 294 on my board — but a need is a need. I would have thought they’d target one of those safeties early on Day 3 instead. Kaden Smith (No. 176) ran really slow at the combine (4.92) but before that I thought he had a chance to go in Round 3. Getting him in Round 6 is good value.
I like the direction the 49ers are going, even if I don’t love all of these picks.
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