49ers 2023 NFL Draft Recap Guide: The State of the Red & Gold entering May

And just like that, the 2023 NFL Draft has come to a close.

The San Francisco 49ers had a productive end to Day 3, making six selections in four rounds Saturday. While some of the moves made were revered with optimism, others left the 49ers faithful a bit perplexed by the team’s strategy going forward.

Only time with tell if these prospects become gems, but San Francisco, at the very least, addressed depth lost in free agency.

Here are the 49ers nine draft picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Draft Selections:

Round 3

No. 87 – S Ji’Ayir Brown, Penn St.

No. 99 – K Jake Moody, Michigan

No. 101 – TE Cameron Latu, Alabama

Round 5

No. 155 – CB Darrell Luter, Southern Alabama

No. 173 – DE Robert Beal Jr., Georgia

Round 6

No. 216 – LB Dee Winters, TCU

Round 7

No. 247 – TE Brayden Willis, Oklahoma

No. 253 – WR Ronnie Bell, Michigan

No. 255 – LB Jalen Graham, Purdue

San Francisco now has 73 of the 90 training camp roster spots filled for next season. They also restructured running back Christian McCaffrey’s contract, saving the team $8.576 million in cap space. That’ll allow the Red & Gold to re-enter the free agency pool for impact players. Most importantly, free-agent signings after the draft wouldn’t impact the compensatory draft-pick formula, allowing the 49ers to retool with a few veterans heading into next season.

So without further ado, here is the state of the 49ers after the 2023 NFL Draft.

Biggest Takeaways:

Speed Kills on Defense – GTFO

The 49ers made one thing clear in the 2023 NFL Draft: Speed is key to a successful defense, especially on the edge.

That’s mainly the reason they selected Georgia defensive end Robert Beal Jr. While Beal wasn’t as productive in college as his pass-rushing counterparts, the six-year player ran a 4.47 40-yard dash. That’s elite speed at a position that requires it.

What’s more valuable (at least to San Francisco) is something called “GTFO”.

“That’s right. Our analytics, let’s see if anyone can guess. We have a, I tell our analytics guys all the time, [Research & Development Manager Matt] Ploenzke and his group, go watch the coaches. Get in there and let’s come up with measurables that are what we coach, and GTFO is something [Defensive Line Coach] Kris Kocurek is always screaming,” general manager John Lynch explained in the post-draft press conference. “Yeah, so he had the highest GTFO grade in the draft. So, we’re really fired up about that.”

While the acronym wasn’t explicitly said in the presser, you get the picture.

The 49ers value pass rushers with elite burst that translates to the NFL level. Other teams focus on production, San Francisco focuses on metrics that work in the NFL. And one of those is the burst within two yards, simply because it makes the player extremely versatile.

“It’s within the first two-yards is what we’re measuring, and they’ve come up with a way to measure that and Beal’s right at the top of it, so that’s something,” Lynch continued. “We’re always talking about getting length and explosion out of that stance, and Beal’s a guy that kind of embodies that.

“The other unique thing that you get from Beal, and I think it really helps on game day, we dress a lot of D-lineman. He’s a guy who can help you a lot in Special Teams as well, because he can really run and he’s really good in space. So, kind of a unique ability. When you get a D-lineman that can do that it’s an added bonus.”

Another player that falls into that category is linebacker Dee Winters from TCU, running a 4.49 40 time at the combine.

While undersized at 5’11”, 227 pounds, Winters is seen as prototypical backer for the 49ers to develop. It’ll be a stretch to say he can lockdown the third LB role in his first season, but thanks to elite closing speed, it’s absolutely possible.

Which brings us back to the 49ers’ main philosophy: Drafting players with elite traits that are coachable.

The 49ers love players with unique intangibles, because with a good coaching staff, they can turn prospects into blue-chip players. Just look at Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, both late-round selections from previous drafts.

Value over Positional Need (Sort Of)

Many people (myself included) speculated on why the Red & Gold did not draft an offensive lineman this year. After losing starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey in free agency, the 49ers have handed the keys over swing tackle Colton McKivitz for next season.

But that doesn’t mean Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan weren’t looking into adding one, just that all of the guys they really liked, had already been selected. And without a first or second-round pick, that makes it pretty difficult to get a sure-fire starter in the trenches.

“I think even in the first round, in a year that was very limited, especially at the tackle position, a lot of them went early,” Lynch said. “So, we weren’t going to take one just to take one.”

That statement speaks to the organization’s approach to the draft: Value over positional need most of the time. That’s why the 49ers drafted two LBs (Graham and Winters) and two tight ends as well (Latu and Willis). It’s not always because they set out to draft a certain way, that’s just how picks fall sometimes. And because of that, the club prefers to draft players that could make the team, even if it’s an overabundance, than draft prospects that have no shot of making the 53-man squad.

The lone example of pure-positional need this year is kicker Jake Moody.

Selecting a placekicker with a draft pick is one thing, but to take one at the end of third round can be seen as blasphemy. But to the 49ers, it was a must.

Having to replace Robbie Gould this offseason, Lynch & Co. had to find a cheaper option that could be in the league for a decade. Michigan’s “Money Moody” is just that, hitting 28 of 28 PATs in 2022. The 49ers had been linked to Moody for a while, so taking him wasn’t a shock, only that he went so early.

But thanks to not having a fourth-round pick, San Francisco felt a dire need to select him as soon as possible, especially because they didn’t have a starter at the position.

“We didn’t feel like we had to find a starter at any position, except kicker,” Kyle Shanahan said at the post-draft presser.

So the lesson in all this: Draft for need if you have to, but finding value is the name of the game if you’re San Francisco.

Drafting for the Future

After two-and-a-half rounds of waiting, the 49ers moved the No. 102 pick, and additional fifth and seven-round selections to the Minnesota Vikings for No. 87 overall to draft Penn State safety Ji’Ayir Brown.

Nicknamed “Tig”, Brown was a two-year starter at Penn State, playing 32 games in three seasons. He racked up 153 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, and ten interceptions. He finished as the #1 college safety according to Pro Football Focus, first in both pressures and sacks.

The 23-year-old will now look to become the eventual replacement for aging veteran Tashaun Gipson Sr. in the secondary. It helps that this same situation occurred last year when Talanoa Hufanga took over for the departed Jaquiski Tartt.

Sitting behind vets for a season, “Huf” was able to absorb and learn at his own speed, eventually using his elite work ethic to get the starting nod in 2022. And as they say, the rest is history.

Now only a year later, the 49ers hope Brown can do the same with Gipson, a former Pro-Bowl caliber player coming off a strong season at age 33.

“I think it is really good when you have someone like “Gip” there to watch. Someone who has done it for a while, who has done it and succeeded in this league when his skillset was at the top of his game and as he’s gotten older, you’ve seen nothing change. Gip, with the pro he is, when you can sit and watch that it really helps you learn how to play,” Shanahan stated.

San Francisco is hoping for the same with their new tight ends. Whether it’s Alabama’s Latu or Oklahoma’s Willis, the 49ers want someone to rival George Kittle at the position. It may not be overnight, as tight ends rarely contribute in a significant manner early on, but both players have the potential to be key contributors for the Red & Gold in the foreseeable future.

The 49ers are Content with the Current QB Room

Another surprise was San Francisco not taking a signal-caller with one of their nine draft picks over the weekend.

San Francisco had been linked to a few in the process, most notably UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Fresno State’s Jake Haener. But when both players went ahead of the 49ers’ selections in the fourth and fifth rounds, it was time to pivot to other needs.

Which goes back to a previous point: Drafting for value.

Once “their guys” went off the board, the Red & Gold weren’t going reach just to have a third QB available for training camp. Instead, they’ll look to add one off the undrafted free-agent pool. But until then, John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan are at ease with the current situation, especially with Brock Purdy’s UCL recovery going as planned.

“We’d love to get a fourth guy here, Shanahan added. “We’ll see which one it is. We’ll be alright though in the offseason. We’ll get to training camp. Hopefully we’ll get [QB] Brock [Purdy] back soon. Regardless, we’d love a fourth guy here.”

In the meantime, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold are set to begin a competition to be the leading man in the offseason and training camp. While the former has been in trade rumors, the organization expects to have him on the roster for 2023. Entering Year 3 with only eight games played, it’s do-or-die time for Lance’s career in the Bay. And so far, the returns have been positive this offseason.

“You never know how much we end up doing in the OTAs sessions, but it has been good having two guys out there throwing. They have been on their own. We’ll start with everybody tomorrow where we can actually go out on the field with them as coaches,” Shanahan said.

While Purdy is expected to be ready to go around the start of the regular season, the quarterback battle is just heating up, making for another wild offseason in the Bay Area.

Remaining Needs:

• OL Depth
• Fourth QB
• DT Depth

Undrafted free-agent signings:

• C Corey Luciano
• DB D’Shawn Jamison
• DB Avery Young
• OL Joey Fisher
• OL Ilm Manning
• RB Ronald Awatt
• RB Khalan Laborn
• WR Shae Wyatt

* All UDFAs are only reported at this time

Other team-related news:

• 49ers exercise WR Brandon Aiyuk’s fifth-year option
• 49ers do not exercise DT Javon Kinlaw’s fifth-year option
• QB Trey Lance “fully cleared” to practice after season-ending ankle injury
• RB Christian McCaffrey restructures contract: Saves $8.576 million on 2023 salary cap

 

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