49ers draft CB D.J. Reed in Round 5

Kansas State defensive back D.J. Reed (2) intercepts a pass intended for Texas wide receiver Lorenzo Joe (14) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Now, we’re talking.

With the fifth pick in Round 5, the 49ers drafted D.J. Reed, real cornerback. Not a safety learning a new position.

Reed (5-9, 188) intercepted seven passes the past two seasons at Kansas State, and averaged 32.2 yards per punt return. He most likely will be the 49ers primary kickoff returner next season. And in a season or two, he might even replace K’Waun Williams at nickel back.

Reed is a terrific fifth-round pick. The Niners own this round.

GRADE: A.

This article has 76 Comments

    1. Ron Wolf, father of Elliot who currently is with Cleveland, is in the HoF for his contributions as a GM and player personnel guru and mentioned that he erred in selecting Buckley one year as a CB because he was shorter than 5-11, and said he never again would make that mistake because the tall wide receivers in this league could eat soup off his head. Maybe it is different with a slot corner, but playing on the outside is a different world and vertically challenged corners have next to no chance.

    1. Yup. And in the 5th where I had him in my first mock. He started to get mid round hype, but I didn’t budge. Come on Justin Jackson in the 6th.

      1. I had him at the very end of the 4th round in my one-and-only. Browns got a very good one.

          1. Same. Other than the Antonio Callaway pick (serious character issues) they’re killing it. Don’t think I’ve ever felt that way about a Browns draft before.

  1. Love DJ Reed. I doubt he plays outside corner in this scheme, but he will be very good in the slot. I wouldn’t even be surprised to see him beat out K’Waun Williams this year. He’ll also be a high-end special teams contributor in the return game. Great pick.

  2. I guess the Niners are happy with the Attaochu and Toomer signings. they also have Blair and Marsh.

  3. I’m told Crosby has had concussion issues, but the Lions just got themselves a good value pick there.

  4. April 28, 2018 at 11:27 am
    His 2017 season was even better, and though Reed missed a couple games mid-season due to injury, he started 11 games and was a primary return threat with Byron Pringle. After his stellar 2016 season, he got targeted far less often by opposing QB’s, but he still managed 47 tackles and four interceptions, and was ranked as one of the five-best CB’s in multiple metrics by Pro Football Focus. He became a significant threat on returns, taking both a punt and a kickoff back for a touchdown, joining some dude name Terance Newman to perform such a feat in one season. For his efforts, he was again name First Team All-Big 12 as a defensive back by the coaches and the Associated Press, while also earning the same honors as a returner from the coaches. He also earned All-American honors, being named to the Second Team as a CB by Pro Football Focus and Second Team as a returner by Walter Camp and the Football Writers Association of America.

  5. Street does have some pass-rushing abilities, as his 19 sacks in college suggest. The 49ers need help in this department

    The Philadelphia Eagles showed how important a solid defensive line rotation can be, and the Niners appear to be taking stock in this.

    I have faith that 17 year NFL D-Line player, J. Zgonia, now our D-Line coach, will bring out the best in street.

      1. Well, he spent more time in the oppositions backfield than our top 20 1st round pick, Armstead, with 19 tackles for losses.

    1. What the Eagles showed was who to draft in that situation – Josh Sweat. Why they are Super Bowl champs.

      1. Sweat’s knee must have been tagged as degenerative. Otherwise I doubt he would have fallen that far.

  6. New 49ers CB D.J. Reed said he’ll play inside at nickel. He does not lack confidence: “You just watch my film,” he said. “I’m a lock-down corner first and foremost. I don’t get scored on.”

    12:16 PM – Apr 28, 2018

  7. Great interview with GM Lynch. Pretty much confirmed my thoughts on their line of thought wrt their draft picks.

    1. Based on their selections they seem a lot more confident in their outside pass rush next year than I am. How are you feeling about it? I do feel like they addressed pretty much all the rest of their top needs though.

      1. They decided to address it in next years draft, hopefully with Ferrell. They’ll need to trade up for him, but you never know. This year, they were content to see what they’ve got in a weak year at the position….

  8. 02/27/18 – 2018 NFL Combine: Prospects Who Need to Measure Up: DJ Reed, CB, Kansas State…Flying under the radar, Reed is a talented cover man with range, ball-skills and return ability. However, one of the reasons he is going overlooked is his lack of size. – Dane Brugler, NFLDraftScout.com

    Other 49er undersized CBs: Jason Webster
    No. 36, 27, 21, 23
    Position: Cornerback
    Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
    Weight: 187 lb (85 kg)

    Became the first 49ers rookie since Tim McKyer to return an interception for a touchdown

  9. Last night I read that we were near the bottom against teams 3rd and 4th WRs. I think this explains drafting Moore and Reed.

  10. The Street pick is hard to explain. You think the same guy that misspelled Foster’s name for the press release screwed up again and we got the wrong Street?

    1. Wouldn’t have been my choice, but I understood it to make sense immediately. Armstead’s option will not be picked up, and he will not be on the team in 2019. Street will be expected to fill that role, in what the staff believes will be a better fit. Saves the team money, while at the same time a better fit….

      Dude squats 700 pounds!

      1. Fingers crossed. Concerned he’s another Marcus Latimore who said of his NFL career “It was hell every day.”.

          1. Paging Dr. Baalke, paging Dr. Baalke….please report to the 49ers draft room for ACL vetting…stat! :-)

            1. Difference is Baalke drafted them before the 4th round. That’s a Cardinal sin.

    2. Niners will have a strong D-Line rotation next year with Zagonia coaching it.

      Street already looks the part of an NFL lineman. Wait until 1 yr. of NFL weight room conditioning…Have you seen Pita lately after a year in Ninerland ???? Pita in the house !!!

  11. #80, were you the poster who loves Marquez Valdes-Scantling? Just went ahead of Equanimeous St. Brown. Good call.

    1. Yes, that was me. His freak athleticism attracted me to him as a late round pick. Then he had an excellent Pro day WRT drills. I really started to like him after that.

  12. Just got back from watching Avengers. Like the picks today; Street more for the future in replacing Armstead, as others have pointed out, and Reed as a solid man cover cornerback. I think this rules out Meeks, with Williams and Reed inside, Sherman and Witherspoon outside (along with converting Moore). I wouldn’t mind a tight end to work with Kittle, a backup center (probably Bradley Bozeman given the Niners pre-draft interest in him), and best available at the end. Though, if Meeks stays on the Board, I could see us taking him and letting Moore play the CB/S hybrid that Ward currently plays.

  13. Marcell Harris, In the box Safety, Florida, Alpha personality coming off achilles injury.

  14. Did Baalke creep into the draft room and replace Lynch’s envelops with his ACLs and Achilles picks and a stable of DBs?

  15. Harris. The third DB taken. Last year was about stopping the run. This year is about stopping the pass. I hope next year is about getting to the QB.

      1. I think so. Not drafting an Edge is a bit of a head scratcher. But it was a weak class with a lot of project players. Wouldn’t surprise me if we brought back Dumervil.

  16. Getting some run on these homage to Baalke ACLers.

    Harris has had a year to recover, s/b competing in training camp this year !

    Like his athleticism, looks like 1st Rd material to me if not for the achilles.

      1. True — but some of them are pretty funny in their childishness.

        Razor,
        What do you make of the draft choices ? I missed Lynch’s interview on NFL Network

        1. Everything that’s been said. McGlinchey was the guy regardless of any trade offer. Pettis’ versatility. Same for Warner, WLB, Mike and Sam.

  17. http://draftanalyst.com/marcell-harris

    “Nice-sized safety trying to rebound from injury. Forceful run defender who explodes up the field and sells out to make plays. Consistently wraps up tackling. Aggressive, displays a burst of speed both in a straight line and laterally and quickly locates the ball. Takes proper angles, quickly gets to the play and takes on bigger ball carriers.”

    1. That’s just what the 6th and 7th round are for, drafting injured players with upside.

      These Baalke comparisons have to stop….Let me know the 1st time you see Lynch draft an injured ACL player in the 4th round and we’ll talk (This shows me Lynch read Bill Walsh who stated the late rounds are when you take chances on injured players).

      Does 2 time 49er NFL champion, Kevin Fagan ring a bell ?

      1. “These Baalke comparisons have to stop.”

        Not sure if that was meant for me. I haven’t made that comparison and I agree with your take.

  18. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2769606-marcell-harris-nfl-draft-2018-scouting-report-for-san-francisco-49ers-pick

    POSITIVES

    “NFL body (6’1″, 216 lbs) and has muscular definition and thickness. He won’t need time to develop there.”

    “Willing hitter who comes with thump.” You see that seb? He’s got thump. :-)

    “Drives downhill with good leverage on out-breaking routes.”

    “Was a major special teams player at Florida while sitting behind top-tier prospects.”

    “Excellent at running alleys and cleaning up in the run game.”

  19. Harris should compete with Chanceller James (who they really like) to back up Tartt at SS. The winner will stick around and play special teams, the loser is probably headed to the practice squad. At this point, I would be surprised if they brought back Eric Reid.

  20. Did I miss something, or is Lazard still on the board. Could be an excellent move TE and red zone target. 7th round steal.

    1. Still there. A number of big, tall receivers on the board actually (Lazard, ESB, Cobbs, Ateman, Tate). Any of them in the 7th would be a good pick, but Lazard is my favorite for his potential TE-versatility.

  21. Can’t believe they haven’t drafted a RB. You cannot stand pat on what they currently have.. Perhaps UDFA’s.. Shout out to Roc Thomas..

  22. Looks to me like the Niners aren’t looking to win it all this year. This is a slow development train. The Rams meanwhile are going all out. Seattle picked up Rashaad Penny to terrorize us, and Arizona got Josh Rosen, who may or may not be as good as he thinks he is. If it wasn’t for lucking up being granted Garropalo the Niners would still be the bottom of the NFL barrel. The ghost of Baalke still haunts the halls of 49ers headquarters with these non walking wounded picks while passing on future Pro Bowlers. I’m rather disappointed.

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