NFL draft: 49ers trade up to select LSU safety Reid

This is the opening to my Friday article on the 49ers’ first-round pick, Eric Reid.

SANTA CLARA — The San Francisco 49ers wasted no time drafting a replacement for All Pro free safety Dashon Goldson, who signed a five-year, $41.25 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason. The 49ers traded their first round pick — No. 31 overall — and their first third-round pick — No. 74 — to the Dallas Cowboys for the 18th pick, and drafted LSU free safety, Eric Reid.

“It’s something I was visiting with (Cowboys’ COO) Stephen Jones about the last couple of days,” 49ers’ general manager Trent Baalke said Thursday evening. “We had worked out the details this morning.”

Reid (6-1, 213 pounds) is almost the exact size as Goldson, and Reid is faster and more explosive — he ran a 4.49 40-yard dash and jumped a 40.5-inch vertical leap at the combine. Those are great athletic numbers for a safety.

He had 167 tackles over the past two seasons at LSU. He also intercepted six passes and broke up 11 passes over his three-year collegiate career. He has the potential to become a better player than Goldson, and Goldson is one of the best free safeties in the NFL.

To read the full article, click here.

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