49ers 2023 Draft Live Blog; Day 3

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1. The Niners get dominated in the trenches by the Eagles and then draft a kicker. Sure-fire way to solve a problem and win a championship the next time. Such an uninspiring draft.

   1. James,
      K are far more important to teams like the 9ers than most teams. Moody may end up being the difference between making the playoffs or not, winning the NFCCG or not. Is he worth a 3rd? We will see by the end of the year. I have a feeling you weren’t a fan back when Mike Cofer cost us the chance to play in the SB numerous times. I’m sure you don’t remember Steve Mike-Mayer or Steve Miss-A-Mile as he was known. The 9ers ended up 8-6 missing the playoffs by one game while Mike-Mayer missed 4 chip shot field goals at the end of games. We should have been 12-2 and the best record in the NFC. Hopefully Moody will be a stronger legged R. Wersching or R. Gould. I tell you what I would have given up a 2nd round pick for a K back in those days.

   2. Kickers typically lead the team in scoring at the end of the season.
      Football is all about scoring.
      Besides being a highly successful field-goal scorer, I also like that he consistently kicks the ball into the endzone, which has been sorely missed the last few years.
      I like this pick.

      1. You never need to draft a kicker, EVER! 8 out of the 10 best kickers in FG% last season were UFDA. This Moody guys FG% for his college career would place him in the bottom quarter of the league. You can just hold a casting call and guys come in off that street that can do what this guy does. The same applies to punters. It is a panic move to ever spend more than a 6th or 7th rounder on kickers.

         1. Gojira,
            Do you really not remember Steve Mike-Mayer or Mike Cofer?

            1. They don’t change the dynamic, you don’t need to reach into the 3rd round to draft an all-pro kicker. Most of the best kickers aren’t even drafted. Also Moody’s numbers aren’t that great. If he kicks like he did in college we will be wishing we still had Gould. His FG% was not impressive.

               1. How many teams wait to sign UDFA Ks and end up with terrible Ks who cost them a shot at the playoffs/NFCCG/SB?

               2. you can always draft a running back in the 3rd round, oh wait that doesnt always work

               3. Well..you seem to be pretty knowledgeable…ever heard of Sebastian Janikowski or Ray Guy?

            2. Old Coach….Steve Mike-Mayer was a true ‘miss’ completely…. but Mike Cofer won quite a few friends after coming over from Carolina. My favorite was ‘Tommy’ from LSU who both punted and place-kicked the old straightaway fashion, and would on occasion take off running with the ball….He was a FB also at LSU. I still flinch when I see a ‘sidewinder’ kicker. It took Ray Guy to finally convince me….

         2. If the 49ers were bottom-feeders in the league, then drafting a Kicker might be interpreted as a “panic” pick. But, what you see as a panic pick, I view as a luxury pick because the 49ers aren’t one of the league bottom-feeder teams, they are a potential Superbowl team that as Shanahan said in his presser, are looking for players who can just MAKE the team.

   3. James,
      Our line got dominated in that game because we didn’t have a QB who could throw the ball, so they stacked the line to cover our run game. As for a kicker, the first kicker drafted is usually in the 4th round and essentially we got Moody at the top of the 4th. Kicker was the only spot where we had to draft someone and they got the best one. Sure you can get any old kicker but the
      Niners wanted the best one. Since they didn’t draft an O lineman, I assume they are confident they already have the talent need on on the roster. The Niners will be great this year. Enjoy.

2. Need to drop Kerry Hyder from free agent list.

3. Chad Ryland just went 112. I don’t think Moody would have been there at 164. I guess that settles that argument.

   1. Yes, it does.

      Coach, what do you think about them not using one of those three picks for OL? I’m thinking specifically about the Latu pick. I looked at the measurables for Woerner when he came out. They’re very close to Latu’s, except Woerner benchpressed 21 and Latu only 14. Latu’s video highlights his route running and pass catching skills, which I admit impressed me. Very nice. So I assume he’ll take Dwelley’s place this year. But a 3rd round pick for that hardly seems justified. What do you think?

      1. George,
         I posted yesterday that I wasn’t overly impressed by Latu but I also wasn’t very impressed by Kittle when they drafted him. I think the 9ers will use Woerner as the primary #2 blocking TE and Latu as the primary #2 pass catching TE. He seems to have a knack for getting open but it will take a couple of years for him to develop as a blocker. I don’t see him ever becoming the #1 TE but he may develop into a decent TE #2. If he could eventually be a guy who catches 20 to 30 catches a year and be a red zone threat I would be happy.

         1. After my post I found another Latu highlight video. Right now he’s just a big receiver, but he sure is fun to watch. He gets open and has play-making skills. His 40 time might be deceptive because of his long legs. So I’m not knocking the pick any more.

            Here’s the link:

            https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/animals/cameron-latu-alabama-te-highlights-burst-release/vi-AA1avoT2

4. Luter DB S. Alabama. I don’t know very much about him but I do Know S. Bama made me a lot of money this past season. If he had any part of that then he is a stud.

5. The CBS Draft Analyst Chris Trapasso gives an A+ to Niners’ pick of CB Darrell Luter. Really likes the guy.

6. Very interesting player left out there, Andre Carter Army. He is a great pass rusher but because he attends Army and can’t workout regularly he has terrible bench press numbers 11 reps and he won’t be able to report until mid June making him a project for the 24 season. The 9ers could stash him till next season and let him get into football shape.

7. I love Robert Beal. Give Kocurek 1 season to develop him and I see him getting 6-8 sacks his second year as a rotational player. He led Georgia in sacks in 21 on a D many considered the best in the history of college football.

   1. I like it too. I only just glanced a few of Beal’s snaps.

      – He seems ideal for Wilkes’ fire-zone blitzes. He’s fast enough to drop back into a zone while a DB or LB blitzes.

      – Looks like a good run defender. Maybe switch to an (off ball) linebacker role on short yardage the way Brooks did vs Cam Newton in 2013 playoffs.

8. Beal reminds me of Ebukam. A smaller, speed rusher

9. Theme of defensive players so far: Wilkes will fire-zone blitz offenses with players that are a defensive equivalent of “positionless football”

10. Jack / OldCoach / AES
    * While I have to admit I like the 9er drafting Kicker Moody…I’m curious, did any of you expect the 9ers to draft him at pick #99? I know I didn’t!
    Even after the trade up for S Ji’Ayir Brown, the 9ers had 5th Rd pick # 155….So they must have had info that
    someone would take him before that? Kickers rarely get drafted in the 1st 3 Rds. Not since the Buccaneers drafted Roberto Aguayo in the 2nd Rd of the 2016 draft, has another NFL team drafted a kicker in the 1st 3 rounds. Aguayo was a big mistake and no other team, that I’m aware of, has attempted it since.

    1. Geep,
       Early on, say Feb or so I predicted the 9ers would draft Moody in the 3rd or 4th round I forget which. I was screamed out of the blog about drafting a K that early so I kinda just shut my mouth on the subject. As to the 9ers picking a K in the 3rd round, #99 is a comp pick and would have been an early 4th round pick in many drafts. Lastly the Pats Picked C. Ryland at #112 so Moody would not have lasted any where near #155.

       1. OldCoach
          Yes, now that you mention it….I do remember. And honestly, I thought you were smoking something other than a Marlboro….But now that it’s a done deal, I’ll tip my hat to you and get on board with the pick!

11. Joe Staley and Trent Williams talking about Robert Beal’s on-field favorite player
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkA45QfKQHo

12. Dee Winters Lb TCU a steal in the 6th round go back and watch the TCU Mich playoff game, he is unstoppable. He will be a star on special teams. Not the kind of draft where players will change your team but with the picks we have, pretty damn good.

    1. I’ll be rewatching TCU-Michigan as well as games by Georgia, Penn State and Alabama tonight.

    2. Dee sounds good to me!

13. I’ve gotta say, I am loving this draft thru the first 6 picks! The 49ers are putting on a master class of marrying BPA with need, which is exactly what they should be doing this year. My one gripe so far would be using a 3rd RND pick on a PK, but I do understand the pick. Jake Moody has a chance to be one of the top place kickers in the league, and if he does, he’ll be worth the draft capitol, especially considering PK might have actually been their biggest position of need after losing one of the most CLUTCH PK’s in the league in Robbie Gould! Outside of that pick, the 49ers might actually be doing the near impossible …. finding guys in the mid-to-late rounds who have a legitimate shot at making their already incredibly talented roster, while filling their biggest needs, and making them a better team in 2023! Would I have liked to see them draft an OT? Sure, but I have much more confidence with their current OL depth than I did going into last season, so I really don’t think this team has a single area of weakness right now, especially if Drake Jackson continues to develop, which I fully expect to happen.

    Thru 6 picks, I am giving the ShanaLynch a B+ grade, which can become a strong A grade if Jake Moody truly is “Money” as his nickname suggests!

    Biggest draft steals: for me it’s a tie between PSU’s Safety – Ji’Ayir Brown and South Alabama’s CB – Darrell Luter Jr.!

14. At first I figured the Niners’ latest 6th RND pick (R. 6, #39, #216) was a Azeez Al-Shaair clone, after all the 49ers lost Al-Shaair to FA this offseason, and maybe he is, but LB – DEE WINTERS is certainly built in a different physical mold, as Winters is under 6 FT, while Azeez was actually on the taller side at 6’2″, but give Winters the decisive edge when it comes to sideline-to-sideline speed, and if Winters is as good of a tackler as advertised, he would become a key 3rd LB (coverage), provided he can handle TE’s.

    Grade: A

    Outstanding marriage of fit, need, and projected ceiling!

    Let’s face it guys, outside of the PK- Moody pick (#99 overall), I can’t find fault so in the draft so far, and even that pick can potential earn it’s draft status if he can replicate Robbie Gould, only without the salary cap impact, for now, while potentially improving the 49ers touch back average. And I will say this ….. I think it’s fair to say that Jake Moody was the best college PK I’ve seen over the last half of a decade or so, and if he has a Justin Tucker type impact, this draft get’s a smoking high grade! I’m loving the Niners personnel department, in part because it’s married to the Niners top notch coaching staff! Adding high level athleticism and character, with coaches like LB Coach – Johnny Holland, DC – Steve Wilkes, DL – Kris Kocurek, QB – Brian Griese, and at the top HC – Kyle Shanahan, seems to be a formula for success! I still believe Kyle Shanahan’s inability to separate his emotions in the big moments has cost him on numerous occasions, but I also find it hard to find much fault in a team that, when healthy, is consistently top 2 in the NFC!

    Special shoutout to JOHN LYNCH!

    But at the end of the day …. the big question remains: Who is the 49ers starting QB on opening day, WEEK 1?

15. WOW …. what a draft! How in the world did Wolverine WR – RONNIE BELL fall to #253 overall?

    My preliminary overall grade for the 49ERS 2023 draft, is an: A-

    The only questionable pick was the Moody pick and even that pick has potential to pay huge dividends right away. I don’t feel too strongly one way or another on using one of these compensatory 3rd RND picks on a PK, and I honestly can’t find any fault in the rest of this draft class, outside of that one marginally questionable pick.

    I’m stoked! I’m very happy with this draft.

    Coming into the draft I felt like, while the 49ers were certainly one of the top teams in the league, they needed to hit again on this draft to keep pace with the Eagles, and a couple of steps ahead of the Cowboys, Seahawks, Packers, & Lions, and I think JL & Co just might have had one of their best drafts of their tenure, especially considering that they didn’t have any picks through the first 2 rounds! Outstanding work!

    Go NINERS!

16. I don’t know if any body else is watching the Giants and the Padres in Mexico city but rest assured there will never be a MLB franchise in Mex. City. Its the top of the 5th 8-7 giants and about 6 or 7 HRs so far. I just hope they don’t set any single game HR records. It wouldn’t be fair.

17. 9ers first UDFA signing Joey Fisher OL Shepherd

    1. A pancake master, that plays thru the whistle..no finesse here..just an ass kickin O lineman…a year or two under Kocurek, and he’ll shine

       1. The other Chris..Forester…..my bad

18. This draft will be a good one if
    – The 49ers scouted draft prospects very well
    – The 49ers scouted their own players very well with a focus on right tackle

    1. Well said, Brodie.

       If the Niners were correct in believing that they really didn’t need to draft for the OL, then this draft was flat out brilliant! And you know what …. this didn’t feel like a Kyle Shanahan draft, because of the fact that the 49ers finally abstained from over-drafting a RB in the 3rd round, and that in itself is worth celebrating :)

       Cheers guys! Go NINERS!

       1. Oh wait …. this just came in on my earpiece: I’m told that the 49ers apparently may have over-drafted a PK in round 3?

          Kyle Shanahan is clearly alive and well, flexing his chops as the top brass!

          BTW, picking a PK in round 3 seems like the ultimate flex, doesn’t it? Isn’t this the 49ers telling the rest of the NFC that the Niners are soooo good, they can use a 3rd round pick on a kicker, while nobody else can?

          I’m all for flexing, BTW, so Go NINERS!

19. The more I hear/read about Fisher the more I believe the 49ers may have gotten the steal of the UDFAs. Kiper had him mocked in the 3rd round. At his pro day he ran a 4.9 which would have been faster than any O lineman at the combine. He benched 225 40 times, more than any O lineman at the combine. Could he be the next Larry Allen a D2 O lineman who dominates the pros.

    He reminds me very much of Pierce Holt another 9er who came out of D2. I don’t see him starting next year but by 24 look out.

    1. OC any idea why he did not get drafted?

       1. He was invited to the Senior Bowl but broke his hand so he couldn’t play. Because he couldn’t play they disinvited him from the combine. I guess teams wanted to see him play against better competition or at least the wanted to see him at the combine. Most teams didn’t go to his pro day at Shepherd.

20. More UDFAs
    Ilm Manning OL Hawaii
    Avery Young DB Rutgers
    Shae Wyatt WR Tulane
    Ronald Awatt RB UTEP
    Jack Colletto LB/FB Ore St.

    1. Does Ronald Awatt = the next Jeff Wilson Jr?

       It sure looks like it, because if you close one eye, these 2 RB’s are the same guy, IMO!

21. Mark my words guys: Ji’Ayir Brown at the end of RND 3 is an absolute HOME RUN! And don’t worry, I’ll keep my receipts, and I’ll remind you guys in due time!

22. I think I’m going to revise my overall draft grade to a solid B, maybe a B+

    But this UDFA class appears to elevating the entire calculation, so hats off to AP, JL, SW, & KS!

    1. Most analysts I’ve seen, read today are rating the Niners about the same, from C+ to B, with a couple of exceptions. Most are down, way down, on the 3rd round Moody pick though.

23. He will be a star on special teams. Not the kind of draft where players will change your team but with the picks we have, pretty damn good….

24. Have to agree with Kyle Posey over at NN regarding the 3rd round selection of a kicker, D+.
    https://www.ninersnation.com/2023/4/30/23705004/49ers-nfl-draft-grades-2023

    1. And yet, Moody is the only 3rd rd pick to likely become the day one Starter.
       Go figure.
       Posey is stuck on tradition, not good business.

       1. I understand about the day one starter. But his point is that they could easily have gotten a kicker later that would be suited as a niners kicker. His point is that the offense last year was often inside their opponents 30-yard line and so kickers are mostly hitting chip shots. But most importantly, his 62% success rate from 40 to 50 yards is nothing to email home about. I do agree with the idea that we need a kicker who can kick it out of the end zone and Moody does seem to fulfill that requirement. Not sure if you’re following Razor and Scooter’s blog these days, but Scooter was equally aghast at the pick.

          1. I read Posey almost everyday and enjoy some of his art. But don’t always agree with him.
             Imho, I don’t believe that Posey is seeing the big picture here.

             I would challenge him to let me know what other 3rd rd pick would have become a day one Starter. The 49ers weren’t in a desperate situation to draft a player in the 3rd rd to start in September.

             Because of that, why not draft the best Kicker in college the last two years?
             Moody has the ability to outlast any player current or recently drafted. It’s a good luxury pick for a team that doesn’t have any glaring needs.

             1. AES: I think the point is that it doesn’t take a 3rd round pick to get a kicker who can start. The vast majority of good kickers are not drafted before day 3. Now maybe if his hit rate from 40 yards+ was greater than 80% to 85% …….

                1. I’m not disagreeing with your point. I’m just saying that every team will draft based on a position of need.
                   You are correct, the vast majority of good Kickers are not drafted before the 3rd rd.

                   But not every team that drafts has a SB ready roster like the 49ers do. If the 49ers were a low-level team there’s no way, I see them drafting a Kicker in the 3rd rd.
                   But again, there’s no glaring needs on the 49ers. They picked the BPA which just happens to be a Kicker.

                   Btw, I’m a big fan of Scooter and Razor. I just don’t agree with them on this one.

                2. Only one player needs to score almost EVERY GAME: The Kicker.
                   Take the best you can get!!!

    2. They didn’t need a bunch of draft picks. They only had One spot of need and they took the best. What difference does it make where they got him. The could have used that pick on someone who probably won’t make the team is that what your saying?

25. Imo the argument that the Niners picked a kicker too early ignores a basic law governing human transactional behavior, the law of supply and demand. There were only six kickers in the draft. If you need a good kicker, you’re going to have to pay for it. If there are only six to choose from, the best of the lot are going to command a stiff premium. And that’s what happened. The highest ranked kicker, Moody, went 99. The second ranked kicker, Ryland, went 112.

    I think of further interest is that of the six, only three were drafted. What does that tell you? It tells me that only three were draft-worthy.

26. George, Dee, felix…….im with you guys! K was the only open position on this team!!! As for RT, im confident we have a guy in house. All one must do is look to last year…..because it is the exact same scenario unfolding again!! Except this time it is one spot on the Oline, when last year it was 3!
    Exactly 1 year ago we were al bellyaching about how they didnt draft a couple Cs and a few Gs. We had no C and Banks looked to be a bust and RG was the weakest position for years……..and all we drafted was this Burfurd guy…..a short armed OT. Well it worked out just fine. The same will happen this year. We have at least 4 players competing for that RT job, to replace the weakest link on that line (according to most). For me, the only Q is: whoever ends up starting at RT……do they take the job and run with it? or do they just hold it down for a year……so that next year we are looking for an upgrade?

    As for K in round 3……the next K went 13 picks later….so we got Moody in the EXACT spot we had to!

    As for this nonsense that any warm body would suffice……well that is flat out BS! Any one silly enough to argue that…clearly dosent understand football or is a flat out moron, looking at you Posey, Cohn!

    The name of the game is getting the BEST player you can at each position!!!!! Not just a warm body. Why do teams trade the farm to get into the top 3 of the draft for a QB????????!!!!!!! you can just get any old qb, any time right!!?? lmfao!

    K is one of the very few positions you can actually win……or lose a game ….on one single play …..based off of that players success or failure. Moody has a track record of being the best K the last 2 years, not a one hit wonder. He has the leg to hit touch backs consistently……thus helping the special teams tremendously. Also, and this is pretty important……he can beat out the guy we just traded for!! that is important ‘cos we only owe those picks to the Panthers IF……Gonzalez makes the team!!!!!!!!! So picking Moody saved us a pick or 2 next year.

    Lastly…..The Fisher kid from the small school……is a flat out HOME RUN!!!!!!! The small school, the broken hand at the senior bowl…..not getting invited to the combine……its all a perfect storm for us!!! Another knock on him is his short arms 32”. Short for a OT. He might be able to make up for it with the strength and speed……if he dosent…..i bet he could play G easy, RG for 10+ years. Or maybe even C. He was working a regular job ……and quickly decided to give football a try. That is why he wasnt a highly recruited big school guy.

    We wont know for a few years…….but i guarantee this draft has some special players in it.

27. Another thing, the Eagles…..beat us in the trenches…..well it helped that we took one of their top trench guys and made him ours in Hargrave.
    And on thing stands out to me in the players they draft vs the ones we draft……

    Most of the kids we took were team captains. High character guys……grinders!

    Philly taking all the arrogant bulldogs. Carter was supposed to be the best non qb , top 5 pick…….but many teams passed on him. Not just due to that car accident, but i heard Qs about his work ethic. I cant name 1 Dlinemen Seattle has…..and they passed on him for a cb that wasn’t even the consensus top prospect at that position. That says a lot to me. We learned our lesson with Ruben Foster……idk that Philly has.
    They dont worry me. Both teams are neck and neck…..their division is tougher..
    Im still hoping for Yannik Ngakoue……..that would give us 4 good edge guys to go along with Hargrove, Armstead, Kinlaw and the rest of the DTs……( make or break year for Kinlaw, i’ll be rooting for him)

28. Well the good news is while all the other NFL teams were killing themselves this weekend, the 49ers took the weekend off so the entire coaching staff and administration should be incredibly well rested for OTAs.

29. I Dont hate drafting a kicker but I dont love it either.

    That said I do hate the argument that they only needed one position. This was not a dominant superbowl winning team. Similar to every team in the league they have several positions that it would help if they upgraded or added a solid backup.
    How good is the oline if Trent Williams, McKivitz or their starting center goes down or is there any edge rusher on the Dline if Bosa gets hurt? How about the secondary should Ward get injured?
    The problem is the dropoff from a drafted kicker vs a free agent isnt really that much normally, thats why they seldom even get drafted. That isnt true for most other positions.

    Like I said I don’t hate the pick and I understand it but lets not pretend like they didn’t have any other needs and there is no way they could have drafted a future starter.

    1. The Average for attempted field goals in the NFL is around 31 FG Attempts per year. The number one kicker in terms of accuracy last year was Cameron Dicker at 95.4%. Roughly the 10th rated kicker with similar attempts was Matt Prater and his FG accuracy was 88%. The difference in those 2 percentages is 2 made field goals on the year. That’s 6 points. I do not see the logic in a 3rd round kicker. Obviously, with the slim margins in the NFL kicking is extremely important but you can sign a really good FA kicker off the street. The only other part that may make drafting a kicker in any round is field position if the kicker can help your coverage units with depth and hang time. But even then, you can find those guys off the street. 3rd Round? It’s preposterous – especially when you consider you have Burford and McKivitz starting on the right side of your line. Just call those the MASH Bros because any QB that starts behind those 2 guys is going to need medical attention.

       1. 1. A comp pick in the 3rd round is essentially a top of the 4th where the top kicker is usually drafted.
          2. Their top need was a kicker and they had more draft picks than they needed so it’s completely irrelevant where he was drafted.
          3. They didn’t draft an O lineman which means that the team believes that who they have is better than anyone available to them in the draft. Every year some fans are convinced that some on the O line are terrible and every year they are proven wrong. I guess it’s just a fan thing.

30. I don’t know very much about him but I do Know S. Bama made me a lot of money this past season. If he had any part of that then he is a stud.

31. Why did the 49ers renegotiate CMC’s contract during the draft? Two reasons, first to make room for a trade during the season, second to sign a FA after today. Any FA signed after today the 9ers doesn’t count against their compensatory picks in next years draft. There are no OTs out there of any interest but there are a number of edge rushers who could start for the 9ers next season or fit in as 3rd down specialist. J. Clowney, Y. Ngakoue, J. Houston, F. Clark and R. Quinn. They likely can sign any of them on the cheap. My favorites would be Ngakoue or Quinn. Another known solid pass rusher could push them ahead of Phil as the best defensive team.

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