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Sunday wrapped up the San Francisco 49ers 2013 three-day rookie minicamp at team headquarters in Santa Clara, CA. Last season, the 49ers were the only team in the NFL not to have a rookie make start in a game at any point in 2012. Don’t expect San Francisco to repeat that this season.

[Photo gallery from San Francisco 49ers rookie minicamp]

The two positions were rookies will likely start this season are at safety and defensive end. The selection of first-round draft pick Eric Reid will fill the void at strong safety and he will likely be starting by Week 1. While second-round draft and defensive lineman, Tank Carradine, will likely start at some point in 2013 because of injuries to other players on defense.

With the rookie minicamp ending on Sunday, the rookies will not have much rest as they continue their workouts this week. This time they will be joined by the veterans and entire roster for a helmet-free fundamental workout to prepare for Organized Team Activities that start on May 21.

Here are some highlights from the 49ers’ rookie minicamp:

• Safety Eric Reid, a first-round draft pick, and tight end Vance McDonald, a second-round draft pick, went one-on-one plenty of times on the practice field. Reid broke up one pass in a drill and in another he closed in quickly to bat down a B.J. Daniels‘ pass intended for McDonald on an underneath route. In fact, McDonald did not hold onto a couple catchable passes. But McDonald did make a nice catch on a deep corner route after beating Reid.

• Wide receiver Quinton Patton (fourth-round) did not look good in his route-running and was described as “predictable” in his routes. He did receive positive marks for his explosiveness off the line. He also was seen on the field catching punts and did a nice job of dodging tacklers.

• Even though Tank Carradine will likely start at some point this season, he was not medically cleared to practice at the rookie minicamp. Neither was running back Marcus Lattimore (fourth-round). There was a possibility Carradine would take part at the workouts, however, he is still recovering from a knee injury. Lattimore was not a surprise as he is not even expected to play this season as he recovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

• Quarterback B.J. Daniels (seventh-round) not only took snaps under center, but also lined up at running back, and fielded punts and kickoffs. Daniels will be competing for third-string QB and if he does not make the team as a quarterback, his versatility could land him a spot on the roster. It should be noted that Daniels never played at running back or fielded punts and kickoffs before. At quarterback, Daniels struggled the first day, but he improved his accuracy the second day with good throws to receivers.

• Another QB taking snaps was undrafted rookie Nate Montana. The son of Joe Montana is a long-shot to make the team and he was inconsistent with his throws to receivers. There is a chance Montana can jump ahead of Daniels for a shot to make the final roster. But even Daniels is a long-shot to make the team.

• Former Olympic discus thrower and current defensive lineman Lawrence Okoye spent a lot of the rookie minicamp working one-on-one with defensive line coach Jim Tomsula. Reports said Okoye “looked natural and reflexive at the right defensive end position at the snap of the ball.” However, it should be noted that Okoye did not fare well against the rookie offensive linemen when going through drills. It looks like he has a long way to go before realizing his dreams of playing in the NFL.

• Cornerback Marcus Cooper (seventh-round) was one of highlights at the rookie minicamp because of his solid job covering receviers. Most the time he was lined up against Quinton Patton as a left cornerback. He held his own against Patton by breaking up passes and not allowing any deep passes to be completed against him.

Jim Harbaugh talks about 49ers rookie minicamp:

Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Will the trade of QB Alex Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs be the gift that keeps on giving for the San Francisco 49ers?

Peter King of SI.com reported the following about the 2014 draft picks the 49ers could receive from the Chiefs should K.C. finish with a winning record this season:

Now it can be told: The second draft choice San Francisco will receive from the Smith deal will be K.C.’s second-rounder in 2014 if the Chiefs go 8-8 or better this season. It will be a third-rounder in 2014 if Kansas City is under .500 this season.

So: San Francisco will probably have first-, second- and four third-rounders next year. But if the Chiefs surprise, it’ll more likely be a one, two twos and three threes.

So, I guess in 2014 it will be let’s go Niners…and Chiefs!

Can you imagine San Francisco having all of those draft picks in the first three rounds? General manager Trent Baalke has shown he has skills when having a lot of draft picks and being able to find great value in the first three rounds. We all saw last week how Baalke is not afraid to trade up to select the player he wants (see Eric Reid). You can only trade up to get the players you want if you have plenty of draft picks to give up as compensation. This could set the 49ers up to be a winning team for years to come by restocking the roster.

The Chiefs have a relatively easy schedule and a new coaching regime so there is a chance the team could end the season with an 8-8 record. But it is hard to imagine K.C. finishing above .500, especially with Alex Smith at quarterback. Then again, the Chiefs play in the AFC West which will likely be one of the weakest divisions in the NFL in 2014.

Here’s to the Chiefs winning eight games next season!

Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The 2013 NFL draft has come and gone for the San Francisco 49ers with the team filling multiple holes on offense and defense. Now, the 49ers turn their focus to the three-day rookie minicamps that start on May 10. This will be the first chance Jim Harbaughand his coaches will be able to see all of their new rookies on the practice field.

(Click here to view draft grades for the Niners in rounds 1-5)

A lot has been written about the 49ers overall success in the draft and the players they selected. Most NFL pundits, including Niner Noise, are giving San Francisco overall draft grades of A’s and B’s.

Even though the 49ers had a really good draft, it was not without some debate. Criticism mounted with the team trading up to select safety Eric Reid in the first-round, even though the other two top-three safeties in the draft would have been available had they stayed put at pick No. 31.

Also, the 49ers did not address the cornerback need until their final pick of the draft in the seventh-round with the selection of CB Marcus Cooper. The Niners should be fine this season at cornerback, especially if Nnamdi Asomugha reverts back to playing like an All-Pro, but 2014 and beyond presents a challenge for the team. Starting cornerbacks Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown are in the final year of their contracts.

In the latest edition of the Niner Noise Poll, we wanted to ask readers which rookies they think will be in the starting lineup in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers. Choose as many players as you like and tell us your thoughts in the comments!