With the conclusion of the 2017 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers roster looks far different than it did a few days ago, for the better. Let’s break down all that happened in the busy few days of the new regime’s first draft.
General manager John Lynch began his draft tenure in the best way possible — by absolutely fleecing the Chicago Bears in a trade. To move up a mere one spot, the Bears gave the 49ers their third-round pick (No. 67), fourth-round pick (No. 111) and a 2018 third-round pick. It was a robbery by the first-time general manager, and a surprise to some:
Chicago winded up selecting North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, while San Francisco drafted Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas. It was a win for the 49ers management, who had Thomas as a top three player on their big board. And it would only get better from there for San Francisco.
The third player on their big board? Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster, who the 49ers selected at No. 31 after a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. How did they trade back into the first round? Using assets from the trade with the Bears. The 49ers got two of their top three players by moving back one spot in the draft. It was simply a brilliant maneuver by the front office –efficiency at its finest.
Here’s how the rest of the draft played out, as well as some analysis on the selections and predictions for the upcoming season.
The 2017 San Francisco 49ers Draft Class
Round 1 – No. 3: DE Solomon Thomas
No. 31: LB Reuben Foster
Round 3 – No. 66: CB Ahkello Witherspoon
No. 104 (via trade): QB C.J. Beathard
Round 4 – No. 121: RB Joe Williams
Round 5 – No. 146: TE Greg Kittle
No. 177 (via trade): WR Trent Taylor
Round 6 – No. 198: DT D.J. Jones
No. 202: DE Tita Taumoepenu
Round 7 – No. 229: CB Adrian Colbert
Niner Noise’s undrafted free agent tracker: LB Jimmie Gilbert, OT Darrell Williams Jr., WR Kendrick Bourne, QB Nick Mullens, OL Erik Magnuson, WR Victor Bolden, S Lorenzo Jerome, RB Matt Breida, OL JP Flynn, WR KD Cannon, LB Donavin Newsom, TE Cole Hikutini, DE Noble Nwachukwu, C Jon Toth and OL Bret Treadway.
Best Draft Pick
The selection of Alabama linebacker is my favorite from this year’s draft class. It was first being rumoured that the 49ers were debating between defensive end Solomon Thomas and Foster at No. 2. To get a player at the end of the draft that you were once considering at the top is a steal. Getting two of your top three players on your big board is a coup. Not to mention that San Francisco was most likely going to select Foster if Chicago took Thomas. They ended up with both, and with an additional three-round pick next year. Basically, this pick was free.
As for the player himself, the 49ers may have just gotten the draft’s best linebacker at great value. Foster was being viewed as a top-10 player before a draft day slide caused by a slew of events that included an incident with a combine hospital worker which caused him to be sent home and a failed drug test for a diluted sample, as well as the injury concerns surrounding his shoulder. Foster says he’s making progress on the rehab and there’s no need to worry. Regarding any character concerns, Lynch said they did their due diligence (h/t SF Gate’s Eric Branch):
"Lynch said the 49ers were “exhaustive” in their research of Foster, whom they met with at the combine and hosted for a pre-draft visit. Both Lynch and Shanahan also spoke with Foster on the phone, and the team spent vice president of football affairs Keena Turner and pastor Earl Smith to meet with Foster for two days in Tuscaloosa, Ala."
The 49ers obviously felt comfortable enough with Foster and believe in him. And they’re getting quite the player. During his final season at Alabama, Foster recorded 115 total tackles while en route to winning the Dick Butkus award, given to the nation’s top linebacker.
Paired with fellow linebacker NaVorro Bowman, Foster will have the chance to learn from one of the best in the league. It’ll be the 49ers’ chance to reclaim their linebacking prowess.
I’ll end with this quote from Foster and what he strives for:
Worst Draft Pick
This is entirely based on the context of the situation and not the player itself. In order to select Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard, the 49ers had to give up assets to do so.
- San Francisco traded their fourth-round (No. 109) pick and their seventh-round (No. 219) pick to the Minnesota Vikings for their third-round pick (No. 104).
While I do not dislike the actual selection — I’m giving Kyle Shanahan the benefit of doubt when it comes to building his offenses — I am not a fan of trading up and using a third-round pick on a player who the general manager all but guaranteed will not be getting any playing time in the upcoming season. It’s clearly a developmental pick, but to move back into the third round for a selection like that isn’t the most valuable option. It was the first draft mismanagement in my eyes.
And again I want to reiterate this is based on the trade, not Beathard himself. I believe San Francisco could have waited and got Beathard later in Round 4 without having to give up any picks.
Beathard projects as the No. 3 quarterback behind starter Brian Hoyer and backup Matt Barkley.
Biggest Sleeper
Back in December, Bleacher Report’s C.J. Moore profiled a certain wide receiver who was on a statistical tear that was going unnoticed. The title of that article? “The Best CFB Player You’ve Never Heard Of.” That wide receiver was Louisiana Tech’s Trent Taylor, who the 49ers selected at No. 177 in Round 5.
While at Louisiana Tech, he was one of the most productive wide receivers in college football. During his last two seasons, Taylor recorded 235 receptions for 3,085 yards and 21 TDs. He only stands 5-feet-8-inches, but clearly has a knack for being a productive football player (via The Niner Wire’s Rob Lowder):
And as I said earlier, I’m going to give Shanahan the benefit of the doubt when it comes to offense. He’s been around the league and knows what kind of players he wants. Clearly this was a player they liked, as they traded a 2018 fourth-round pick to the Denver Broncos to acquire Taylor.
The Louisiana Tech product will compete with wide receivers Marquise Goodwin, Aldrick Robinson and Jeremy Kerley for the slot position at No. 3.
Biggest Potential Bust
Curiously enough, even with a need at the LEO edge pass rusher position, the 49ers neglected to address the position until Round 6. They did so in the form of Utah defensive end Pita Taumoepenu at pick No. 202.
An extremely raw prospect, Taumoepenu has only seven career starts to his name. This is where the potential of bust starts to creep in. Taumoepenu has shown glimpses to be an impact player; in 13 games last season, he had 41 total tackles (12 TFL) and 9 sacks with 3 forced fumbles. But it remains if Taumoepenu is able to sustain that kind of production on a consistent basis, as he’s never been able to.
These are some of the things to watch for in Taumoepenu, from Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller:
"Could still see time as a situational rusher. He doesn’t have the base strength to be an anchor in the run game on the defensive line. Taumoepenu has a bit of a ‘tweener body without the skill set to play linebacker right away. He cannot beat blockers with length, and he struggles to come off once he’s locked up. Taumoepenu is a developmental player who will need to dive into a special teams role while learning the game and likely transitioning to linebacker full time."
It appears that San Francisco will be using Taumoepenu as their LEO, which is just where he wants to be.
“I have a great ability to get after the quarterback,” Taumoepenu said in an interview after being drafted. “That’s what I do. I have a lot of passion for it.”
With No. 3 pick Solomon Thomas projected to play interior, it seems that Taumoepenu will be competing with Arik Armstead, who has been getting reps at LEO during the 49ers’ voluntary minicamp.
Position Battles for the 49ers
Defensive line: With the selection of Thomas, the 49ers’ defensive line just got more crowded and it appears that Armstead might end up being the odd man out. Armstead has made a switch to edge rusher during 49ers’ minicamp, and presumably Thomas will fill in on the interior. With the addition of Taumoepenu to the mix, it’ll be him and Armstead, as well as Aaron Lynch and Tank Carradine vying for playing time at LEO.
Running back: Before Day 3 of the draft, it seemed the 49ers were content with their running back situation as zero were selected in the first three rounds. That all changed drastically. In a span of eight real-time minutes, San Francisco acquired two running backs, both via trade:
- 49ers traded a 2018 fourth-round pick to the Denver Broncos for running back Kapri Bibbs and a fifth-round pick in this draft (No. 177 overall). Then, the 49ers traded their fourth-round pick (No. 143) and fifth-round pick (No. 161) acquired from the Washington Redskins to the Indianapolis Colts for their fourth-round pick (No. 121).
San Francisco used No. 121 on Utah running back Joe Williams, a highly controversial figure. Williams stepped away from football at the beginning of this season due personal issues stemming from a family tragedy. Some were questioning Williams’ commitment to the game. One thing you can’t question is his game (h/t The Ringer’s Michael Lombardi):
With the two additions today, it’ll be Carlos Hyde, Mike Davis, Raheem Mostert, Tim Hightower, DuJuan Harris, Bibbs and Williams duking it out in the backfield.
Wide receiver: Pierre Garçon and Marquise Goodwin appear slotted to be the No. 1 and No. 2 wide receivers. But after that at the No. 3 position, nothing is close to set in stone. Jeremy Kerley resigned on a three-year deal, Aldrick Robinson was signed during free agency and Trent Taylor was just drafted. Throw in free agent DeAndre Carter, as well as undrafted rookies Kendrick Bourne, Victor Bolden and KD Cannon, and there is a position battle looming in the summer. It’ll be interesting to see who emerges as the favorite of the new 49ers coaching staff.
Next: 2017 NFL Draft: San Francisco 49ers Picks, Grades and Analysis
All in all, the new San Francisco did very well in their first crack at the NFL Draft. They were aggressive, efficient and smart in their dealings. Now it’s time for the next test; making it work on the field.