Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Grading the 2018 NFL Draft class halfway through the season

By Peter Panacy

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces a draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces a draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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KANSAS CITY, MO – SEPTEMBER 23: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs rushes the football against D.J. Reed #32 of the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter of the game at Arrowhead Stadium on September 23rd, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO – SEPTEMBER 23: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs rushes the football against D.J. Reed #32 of the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter of the game at Arrowhead Stadium on September 23rd, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

. DB. Kansas State. D.J. REED. C-

On one hand, the 49ers’ fifth-round pick, Kansas State D.J. Reed, has been a versatile piece in the defense and on special teams.

But on the other, Reed hasn’t exactly been spectacular.

Granted, Round 5 pickups aren’t exactly expected to be bona fide impact players from day one. So we have to skew Reed’s grade a bit higher than, let’s say, players grabbed in the first three rounds.

Yet Pro Football Focus has dished him a 61.0 overall grade on the year — ranked 61st out of qualifying safeties. Granted, he has been an upgrade to second-year pro Adrian Colbert, who struggled in 2018 and now found himself on injured reserve with an ankle injury. But Reed lost that free safety job to the veteran, Jimmie Ward, so that tenure there was short lived.

Still, Reed has seen action at that free safety spot, as well as at nickel cornerback and also doubling on kick returns.

He’s fumbled twice there, though.