Redrafting the San Francisco 49ers’ 2018 NFL Draft class
By Peter Panacy
Round 3, Pick No. 70 Overall: Linebacker Fred Warner
Original Pick: Linebacker Fred Warner
No changes here. The 49ers selecting former BYU linebacker Fred Warner at No. 70 overall was a smart choice. After all, it was anticipation of the then-pending legal investigation into second-year linebacker Reuben Foster’s multiple 2018 arrests, which ultimately culminated in a third and subsequent release from San Francisco last November.
San Francisco 49ers
Warner is a pure example of a coverage linebacker — vital in today’s pass-happy NFL, and he eventually ended up leading the Niners defense with 124 tackles his rookie season.
Round 3, Pick No. 95 Overall: Tight End Chris Herndon
Original Pick: Safety Tarvarius Moore
Tight end wasn’t seen as a pressing need for San Francisco in 2018. After all, George Kittle was poised for a record-breaking season, while No. 2 TE Garrett Celek was looking to pick up his “Celek Time” moniker into the year.
Yet Celek was a disappointment, picking up a mere five catches for 90 yards and often being flagged for penalties more than he was impacting the stat sheet.
Instead, a player like tight end Chris Herndon, who went early in Round 4 to the New York Jets, would have been an excellent complementary piece to Kittle. Defenses hate offenses with two legitimate pass-catching tight ends.
This would have negated the 49ers’ attempt to try converting former collegiate safety Tarvarius Moore into a boundary cornerback. That experiment could still work, but Herndon would have had a bigger impact right away.