Redrafting the 49ers’ 2017 NFL Draft class two years later
By Peter Panacy
Original Pick: Adrian Colbert
It’s interesting how three of the 49ers’ day-three picks from the 2017 NFL Draft stay on this redraft two years later.
On one hand, that shows the Niners were able to find some late-round talent. But it also speaks to the relative failures John Lynch and Co. ended up having over the first three rounds.
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Defensive back Adrian Colbert makes the cut largely based off his impressive rookie season, where he took over the starting free safety job and flashed plenty of playmaking abilities that suggested he’d be capable of holding onto that role for the long run.
In this redraft, the Niners have already taken care of the back end of the secondary. But Colbert would allow some helpful depth, as well as special teams abilities. That’s about as much as anyone would ask out of a seventh-round draft choice.
Colbert’s 2018 campaign made him look like a seventh rounder, as he suffered a major regression from his rookie year.
Next. Too-soon 32-team mock NFL Draft for 2020. dark
Still, the Niners would like him in a reserve role, and he earns the possibility to do so in this 2017 49ers NFL Draft revisit.