Redrafting the 49ers’ 2017 NFL Draft class two years later
By Peter Panacy
Original Pick: C.J. Beathard (Round 3)
The 49ers wrapped up day two of the 2017 NFL Draft by trading back into the tail end of Round 2 and grabbing quarterback C.J. Beathard — something of a surprising move, given most big boards and breakdowns had the Iowa signal-caller going no higher than Round 5.
Beathard was the lone quarterback Kyle Shanahan wanted in the draft, so maybe the move makes sense. But after two lackluster seasons at the pro level, and subsequently being replaced by undrafted free-agent quarterback Nick Mullens in 2018, Beathard’s future looks bleak, at best.
One of the areas the Niners struggled with in 2016, 2017 and 2018 was the outside pass rush. Having passed on Solomon Thomas in this redraft, San Francisco makes a move to address this, grabbing former Auburn EDGE Carl Lawson early in the fourth round.
Lawson, who netted an impressive 8.5 sacks his rookie year for the Cincinnati Bengals, missed much of 2018 with a torn ACL.
But the 49ers would have gladly taken that production back in 2017, and he could have provided some much-needed pass-rushing thump from the outside, which wasn’t addressed until the 2019 offseason.