49ers 2020 NFL Draft: 3 things we learned from Round 1

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Emmanuel Sanders #17 San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

No. 1: 49ers knew who they lost and needed to replace

The most notable moves of the 49ers offseason prior to the draft were both losses from their Super Bowl roster.

Former Niners receiver Emmanuel Sanders signed with the Saints, while John Lynch traded defensive tackle, DeForest Bucker, to the Colts in exchange for the No. 13 overall pick in this year’s draft.

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So if nothing else, the 49ers first-round selections teach us that the 49ers knew where they took losses in free agency and sought to replace those players with rookies who they expect to step in immediately and contribute to a Super Bowl-caliber roster.

With only three picks left in the draft and little firepower to get them back into day two of the draft, the Niners also showed that they feel pretty strong about their players in other places across the roster.

In Kinlaw and Aiyuk, Lynch and Shanahan obviously felt they found players they could plug into the team immediately and expect to step into holes left by players who departed from last year’s team.

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Whether either player is up for the task obviously remains to be seen, but the two first-round draft selections indicates that the Niners brass understands where they were lacking on the roster and found quality players to improve the team.