NFL Draft: 49ers trade Marquise Goodwin, take Charlie Woerner in Round 6

The San Francisco 49ers sent wide receiver Marquise Goodwin to the Philadelphia Eagles to move up in Round 6 of the 2020 NFL Draft, then selected Georgia tight end Charlie Woerner.

After weeks of speculation, and eventual confirmation from San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch, the Niners finally traded oft-injured wide receiver Marquise Goodwin to the Philadelphia Eagles in order to swap sixth-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.

And with the 190th pick in the draft, San Francisco selected Georgia tight end Charlie Woerner.

I wrote earlier the 49ers had been focused on finding an athletic tight end to complement All-Pro George Kittle in the passing game.

As it turns out, that may have been a smokescreen, as Woerner is much more of a blocking tight end than a passing threat.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had this to say about the Bulldog tight end:

"Hard-charging, pesky blocker whose lack of size and length make him a candidate for a move to fulltime fullback or H-back. Woerner simply doesn’t have it in him to give the defender a half-speed rep and he’s more than ready to collide into his target on iso-blocks or in space. He has the body control and radar to handle move blocking duties but lacks the physical traits teams seek. Woerner has some athleticism but was a relative non-factor as a pass-catcher and needs to stand out on special teams to bolster his chances."

Woerner caught 34 total passes and one touchdown in seasons in Athens, being primarily used as a blocking tight end and fullback. Woerner does have “adequate speed and athletic ability,” according to Zierlein, running a 4.78 unofficial 40-yard dash and a 7.18-second three-cone drill.

At 6-foot-5 inches and 244 pounds, Woerner has good size for the tight end position. But given his blocking tenacity and his experience at UGA, he may be used as a backup to fullback Kyle Juszcyzk in the event of another injury, which the Niners had to deal with a year ago.

Woerner should compete with Daniel Heim for the third tight end position on the roster, though Woerner’s versatility make give him a leg up in the battle and will help alleviate the loss of veteran tight end Levine Toilolo in free agency

As for Goodwin, the speedy wideout fell in the depth chart last season, ultimately culminating in the 49ers trading for former Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders prior to the Week 8 contest against the Carolina Panthers.

Goodwin would eventually be placed on injured reserve in December of 2019 with knee and ankle injures.

The trade reportedly clears approximately $3.6 million in cap space for San Francisco and gives Goodwin a fresh start in Philly. In addition to Goodwin, the 49ers gave up pick No. 210 to the Eagles.