NFL.com loved 49ers efforts in 2020 NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers engineered a strategic and well-thought plan in the 2020 NFL Draft, at least according to recent NFL.com draft analysis on the Niners’ efforts.

NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice was pretty impressed by what the San Francisco 49ers did during the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Niners brought home five rookie prospects via the draft, including two first-round selections in South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. General manager John Lynch was notably quiet on day two of the draft, of course, but Rounds 4 through 7 on day three involved some pretty heavy-duty action.

Particularly Lynch’s trade with the Washington Redskins for perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams.

Williams coming aboard immediately solved a massive wrinkle the 49ers had to address in the draft: veteran left tackle Joe Staley‘s retirement. While there was speculation about Staley’s immediate future before the draft itself, actual news was quiet until mere minutes after the Williams deal was announced.

Again, a strategic move by San Francisco, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Filice, who gave the Niners an A-minus for their draft efforts:

"Every pick had a purpose. With all the money the 49ers have poured into their definitive position group — defensive line — DeForest Buckner unfortunately ended up being the odd man out. The Niners just couldn’t pay him the money he was due, so they flipped him for a first-round pick … and then used that pick on a younger, cheaper version of Buckner in Kinlaw. Like Buckner, Emmanuel Sanders was another talented veteran the Niners just couldn’t fit into their salary cap. So they let him walk to New Orleans … and used their second first-round pick on a prime playmaker at wideout in Aiyuk. San Francisco mitigated the retirement of franchise stalwart Joe Staley by trading for Trent Williams, but they still needed depth at the tackle position. Insert McKivitz, who has experience on the left and right side — and could be San Francisco’s swing tackle in Year 1. Meanwhile, anyone who’s watched Kyle Shanahan’s offense of late knows how crucial a role Kyle Juszczyk plays. Well, the versatile H-back’s getting up in age and heading into the last year of his contract. Could Woerner be groomed as the eventual replacement? And lastly, Jennings is exactly the kind of YAC monster Lil Shanny loves to feature. Don’t dwell on the 4.72 40 — he has steal potential as a big-slot playmaker. Calculated drafting from stem to stern."

There are a few things to pull out of the assessment. The Niners did receive some criticism for trading Buckner, then replacing him with Kinlaw. Granted, Kinlaw isn’t Buckner. At least not yet. But San Francisco would have been hard pressed to pay Buckner what he’s earned and still manage to address other areas of need on the roster.

Essentially, the 49ers prioritized longevity amid a Super Bowl window instead of paying out top players.

The Niners’ top two picks are noteworthy, yes. But some of the key analysis should focus on day three and beyond the acquisition of Williams. Case in point, as Filice pointed out, grabbing a player like Woerner could fill a lot of holes. Right away, he’ll likely occupy the blocking-tight end need vacated this offseason by the veteran, Levine Toilolo, who departed for the New York Giants in free agency.

But the idea of Woerner becoming an eventual Juszczyk replacement is provocative. While it’s hard to see the immediate match right now, Juszczyk is entering a contract year. Woerner could at least afford the Niners some crucial evaluation time to determine whether or not they can get both younger and cheaper at a position of vital need.

Again, there’s a purpose here.

Jennings saw his draft stock slip heavily following his sluggish 40-yard time at the NFL Scouting Combine, yes. But as pointed out in the above analysis, Jennings can be a mismatch nightmare and ended up breaking 30 tackles on his 59 receptions for the Volunteers last season.

If San Francisco is prioritizing picking up chunk yards after the catch, which it was a year ago, Jennings should fit in seamlessly.

While the same can’t be said of every other team’s NFL Draft efforts this year, the 49ers approached 2020 with a key plan in place.

And they gained a few fans because of it.