San Francisco 49ers: Regrading 2017 NFL Draft class

Round 6: 49ers EDGE Pita Taumoepenu

Some could see the Niners’ Round 6 selection of Utah’s Pita Taumoepenu as a bust, given he spent the vast majority of his two-year stint in San Francisco on the practice squad. But it’s important to remember sixth-round picks don’t exactly carry a lot of expectations, and practice squad placement here is very common for developmental prospects.

That’s what Taumoepenu was, essentially. While boasting some solid upside, he was raw and had a bit of an undersized frame at 6-foot-1 and 245 pounds.

Taumoepenu managed to get into two games late his rookie season, primarily contributing on special teams before reverting back to the practice squad the following season.

A late call-up in 2018 gave Taumoepenu four more games played along with three tackles, and his NFL stat line currently ends there.

It wasn’t a wasted pick, given the expectation level. But it didn’t necessarily provide anything more than depth. And that’s OK.