The San Francisco 49ers made a move on Tuesday that was probably overdue as they pulled the plug on their kicker Jake Moody.
Admitting they messed up on him is another reminder of how bad the 2023 draft class was for San Francisco.
Taking a look at that year's class is almost stomach-churning:
A look at the 49ers 2023 draft class pic.twitter.com/dTZfkqZV7s
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) September 9, 2025
Perhaps it makes sense the Niners had a bad draft considering they did not have any picks in the first two rounds, since they parted ways with those picks as compensation for trading up to select quarterback Trey Lance and the 2022 in-season trade that acquired Christian McCaffrey.
Still, looking through all of those names makes one wince.
The team selected safety Ji'Ayir Brown, kicker Jake Moody, and tight end Cameron Latu in the third round. Brown is still on the team but was beat out for a starting job by rookie Marques Sigle, Moody has been let go, and Cameron Latu was a bust with San Francisco and is now on the Philadelphia Eagles.
In the fifth and sixth rounds, the 49ers selected cornerback Darrell Luter, defensive lineman Robert Beal, and linebacker Dee Winters. Luter is on the team but is far down on the depth chart at cornerback. Beal is in a similar spot on the defensive line as he has plenty of guys ahead of him. Winters may end up being the lone bright spot from the 2023 draft class as he earned a starting job alongside Fred Warner and had an impressive Week 1 performance against Seattle.
So, there's that.
The last three picks for San Francisco in the seventh round of that draft were tight end Brayden Willis, who has been overshadowed by Jake Tonges, wide receiver Ronnie Bell who had a penchant for drops and is no longer on the team, and linebacker Jalen Graham who is a backup.
Moody is certainly the biggest whiff of that whole draft because he is a kicker and he was selected so high. It seems like taking kickers that high never pans out, so this is a cautionary tale for not only the 49ers, but every other NFL team that drafting a kicker is a risk.
We will see how the rest of the class turns out, but as of right now, Winters seems like the one hope to salvage what was otherwise a pretty atrocious 2023 draft class for San Francisco.