Niner Noise Podcast: Reactions to the 49ers 2023 NFL Draft

The Niner Noise Podcast is back this week to breakdown the haul of players the San Francisco 49ers took in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Niners came into the draft with 11 picks but ended up taking nine total rookies starting in the late third round.

Podcast hosts and Niner Noise site contributors Robert Morrison and Akshaj Dwivedula had a lot to discuss about San Francisco's 2023 draft class. While it included players in areas of reasonably obvious need, such as third-round pick Ji'Ayir Brown, a ball-hawking safety out of Penn State who can fight for a clear role in 2023, there were some head-scratchers that your hosts got into.

Chief among those, of course, is the great kicker controversy.

After trading up to take Brown with pick No. 87, the 49ers shocked everyone by grabbing Michigan kicker Jake Moody with pick No. 99, the highest-drafted kicker in the NFL Draft since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took Roberto Aguayo at No. 59 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Akshaj, in particular, had some strong feelings about the Moody pick, mostly related to value and whether there were other players the Niners could have added to their crop of players at that point in the draft. Robert notes that Moody was likely going to be gone by the time the 49ers selected again in the fifth round, but the counter is obvious: did it have to be Moody or else?

Your intrepid podcast hosts also discussed the rest of the draft class as well as the group of undrafted free agents, 12 in all, whom the 49ers brought in to compete for jobs. They also noted how difficult it will be for all the rookies, draft picks and UDFAs alike, to break onto this very talented San Francisco roster.

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