Ranking 49ers' 5 biggest head-scratching moves from 2023 offseason
By Peter Panacy
49ers head-scratching move No. 1: Drafting kicker Jake Moody
San Francisco used another third-round pick on a puzzling selection, Michigan kicker Jake Moody at No. 99 overall.
In some regard, it made sense. The 49ers bade farewell to veteran kicker Robbie Gould in free agency, and they needed a long-term upgrade with no health issues, unlike a stopgap option in Zane Gonzalez, whom they acquired via trade earlier that offseason.
And, by nearly every account, Moody was the best in this year's draft class.
However, and despite all kinds of reports and rumors about other teams being interested in Moody in Round 4, the Niners shouldn't have been the team to go after a specialist first in this year's draft.
Yet they did.
Moody now has a ton of pressure on him to succeed and then some. Had San Francisco gone with a late-round kicker or even an undrafted free agent, no one would worry about a flame-out.
Instead, Moody better pan out and then some.
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