Grading the 49ers’ 2019 Draft Class

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Grading the 49ers’ 2019 Draft Class

Last Thursday, Avengers Endgame was released and the world has talked about nothing else since. However, also on last Thursday was the 2019 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, because of Endgame, people have pretty much forgotten that the NFL Draft happened in the first place. But don’t worry, here’s a reminder. In this article, let’s take a look at the 49ers’ 2019 Draft Class, and try to figure out how well the 49ers’ 2019 Draft Class came together.

Round 1: Nick Bosa

With their first pick in the draft, second overall, the Niners took Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa. For more information on Bosa, read TSJ’s write-up on him. The younger brother of the Chargers’ Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa seems equipped to dominate the NFL at the same level as his brother. Personally, I could not be happier about this pick. Bosa will solidify the Niners’ already strong defensive line. Kyler Murray going first overall is the best thing that could have happened for the Niners. However, since this pick was what the 49ers were unwilling to give up to trade for OBJ, I will comparing Bosa and OBJ all season to see if we made the right decision or not. (Also, Nick Bosa kinda looks like Colton Underwood. I wonder if he cries all the time too.)

Grade: A+

Round 2: Deebo Samuel

With their second round pick, the Niners selected South Carolina wide receiver Deebo Samuel. The Niners used their second pick to address one of their major needs: wide receiver. Samuel was an excellent receiver for South Carolina, excelling from the slot. Samuel’s quickness and agility should be incredibly valuable in Shanahan’s offense. The Niners also had plenty of time to evaluate Samuel, as they coached him in the Senior Bowl. The fact that they used such an early pick on him, understandably, speaks volumes about his ability. Ideally, Samuel will be a starter from the slot for the Niners for years.

Grade: B+

Round 3: Jalen Hurd

The Niners used their next pick on another wide receiver, Jalen Hurd from Baylor. However, Hurd is really a lot more than a wide receiver. At the beginning of his college career, Hurd was a running back. He only recently transitioned to receiver, though he was excellent at Baylor this past season, putting up 946 receiving yards. While the 49ers don’t necessarily need any more running backs in their already stacked backfield, Hurd’s versatility should be an incredible asset. The idea of a player with such offensive potential playing under a coach as creative as Kyle Shanahan is certainly exciting. Shanahan has already suggested that Hurd could wind up transitioning to a tight end role. At 6’5″ and 226 pounds, such a transition would make sense. It should certainly be exciting to see what role Hurd ends up filling, and he should be a great asset for the 49ers offense.

Grade: A-

Round 4: Mitch Wishnowsky

The 49ers used their fourth round pick on Utah punter Mitch Wishnowsky. A punter. In the fourth round. Apparently, he is a very good punter. And the 49ers do need a punter. But also, they drafted a punter, in the fourth round. So yeah, I don’t love this pick. Because it’s a punter … in the fourth round.

Grade: D

Round 5: Dre Greenlaw

In the fifth round, the Niners took linebacker Dre Greenlaw from Arkansas. Greenlaw had a solid career at Arkansas and should fit in nicely with the 49ers linebacker corps. Despite signing Kwon Alexander in free agency, linebacker is definitely still a weak spot for the Niners, so grabbing Greenlaw makes sense. I don’t know if he will play or how well, but grabbing him was definitely a smart move. (Shoutout to the 49ers’ Twitter, too, that was a great tweet guys)

Grade: B

Round 6: Kaden Smith

The Niners grabbed Kaden Smith, a tight end from Stanford in the sixth round. I don’t really know what exactly to make of this pick. Part of me doesn’t really get why we need a tight end at all, since we have the best tight end in the league (NFL record holder George Kittle). Especially if Jalen Hurd transitions to more of a tight end role, as Shanahan suggested he might. But, adding another pass catcher for Jimmy G to work with seems like a plus to me. I also trust Kyle Shanahan’s ability to evaluate offensive talent, so I am trying to believe the best in this pick.

Grade: C

Round 6: Justin Skule

The Niners then took offensive tackle Justin Skule from Vanderbilt. My first thought is that he has an awesome name. Skule is a very intimidating sounding name and I hope he winds up starting for us just because of that. Kyle Shanahan’s offenses have always had a dominant run game – and a run game needs a great O-line – so grabbing a lineman is certainly not a bad move. We’ll have to wait and see how Skule plays in training camp.

Grade: B-

Round 6: Tim Harris

Rounding out the 2019 49ers’ draft class is Tim Harris, a cornerback from Virginia. It’s no secret that the 49ers’ secondary is one of the weakest spots on the roster. Besides Richard Sherman, it is unclear who will be playing the cornerback position this season. Harris had two medical redshirt seasons and wound up playing six years at Virginia, so he certainly has experience. His performance at rookie minicamp so far has earned compliments from John Lynch as well. If Harris turns into a starter, he would be a steal from this draft.

Grade: A-

49ers’ 2019 Draft Class Overall Grade: B+

The 49ers’ 2019 draft class is another strong one put together by Lynch and Shanahan. So far, the two have proven to be effective, savvy drafters. They were able to grab the consensus number one player in the draft in Nick Bosa, then followed that pick up with a pair of dynamic receivers in Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd. This draft class should fill in some of the final holes in our roster as we finish up this rebuild. Hopefully, this draft has brought us one step closer to being a competitive NFL team again. We’ll have to wait and see.

Photo Credit

Featured image courtesy of Gamecock Central via Flickr and NFL Comm.

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