New draft picks face tough competition to start right away
SANTA CLARA >> Unlike last year’s overhaul, the 49ers are not as desperate to plug in and play their draft class.
Only right tackle Mike McGlinchey is a lock for coach Kyle Shanahan’s starting lineup, as a No. 9 overall pick should be.
“Last year, Kyle and I looked at it as almost a blank canvas,” general manager John Lynch said. “We were putting people in that we knew had a great opportunity to play right away.
“We still felt this year there’s pieces to be added to the puzzle, but it will be certainly be more competitive.”
So what about the 49ers’ other eight picks? Starters may emerge from that bunch. Jobs will be challenged. Could be an ‘A’ or ‘F’ class.
“It was much harder to pick guys in the second day that we felt had a chance to make our team,” Shanahan said. “It wasn’t just, ‘Hey, plug this guy in here.’
“We had to draft guys who have ability and are good,” Shanahan added, “because the competition is a lot harder and that’s something we want.”
Last year, eight of 10 draft picks saw significant action, as well as a few undrafted rookies.
Let’s take a closer look at the draft’s top takeaways:
1. PASS RUSHERS IGNORED >> Instead of drafting an edge pass rusher, the 49ers are pressing forward with their veterans: Arik Armstead, Cassius Marsh, Solomon Thomas, Eli Harold or Jeremiah Attaouch.
“We have some pretty good players,” Shanahan said. “Yeah, we’d love to add the whoever the best pass rusher is in the draft. We’d love a Von Miller. But you only get eight up on game day and nine on a roster.
It wasn’t a deep draft for elite pass rushers. Only two pass rushers went in the first round: Bradley Chubb (No. 4, Broncos) and Marcus Davenport (No. 14, Saints).
2. ALL-ACL TEAM 2.0 >> The 49ers spent Saturday’s closing action focusing on their defensive depth and special teams, and they did so by questionably taking multiple players with injury concerns.
Defensive end Kentavius Street (fourth round) tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a pre-draft workout with the New York Giants. Safety Marcell Harris (sixth round) missed
last season with an Achilles tear. Defensive lineman Jullian Taylor (seventh round) tore an ACL in 2016 after knee surgery in 2015.
Those picks channeled the failed strategy of ousted general manager Trent Baalke. Seven players were drafted between 2013-16 off ACL tears, and none remain.
“We’re aware of that,” Lynch said. “We’re not trying to make popular picks. We’re trying to make good picks. And we’re very convicted this was just that.” 3. THE RULE OF THREE >> Shanahan offered a unique perspective of how critical a draft’s first three selections are. Last year, the 49ers’ top picks addressed each level of the defense. So how did Shanahan look at this year’s crop?
“This year, I feel all three of our picks were at all three levels of our offense,” Shanahan
said. “First-round guy was a right tackle in McGlinchey. Our first second-round pick was a quarterback in (Jimmy) Garoppolo. And the other second-round pick was (wide receiver Dante) Pettis.”
4. BRAIN TRUST >> McGlinchey and the 49ers’ two picks Friday, Pettis and linebacker Fred Warner, were at or near the top of their respective positions with Wonderlic test scores reportedly over 30 at the combine. Lynch expects those astute additions to blend right into the Silicon Valley workforce.
“These are some smart guys that can play football. They could moonlight over at Google,” Lynch said. “We added some IQ to the building and we’re happy for that, but most of all, it starts with the tape, as Kyle always says, and these guys can play and they are very good fits for what we do.”