There are always surprising picks in the NFL Draft every year. In the first round the Detroit Lions taking running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th pick was an example of it. Although the San Francisco 49ers could be in that category too for what they just did.
The 49ers didn’t have a first-round pick because they traded it away in 2021 to get Trey Lance. That huge move from 12 to 3 was very expensive, but it has not worked out yet. In fact, the favorite to be the starting quarterback next season is Brock Purdy.
For San Francisco the draft was going to need a lot of creativity because they also didn’t hold a pick in the second round. The reason is the mid-season trade they completed with the Carolina Panthers to get Christian McCaffrey. That’s why their selections had to wait until late in the day.
San Francisco 49ers pick a kicker with the 99th pick
Only four selections were assigned originally to the 49ers. However, they were the team that received the most compensatory picks with seven. The explanation to the value acquired is an amendment to the Rooney Rule in 2020 that writes: “If a team lost a minority executive or coach to another team, that team would receive a third-round compensatory pick for two years”.
The main benefit for San Francisco was getting two third-round picks. They first traded up from 102 to 87 to pick Penn State safety Ji’Ayir Brown, although the surprise came a few minutes later. San Francisco 49ers selected K Jake Moody with the 99th overall choice.
Moody had a successful career playing for the Michigan Wolverines, so it’s his position what made it a bit head-scratching. The 49ers parted ways with veteran Robbie Gould in free agency because the 40-year-old kicker was probably going to be too expensive for them. Now they found a solution with an interesting decision that had the viewers surprised.
