Defensive Depth And Offensive Flexibility Were The Themes Of The 49ers’ Draft Class

In the John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan era, the San Francisco 49ers have historically found success on the third day of the NFL Draft, and they will hope to have unearthed some gems on the final day this year after making six selections on Saturday.

San Francisco rounded out a nine-man draft class by with four defensive selections and two on offense. Cornerback Darrell Luter Jr from South Alabama and edge rusher Robert Beal Jr. were the headline defensive picks in round five, with linebackers Dee Winters (TCU) and Jalen Graham (Purdue) selected in rounds six and seven.

On offense, the 49ers spent seventh-round selections on Oklahoma tight end Brayden Willis and Michigan wide receiver Ronnie Bell.

That group of six join third-round selections Ji’Ayir Brown, Jake Moody and Cameron Latu in making up a draft class primarily focused on adding defensive depth.

Safety Brown will eventually be the long-term starter at free safety but for now at least gives the 49ers crucial depth behind presumptive starters Tashaun Gipson and Talanoa Hufanga and another option as a slot defender who can make an impact as a blitzer.

Luter, a long and physical corner who can play press-man and zone and had impressive on-ball production — he had five interceptions and 17 pass breakups in the final two seasons at college — offers much-needed added insurance behind Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir and Isaiah Oliver, likely to be San Francisco’s starting trio in 2023.

Former Georgia pass rusher Beal provides an explosive rotational option off the edge who only had 10 sacks in college. However, Lynch and Shanahan explained in their post-draft press conference that he was their top pass rusher by GTFO, a metric the Niners’ analytics team developed to measure get-off when the ball is snapped.

The 49ers will look for Beal, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds at 247 pounds, to thrive in a rotational role in which he will be free from having to drop into coverage as he regularly did at Georgia.

Expectations for Winters and Graham will be lower, though one could have the chance to become the strong side linebacker following the departure of Azeez Al-Shaair.

On offense it was less about depth and more about identifying new strings for the Niners to add to their bow on that side of the ball. Latu could quickly ascend to second-string tight end behind George Kittle, the 49ers having long since lacked a backup who can bring consistent upside in the passing game.

In addition to serving as further depth at tight end, Willis offers intriguing versatility with his ability to be a blocking asset and bring pass-game potential from the H-back and fullback roles. It would be no surprise to see him stashed on the practice squad as a potential heir apparent to Kyle Juszczyk.

Bell’s skill set is a more familiar one to the 49ers. He has inside-out versatility, can make tough catches and excels after the catch. Sounds very much like a San Francisco receiver.

While Bell may be a more typical 49er pass-catcher, the selection of the multi-faceted Willis — on top of that of Latu — is on that lends itself to more malleability on offense for the Niners.

Having a second tight end in Latu should open more passing options for San Francisco from heavy sets, but Willis may facilitate more creativity in terms of the personnel and how it is used in those sets. The 49ers lining up in 22 personnel with both Willis and Juszczyk as passing threats out of the backfield is not out of the question.

Defensive depth, particularly up front and in the secondary, always seemed the obvious priority for San Francisco in the draft, but the increase in offensive weaponry, albeit at the bottom end of the depth chart, could prove to be just as important if it leads to Shanahan identifying even more creative ways to find the endzone.