The San Francisco 49ers 2023 NFL Draft is officially in the books, which means it’s time to review the actual picks. Thanks to a series of pre-draft trades, the 49ers didn’t make their first selection until the third round, but they still managed to make the most of their limited draft capital.
In all, they obtained the following players:
- Third Round, 87th Overall – Ji’Ayir Brown, S
- Third round, 99th Overall – Jake Moody, K
- Third Round, 101st Overall – Cameron Latu, TE
- Fifth Round, 155th Overall – Robert Beal – EDGE
- Sixth Round, 216th Overall – Dee Winters, LB
- Seventh Round, 247th Overall – Brayden Willis, TE
- Seventh Round, 253rd Overall – Ronnie Bell, WR
- Seventh Round, 255th Overall – Jalen Graham, LB
San Francisco 49ers 2023 NFL Draft Review Grade: 8.2/10
San Francisco 49ers 2023 NFL Draft Review
The Best Player: Ji’Ayir Brown
The San Francisco 49ers should thank their lucky stars that a player this good fell all the way to the third round. While the Penn State product doesn’t have the best range, he makes up for that with above-average instincts and the versatility to play in a wide variety of roles. He should be an immediate contributor and could even fight to start, which isn’t something you normally see from a player drafted in the back half of the third round.
The Head-Scratcher: Jake Moody
The 49ers drafted a kicker in the third round. Do you really need me to expand on that?
The Surprise: Cameron Latu
The 2023 NFL Draft boasts an insane amount of tight end talent, yet the San Francisco 49ers still managed to make a questionable choice when on the clock. Our draft profiles had Latu as a seventh-round pick, and it’s easy to see why. While he has some raw power, he desperately needs to improve his fundamentals as a blocker if he’s ever going to help out on early downs. Latu also has some pop after the catch, but that’s only helpful if you can get the ball to him in the first place, and he’s such a bad route runner that he’ll have a tough time ever separating from defenders.
The Steal: Dee Winters
Dee Winters isn’t necessarily going to be a superstar, but he’s definitely better than his late sixth-round draft capital would imply. The TCU product is a versatile defender that can play inside and outside linebacker with impressive instincts and processing that makes up for his relative lack of speed. While he might be too small to be a three-down starter, he should have no trouble seeing the field on clear passing downs.
Most Likely to Turn Heads in Training Camp: Ji’Ayir Brown Again
Ji’Ayir Brown is easily the best player in the 49ers draft class, and he should make an immediate impact in training camp. Needless to say, practices don’t have the same flow and intensity as a real game, so Brown’s speed concerns should be mitigated while his instincts and versatility should be on full display.
The Rest
Going after Robert Beal in the fifth round was an interesting choice. The Georgia product wasn’t good enough to see playing time on an admittedly talented depth chart, but there must be something about his NFL build that San Francisco likes.
Brayden Willis is too small to block and too slow to run routes. You can’t really complain about the 247th pick in the draft, but it’s hard to see him ever making an impact. Ronnie Bell faces a similar uphill battle for relevance, but he has higher odds of making something of himself. He showed some flashes last year, and maybe he’ll be even better two years removed from his ACL injury. Jalen Graham, meanwhile, is an instinctual player with limited athleticism that’s a little too small to play a true edge role in the pros. He’ll have to switch to linebacker, but he has the football IQ to make that transition after a year on the practice squad.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
