While the San Francisco 49ers were missing in action in Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft without a single pick in Rounds 2 or 3, the team more than made up for that quiet Friday with a busy Day 3 on Saturday. Just before the Cincinnati Bengals kicked things off with the first selection of the 3rd Round and 65th pick overall, 49ers general manager John Lynch made a splash by trading for disgruntled Washington Redskins left-tackle Trent Williams. The 31-year old Williams who did not play in 2019 after he and his agent demanded a trade following a series of trust issues with the team's medical staff that stemmed from a cancerous tumor that Williams had surgically removed in April of last year. After initially being told by team doctors back in 2013 that the diagnosis was nothing to worry about, Williams refused to play for the club that was unable to work a deal with another team. That was until this morning when John Lynch came calling.
A 7-time Pro Bowler who lands in San Francisco with one-year and $12.5 Million dollars remaining on his contract, Williams is quite familiar with Kyle Shanahan's offense as the current 49ers head coach was with Washington in 2010 as the team's offensive coordinator when the Redskins selected Williams out of Oklahoma with the 4th overall pick. Known for his outstanding footwork and athletic ability, Williams nearly landed with the Minnesota Vikings who were reportedly in deep talks with Washington before things fell through which ultimately allowed for San Francisco to come into the picture and nab him. Aside from his stellar and consistent play while protecting the quarterback, Williams is also most famous for an altercation that took place between him and a player he'll now share a locker room with. Williams was hit with an $8,000 fine after taking a swipe at former Seattle Seahawk and soon to be fellow teammate Richard Sherman following the Redskins' loss to Seattle in the 2012 NFC Wild Card game. The two took to Twitter and had a good laugh about the incident shortly after 49ers owner Jed York welcomed Williams to the team which prompted Sherman to ask for a rematch.
The acquisition of Williams which was already a major addition to the team, grew exponentially in significance just moments later as it was learned that long-time 49er and 6-time Pro Bowl left-tackle Joe Staley was retiring from the game of football at the age of 35 due to health concerns. A former first round pick of the 49ers in 2007, Staley played all 13 NFL seasons in San Francisco after they made him the 28th overall pick out of Central Michigan. Named to the NFL's 2010 All-Decade Team just a week earlier, Staley was a 3-time All-Pro with the Niners while playing 192 games that spanned over seven different head coaches. Following the disappoint loss in Super Bowl 54 in which the 49ers let a 10-point, fourth quarter lead slip through their hands, Staley was without question the one player who took the upsetting loss the hardest, at least in the public eye. It won't be long before Staley's No. 74 is retired by the team and hung up in the rafters of Levi's Stadium for all to see. Since 2011, Staley has been the highest-rated left-tackle in all of football with a grade of 93.8. But not far behind him was Trent Williams at No. 4 with a 92.5 grade. As saddened as the team and fans will be with Staley now on his way out, Williams will be plugged into that void immediately with fresh legs under him following the time off.
In the trade for Williams, the 49ers sent their 5th round pick (156th overall) and a 2021 3rd round pick to Washington. It would end up being the first of three trades executed by John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan as they also sent running back Matt Breida to the Miami Dolphins for a 5th round pick and managed to jettison the contract of Marquise Goodwin by shipping him and a 6th round pick (210) to Philadelphia for their 6th round pick (190). Both Breida and Goodwin were expected to be big contributors to the 49er offense in 2019, but injuries would limit both players on the field last season. While Breida was often hurt and had both Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman to split running back duties with, Goodwin was frequently sidelined for both personal reasons and injury problems. After a strong 2017 campaign in which he was on the doorstep of 1,000 yards receiving before falling just shy with 962, the former Olympic speedster was given a new expensive three-year deal that he continuously failed to live up to.
Rounding out their busy Day 3 of the Draft, the 49ers made 5th, 6th and 7th round selections with picks No. 153, 190 and 217 to select West Virginia offensive-tackle Colton McKivitz, Georgia tight-end Charlie Woerner and Tennessee wide-receiver Jauan Jennings, respectively. With McKivitz and Jennings brought in to provide depth and possibly compete for a starting job, Woerner who was the No. 1 rated run-blocking tight-end in the entire draft class, will likely find himself in a nice run-blocking role for Kyle Shanahan's offense, following the departures of tight-ends Garrett Celek and Levine Toilolo. Similar to San Francisco's 25th overall selection Brandon Aiyuk who Shanahan acquired for his YAC (yards after catch) ability, Jennings brings a similar skill-set, having averaged 14.7 YAC for the Vols in 2019, while also adding some physicality and strength as his 30 forced missed tackles were the most among all NCAA wide-receivers last season.
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Last night's 2020 NFL Draft was unlike any we've ever seen before. With everyone from commissioner Roger Goodell to the team's coaches, general managers and even the draft prospects themselves isolated at home and tapping in thru live television feeds due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL still managed to pull off a successful opening night to the draft during this unprecedented time. And while there were a few slight bumps in the road such as a lack of details when teams would trade in and out of draft picks to move up and down on the draft board, it was nice to finally have some sort of sports entertainment to feed our hunger, even if only for a few days.
One of only four teams to possess more than one pick in the first round entering the draft, the defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers came into Day 1 of the draft with two picks under their belt -- pick No. 13 via the Indianapolis Colts and their original pick at No. 31. Leading up to the big day, general manager John Lynch was very open about both picks being available to teams that were interested in trading up. But it wasn't until San Francisco was on the clock at pick 13 that Lynch pulled the trigger to give us our first trade of the night. Moving up one spot to nab Iowa offensive-tackle Tristan Wirfs were the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who decided to protect their new investment in quarterback Tom Brady. In the move, the 49ers also dealt a 7th round pick (No. 245) to Tampa, while acquiring the 14th overall pick as well as a 4th rounder (No. 117). After trading one spot out of the 13th pick which was received from Indy in the DeForest Buckner trade, the 49ers used their first pick of the night to find Buckner's cheaper and younger replacement in South Carolina defensive-tackle Javon Kinlaw. A senior and 3-year starter with the Gamecocks, Kinlaw has been repeatedly praised in the days leading up to the draft for the explosive first step he's able to gain on the opposition at the line and his impressive abilities in spite of his large 6-foot, 5-inch, 324 lb. frame. With a nonstop motor that continues until the sound of the whistle, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh will have yet another young prospect to work with and develop in bolstering an already stout defensive front.
Though it wasn't the sexy wide receiver pick many fans thought they'd see and most mock drafts had projected the 49ers selecting, especially with both Jerry Jeudy and Ceedee Lamb still available, it was a pick that made plenty of sense. After jettisoning Buckner who was on the last year of his contract and was going to demand a hefty payday that would've put San Francisco in a bind with teammates Arik Armstead entering free agency and tight-end George Kittle next in line for a contract-extension, the front-office did what they had to in order to withhold as many assets as they could at the cheapest cost possible. Rated by many NFL scouts and sources as being a top 10 prospect, Lynch and Shanahan found their man in Kinlaw with the 14th overall pick. One guy who wasn't too please the 49ers took Kinlaw at 14, was a guy who knows a thing or two about disrupting the quarterback on defense in Pro Bowler Von Miller. The Broncos outside linebacker had recorded his own live feed from home while reacting to picks, and was jumping around and yelling in frustration as he had hoped Kinlaw, a first-team AP All-American in 2019, fell to Denver at pick 15, "They're greedy! That was my pick! That's who I wanted," he went on to say.
However, the team's busy night of trading would not end there. While many expected San Francisco to trade out of the 31st pick to acquire more draft capital considering they entered day 1 without a single draft pick in rounds 2 thru 4, they would instead trade up from the 31st pick to the 25th spot where coach Shanahan would find his newest toy on offense. In need of a receiver to fill the void left by Emmanuel Sanders who agreed to a two-year deal with the New Orleans Saints, the 49ers sent picks 31, 117 and 176 to the Minnesota Vikings in return for the 25th pick which they would use to select Arizona State wide-out Brandon Aiyuk. Possessing an 81-inch wingspan, the longest of any player under 6-foot in combine history, Aiyuk averaged 9.9 YAC (yards after catch) which ranked first among all receivers in his draft class. But as good as he was on offense for the Sun Devils, he also poses a threat on special-teams in punt returns where he'll likely takeover duties this season. Interestingly enough, Shanahan admitted after the first round that he and Lynch considered taking Aiyuk at pick 13 or 14 before he eventually fell into their lap at 25, feeling the need to trade up from 31 as the former Arizona State alum likely would've been off the board by then they feared.
In what was a rather bland opening round to the Draft in the family reaction department, the Kinlaw's, specifically Javon's father, provided arguably the best reaction of the night when he hit the floor and rolled around in excitement upon hearing his son's name called. It was little moments like that that we all needed in a time like this and just one more reason that we all can't wait to get back to a sense of normalcy and the game of football.
The 2020 NFL Draft continues with Rounds 2 & 3 on Friday with San Francisco projected to pick up the action again on Saturday in Rounds 4 thru 7.
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