49ers make surprising, yet, expected pick in 2023 NFL Draft
The San Fransisco 49ers traded for kicker Zane Gonzalez, who finished 2022 with a. 90.9% make rate when kicking field goals and a 95.7% make rate when kicking extra points, earlier in the offseason; but, that didn't stop them from spending a valuable draft pick on former Michigan kicker Jake Moody. In terms of the […]
The San Fransisco 49ers traded for kicker Zane Gonzalez, who finished 2022 with a. 90.9% make rate when kicking field goals and a 95.7% make rate when kicking extra points, earlier in the offseason; but, that didn't stop them from spending a valuable draft pick on former Michigan kicker Jake Moody.
In terms of the big picture, it's not a major surprise the 49ers decided to spend the 99th overall pick on Moody – even if they traded a conditional 2025 seventh-rounder for Gonzalez's services. The price of obtaining Gonzalez was obviously very cheap. But at the same time, we're talking about the 49ers' second pick in the third round – they only have one more pick in the 3rd round (No. 101) and then they don't pick until No. 155 in the fifth round.
Do they really want to spend this pick on a kicker?
In terms of available players, guys like BYU OT Blake Freeland, CB Jakorian Bennett, CB Darius Rush, and even OL Braeden Daniels were still (and still are) on the board when Moody was picked. It really feels like any of those positions, especially in the context of the 49ers' needs, were in the context of more-premium positions, for lack of a better phrase,
Especially whenever you have a kicker coming off of a very good year like Gonzalez is.
Regardless, competition brings the best out of everyone in the NFL. It's just ironic that the 49ers spent a higher price on an unproven rookie kicker than they did a somewhat-proven veteran kicker that's coming off the best year of his career.
But, it was reported early-on that the 9ers had heavy interest in Moody, so, ultimately it's not a huge shock that this pick was made. But, overall, it's a surprise when considering who's on the board.
