Why the 49ers Drafted Kicker Jake Moody in the Third Round
Drafting a kicker in the third round is too rich for the position.
That did not matter to the San Francisco 49ers as they took Michigan kicker Jake Moody in the third round with the No. 99 pick. It is something that I had expected they would do as kicker is a bigger need than it appears with Robbie Gould now a free agent. Still, drafting a kicker is something the 49ers could have done later on, which means they loved Moody well beyond the rest.
The 49ers held a Day 2 post-draft press conference to review their picks along with explaining why they drafted Moody in the third round.
"I think when you put this much work into making your roster as competitive as we have, you’re going to be in a lot of close games and kickers matter." said John Lynch. "We knew that we’d be looking this year and our special teams coaches really got out and about and really studied this thing hard. We put a lot of thought into it. When we felt like there was one who separated themselves from the rest, we became very convicted and we were fortunate to have three third round picks. We felt like he was worthy of one and we are happy to have done it.”
Boy, Lynch really is trying to convince himself that taking a kicker with that pick. The question posed to him was "if it was tough to do" in drafting one and he said "it wasn't easy." That tells you all you need to know about Lynch's take on the selection of Moody. Here is what Kyle Shanahan had to say.
"We felt like we got the best kicker in the draft," said Shanahan. "I can’t say that I study kickers every year, but the people who do felt very good about it. I think it’s all about, you know you need one, so where are you going to get it? There are probably five to six teams who you feel need a kicker, so the whole debate is where to go get that guy because it is one you need to get. When you look at the history, the majority of kickers go in the fourth round. We didn’t have a fourth round pick and the guy was not going to be there in the fifth round."
Hold up there Shanahan. You can explain and give all these reasons why your team drafted a kicker incredibly high, but don't start spewing out things that aren't true or are exaggerated. The last time a kicker was taken in the fourth round was in 2011. Aside from that, the earliest a kicker has been taken was in 2016 when the Buccaneers drafted Roberto Aguayo. How did that work out?
"When you look at pick 99, they call it the third round but to me, it is seven picks after the third round ends, so I feel like it is the start of the fourth round. To me, that was the spot that we felt would be the spot to get him, but that’s why we were also nervous that someone could come up to 100 and take him. I’m very glad that we got him but it's not quite as fun as some other things can be, but I think it would be if we had a bad kicker for the past six years. I think everyone would have been like, ‘alright, we finally invested in and got one,’ but when you have one that’s been like Robbie and so consistent, it is a little anticlimactic, but it was something that was extremely important.”
Much like with Lynch, Shanahan with this part of his answer is really trying to convince himself. Picking a kicker definitely has Shanahan's hands written all over it because it screams, "We (49ers) don't need anyone elsewhere," which is extreme arrogance. The 49ers may not have a need for 2023 elsewhere, but it does not mean that they can't take someone who can become a future starter and maybe even blossom into a key player this year. Shanahan better hope Moody is here for a very long time as he's already being made fun of by people close to him.
“Most of my friends made fun of me," Shanahan said. "They were trying to make me feel insecure about it but we don’t.”
