Why the 49ers Will Draft a Kicker
The 49ers have done an excellent job in the last month addressing their needs.
Most recently it was the acquisition of kicker Zane Gonzalez from the Panthers. A swap of late round compensatory picks is what got the job done, so the cost came at the bare minimum for the 49ers.
However, it seems the 49ers are not fully bought in on Gonzalez just yet. They recently worked out Michigan kicker Jake Moody and Maryland kicker Chad Ryland, while special teams' coordinator Brian Schneider worked out Auburn kicker Anders Carlson in March, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Due diligence is typical for any team to conduct.
And for the 49ers, this is extremely necessary despite acquiring Gonzalez.
These visits and workouts indicate to me that the 49ers will be looking to draft a kicker this month. Gonzalez isn’t trustworthy at all. He missed all of 2022 with a groin injury, then prior to that he only managed to be active for 12 games in both 2021 and 2020. The trend that he is on with missing games is concerning.
Gonzalez can get hurt at any moment as he has demonstrated in the last few years and most of it has occurred from pregame warmups. The last thing the 49ers want to do is go scrambling at the last minute to add a kicker all because they were content with Gonzalez. That wouldn't be wise on their part.
At least by drafting a kicker, they can stick to their “competition” motto and see if Gonzalez is worth the risk of missing games. It'll allow them to see how his body keeps up, how he fares in a competition, and getting to know him more. Should he win it, then the 49ers can always keep that rookie aboard on the practice squad. Gonzalez is simply a safety net in case they do not get to draft the kicker they want or if any other kicker they bring in isn't decent at all.
Again, it did not cost much of anything to get Gonzalez from the Panthers, so he is basically expendable. Drafting a kicker may be viewed as a waste of draft resources, but the 49ers have so many day two and three picks that they might as well look to draft one of those top kickers who they worked out. It is well worth the flier to see what they can do up close because the 49ers cannot go into the regular season being content with having Gonzalez as their only attempt and answer at kicker.
