49ers Receive Poor Draft Grade From Pro Football Network

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Another media outlet isn't a fan of how the 49ers drafted this year.
First, it was Sports Illustrated that gave the 49ers an unappealing grade. Now, the 49ers received a poor draft grade from Pro Football Network. Here is their breakdown of their grade given.
"The 49ers haven’t re-signed Brock Purdy yet, but their actions during the draft suggest that they are very comfortable with him controlling their future. San Francisco didn’t address the offensive side of the ball until the late stages of Round 4, a bit of a surprise given the injury history Christian McCaffrey and seeing Jordan Mason/Deebo Samuel move on this offseason. I don’t hate this decision, but their selections indicate a willingness to be patient and that was … interesting.
"First round pick Mykel Williams has plenty of strong traits, but the production at the collegiate level was never elite and there’s a learning curve that needs to be baked in. Alfred Collins was their next pick, a defensive tackle with limited versatility, and Nick Martin plucked off the board in the third round, an undersized linebacker who was reported to have a Day 3, not Round 3, grade in most draft rooms. This is still a very talented roster and if Purdy is truly a top-10 quarterback, some of these roster flaws can be overlooked. That said, this team is walking a fine line due to how they addressed this draft and that brings about plenty of short-term risk."
I get what Pro Football Network is getting at, especially with linebacker Nick Martin. He was drafted in the third round when there was a strong chance he would make it late in the draft.
The thing with the 49ers is they don't see value. If they like a player and are honed in, they will draft them wherever they want. It doesn't matter to them.
That process is probably part of why they failed miserably with their 2022 and 2023 draft classes. However, these grades are about how these media outlets had prospects ranked.
It all may look like nuts that the 49ers reached on several picks, but so long as the players make an impact in 2025, this will all look silly in hindsight.
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Jose Luis Sanchez III has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily for FanNation since 2019. He started off as the lead publisher for FanNation's All49ers, then switched positions to become the Deputy Editor in 2020. Sanchez writes, edits, and produces videos daily for All49ers. He also co-hosts a show on YouTube with All49ers lead publisher Grant Cohn weekly. Prior to FanNation, Sanchez started his writing career back in 2016 for the school newspaper at Skyline college where he covered all sports team in the Bay Area. Following that from 2017 to 2019, he found a role as a contributor for FanSided's news desk along with their site's Just Blog Baby covering the Las Vegas Raiders and Golden Gate Sports every professional Bay Area sports team. Atop all of that, he was able to graduate with a Bachelors degree in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University in 2020. Sanchez is committed to ensuring he delivers transparent analysis and straightforward opinions that resonates with readers to get them thinking.
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