2013 NFL Draft Grades: San Francisco 49ers

By Josh Hill | Apr 28, 2013

Apr 25, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Eric Reid (LSU) holds daughter LeiLani Reid as he is introduced by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as the number eighteen overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers during the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

The 2013 NFL Draft has come and gone, and now it’s time for some reflection. While some teams traded around to get who they want, others stood pat to see who would slide to them — and if there’s one thing to remember about this draft it’s players that slid around the rounds. But now that the draft is behind us, the all important grading phase has begun, so lets take a look at how the San Francisco 49ers did in this year’s NFL Draft.

Draft Picks

(18) Eric Reid, db, LSU
(40) Cornellius Carradine, de, Florida State
(55) Vance McDonald, te, Rice
(88) Corey Lemonier, de, Auburn
(128) Quinton Patton, wr, Louisiana Tech
(131) Marcus Lattimore, rb, South Carolina
(157) Quinton Dial, dt, Alabama
(180) Nick Moody, lb, Florida State
(237) B.J. Daniels, qb, South Florida
(246) Carter Bykowski, ot, Iowa State
(252) Marcus Cooper, db, Rutgers.

Best Pick: Tank Carradine, DE/Florida State

Jeeze, I wish the Niners would have given me more to chose from. Of all the picks the Niners made, it’s tough to pick who the best was but when it comes down to it, Tanka Carradine sticks out. If not for an ACL injury late in the Seminoles season, Carradine would have gone in the first round. He slipped to the second and the Niners got a massive steal.

Worst Pick: B.J. Daniels, QB/USF

This is one pick that clearly was made because the Niners could. They don’t need another quarterback, there were better ones out there but the Niners picked Daniels. Obviously, Harbaugh earned the ability to pick whatever quarterback he wants but this is just excessive.

Analysis: I’m under the impression that San Francisco pieced together the best draft out of anyone this year. They recognize that money doesn’t grow on trees and that they will lose guys like Justin Smith the way they lost Dashon Goldson. San Francisco dunked it’s bucket into the fountain of youth and came away with the team of the future. WHen the veterans leave, San Francisco will have more than enough capable guys to step up and that’s why this was such a brilliant draft.

2013 Draft Grade: A+