You can hear the double-takes from here. The 49ers took Nadame Tucker at pick 138, roughly 34 spots before his name belonged. It nets out to a B, which feels about right.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through running back. They will answer for taking cornerback early while running back and quarterback went begging.
Lance falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.27
· Pick 27
· Kenyon Sadiq
· TE
· rank 19
In the 27th pick they get a security blanket over the middle at a price that makes it sweeter. A clean fit for the roster.
R3.28
· Pick 92
· Treydan Stukes
· CB
· rank 96
Treydan Stukes at pick 92 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A minor itch, scratched.
R4.8
· Pick 108
· Bryce Lance
· WR
· rank 93
A slide stopped in pick No. 108, with Bryce Lance worth more than the price. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R4.15
· Pick 115
· Harold Perkins Jr.
· LB
· rank 132
Harold Perkins Jr. in the Round 4 slot is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
R4.27
· Pick 127
· Davison Igbinosun
· CB
· rank 113
A want over a need in Round 4, Pick 27: Davison Igbinosun adds a cornerback while running back and quarterback keeps waiting.
R4.33
· Pick 133
· Isaiah World
· OT
· rank 145
Isaiah World at the 133rd overall pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R4.38
· Pick 138
· Nadame Tucker
· DE-EDGE
· rank 172
Nadame Tucker at Round 4, Pick 38 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R4.39
· Pick 139
· Jakobe Thomas
· S
· rank 140
Jakobe Thomas in slot 139 is fair value, right on his grade. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
R5.12
· Pick 152
· Zane Durant
· DT
· rank 177
Zane Durant in the 152nd pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R5.40
· Pick 180
· Febechi Nwaiwu
· OG
· rank 173
Nothing to complain about; Febechi Nwaiwu went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R6.30
· Pick 211
· Zavion Thomas
· WR
· rank 219
They paid up for Zavion Thomas at pick No. 211 when waiting would have done the job. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.