49ers’ picks expected to provide competition

Associated Press

SANTA CLARA, Calif.

Looking to add talent, depth and competition at several positions, the San Francisco 49ers felt they met all three objectives with their eight selections in the NFL draft.

With high picks in every round each of the first two days, the 49ers obtained prospects that could make a difference on both sides of the ball for a team that won 10 games combined during the first two years general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have guided the franchise.

“You try to improve your team wherever you can,” Shanahan said Saturday. “It’s not the easiest thing. We were in some good draft spots this year where we could draft to add players better than the guys we had.”

San Francisco completed two trades Saturday to add two extra picks on the draft’s final day.

After trading down in the fourth round, the 49ers addressed a position where they’d sustained their biggest loss during free agency in March. San Francisco then drafted for depth with its fifth-round pick and each of its three selections in the sixth round.

WHO THEY GOT

The 49ers acquired one of the draft’s premier prospects in Ohio State defensive lineman Nick Bosa with the No. 2 overall pick, then addressed their lack of playmaking talent at wide receiver by selecting South Carolina’s Deebo Samuel (second round, No. 36 overall) and Baylor’s Jalen Hurd (third, No. 67) with their Day 2 picks.

San Francisco’s Day 3 picks were highlighted by the selection of Utah punter Mitch Wishnowsky in the fourth round (No. 110).

The 49ers added two sixth-round selections from Cincinnati when trading down from the No. 104 pick, taking Vanderbilt offensive tackle Justin Skule and Virginia cornerback Tim Harris with those picks.

The 49ers also added Stanford tight end Kaden Smith with their sixth-round pick (No. 176) and Arkansas linebacker Dre Greenlaw (No. 148) with the fifth-round selection the team received when San Francisco traded linebacker Dekoda Watson and a sixth-round pick to the Denver Broncos.

SURPRISE MOVE

For a team needing help to shore up one of the NFL’s weakest defensive backfields, the 49ers instead used their first selection Saturday on a specialist, taking Wishnowsky after trading down with the Bengals to acquire picks.

Wishnowsky was the first specialist selected this year, and also is the first punter drafted during the opening four rounds since 2012.

He’ll compete with veteran Justin Vogel to replace Bradley Pinion, San Francisco’s fifth-round pick in 2015 who left the team as a free agent in March to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The biggest issue looming for the 49ers as they continue to shape their training camp roster is the status of free agent kicker Robbie Gould.