© Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
SANTA CLARA — On Monday morning, John Lynch identified the importance of adding dynamic, game-changing players in the upcoming 2018 NFL Draft. If that was his goal, he has accomplished it through the first three rounds.
On Friday, the 49ers used three picks in the second and third rounds to draft Washington receiver Dante Pettis, BYU linebacker Fred Warner, and Southern Mississippi safety Tarvarius Moore. The 49ers are more athletic and dynamic than they were a day ago.
None of these players are implanted as projected starters. None of them have concrete positions. There are questions as to how they will fit with the currently constructed roster, and where they will line up on the field.
These aren’t necessarily problems.
Lynch and Shanahan often use words such as ‘dynamic’ and ‘versatile’ and ‘interchangeable’ to describe both prospective players and current concepts.
After Day 2 of the draft concluded Friday evening, Lynch labeled Pettis as a ‘four-down player,’ a rare characterization for anyone. His nine punt return touchdowns are the most in NCAA history. He averaged 58 catches for 791.5 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Washington.
“This is a guy who has tremendous flexibility in terms of versatility at the wide receiver position,” Lynch said.
‘Flexibility’ and ‘versatility’ are the operatives here.
There are concerns that Pettis isn’t physical or big enough to play through press-coverage at the NFL level. If there is a void within the 49ers receiving corps, it’s the lack of a so-called ‘red zone threat,’ a big-bodied player who can rise up and snag jump balls. Pettis doesn’t fix that.
But Shanahan has long refuted this need, preferring a diverse offense replete with dynamic options rather than relying on one or two sources of red-zone production.
“Where people make mistakes is when they say, ‘We need a big, tall, red-zone target like Julio (Jones),’ and then you go pay everyone else in the world who I can promise you isn’t Julio (Jones),” Shanahan said last month, according 49ers.com reporter Joe Fann.
As one the most innovative offensive minds in the league — Richard Sherman’s words, not mine— Shanahan will find ways to get his playmakers the ball in favorable situations. There’s a reason the 49ers traded up to draft Pettis, who uses quickness and precise route-running more than a sheer physical edge to win. Shanahan has a vision for how to use him.
This is Lynch and the 49ers front office trusting Shanahan. He has helped several receivers produce the best seasons of their careers, including Jones, Pierre Garcon in Washington, and Marquise Goodwin last year.
The 49ers are emphasizing the same ideas on the defensive side of the ball. In Round 3, they drafted two defensive players with elite athleticism and potential to move around the field within Robert Saleh’s scheme.
One of them is Warner, an important add considering the uncertainty of Reuben Foster’s future with the team. Both linebacker spots in San Francisco’s scheme are generally interchangeable, and Warner will compete for a starting spot.
He primarily played outside linebacker at BYU, where he said he was matched up in the slot about 80-90 percent of plays. He compiled 239 tackles, 31.5 for a loss, 6.5 sacks, and seven interceptions in three years.
At 6-foot-3, 236 pounds, Warner ran a 4.46 40-yard dash, lifted 21 bench repetitions, and produced a 38.5-inch vertical at the NFL Combine. Lynch said he covets Warner’s length and athleticism.
“Guys that have great length and great ability to move in a real athletic fashion, it tricks the field,” Lynch said. “Fred is one of those guys who can trick the field.”
One of the most eye-popping athletes in the entire 2018 class is Moore, whom the 49ers selected with the No. 95 overall pick. During his senior year in 2017, he produced eight pass breakups, tied for fourth-most in the country.
He wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine, but the former Southern Mississippi safety raised his draft stock with a dominant Pro Day performance, clocking a 4.32 40-yard dash time, 39.5-inch vertical leap, and 11-foot-1 broad jump.
Some may wonder why the 49ers added Moore just hours after they extended safety Jaquiski Tartt’s contract into 2020, while boasting two additional starting-caliber safeties in Adrian Colbert and Jimmie Ward. Lynch said the 49ers plan to try Moore at cornerback, a position they lack depth.
“He’s a special athlete, but he’s also a guy on tape who shows up and gets the ball,” Lynch said.
Different position, similar description.
Among preaching versatility, Shanahan has emphasized the importance of acquiring ‘good football players,’ which may sound basic. What he is referring to is players who understand the game and can impact it in more ways than one.
The 49ers feel they can mix and match if they have the necessary assets. They added three on Friday, executing their original draft plan through the first three rounds.
Brad Almquist is KNBR’s 49ers beat writer. Follow Brad on Twitter @Bquist13.