It's time to see what the national perception is of the San Francisco 49ers 2017 NFL Draft Class. Below are comments from well-respected media members along with their overall grades for the 49ers crop of 10 new players.Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN (A-)
Analysis: "Overall, the 49ers did well to not just settle for picking good players and make a play for adding a second elite player. Reuben Foster carries some risk, but at No. 31? Bring it on. This is a good start to the Lynch era."
Todd McShay, ESPN (No Grade)
Analysis: "The analysis of the Thomas pick is two-fold. First, Thomas is one of the most complete players in this draft, possessing an outstanding combination of size, quickness and power. Second is the trade GM John Lynch manufactured as part of the pick. Lynch could've easily selected Thomas No. 2 overall, but Lynch traded down one pick with the Bears and got a ransom in return: third- and fourth-round picks in 2017 and an additional third in 2018.
"They used the fourth-rounder this year to trade up and get ILB Reuben Foster (our No. 8 overall player) with the 31st pick. Then they traded the third-rounder received in the initial deal to the Saints for a 2017 seventh (DB Adrian Colbert) and 2018 second. That means the 49ers got two top-10 players in this class and 2018 second- and fourth-rounders. This is the most ridiculous series of trades I've seen in all my years of doing this."
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports (A)
Analysis: "First-year general manager John Lynch killed it in his first draft, trading down one spot with the Bears in the first round and picking up a bounty of picks. Then they took Solomon Thomas with the third overall pick, and he is a future star. They next traded back into the first to get linebacker Reuben Foster with the 31st pick, and he will be a steal. Watch out for sixth-round defensive tackle D.J. Jones from Mississippi. He could be a steal."
Char Reuter, NFL.com (B )
Analysis: "In Round 1, the 49ers got their guy at No. 3, and picked up two thirds (one future) and a fourth in the process. That's a big win. They picked the second-best player in the draft in Solomon Thomas. Then Reuben Foster was sitting there just waiting for someone to grab him, so they traded a fourth-round pick to Seattle to get him. If Foster's shoulder is OK, he'll be another Patrick Willis in the middle."
Doug Farrar, Bleacher Report (A-)
Analysis: "First-year GM John Lynch impressed. He deftly took advantage of the Bears' desperation to get Mitchell Trubisky, and there are potential contributors all along this list."
Chris Burke, Sports Illustrated (A-)
Analysis: "The 49ers grabbed Solomon Thomas at 3, before trading back into Round 1 (34 and that 111th pick to Seattle, for 31) and grabbed Reuben Foster, a linebacker with absurd talent if he's healthy."
Dieter Kurtenbach, Fox Sports (A-)
Analysis: "Nine absolutely perfect picks. Grade A picks. I particularly love the Reuben Foster and George Kittle selections."
Nate Davis, USA Today (A)
Analysis: "Lynch obtained two of this year's most coveted players in DL Solomon Thomas (No. 3) and LB Reuben Foster."
Dan Kadar, SB Nation (B-)
Analysis: "First-year general manager John Lynch had a notable first draft for the 49ers. He fleeced the Bears to move down a pick and still get the player he wanted in defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. The move was crafty, and the 49ers got a player who can use power and quickness to get into the backfield. Lynch then packaged his second-round pick and a fourth-round pick to move back into the first round to get free-falling linebacker Reuben Foster. The Alabama stud should develop into the leader on San Francisco's defense."
Luke Easterling, Draftwire (B-)
Analysis: "Getting additional mid-round picks just to move down one spot for Stanford edge rusher Solomon Thomas was shrewd for a first-time GM, and moving back into the late-first for Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster could pay huge dividends."
