The San Francisco 49ers did in fact make three picks in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday night, but Day 2 wasn't without its off-schedule moves.
Originally slated to pick at No. 99, No. 101 and No. 102, the 49ers brass traded up to 87th overall via a swap with the Minnesota Vikings. In return, San Francisco sent Minnesota the 102nd-overall pick, the 164th-overall pick and the 222nd-overall pick.
At No. 87, the 49ers selected safety Ji'Ayir Brown out of Penn State, followed up with kicker Jake Moody at No. 99 and closed out the night with tight end Cameron Latu with the 101st-overall pick. Following Day 2 of the draft, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed the media to discuss their first three picks of the weekend.
Here are four takeaways from Lynch and Shanahan's press conference:
Brown was a top target of the draft for the 49ers and made more than one attempt to trade up for the safety.
"He's a baller. I think he's got the components of what make up a Niner," Lynch said. "We had consensus - coaches to scouts, it was all around the building - and solidified that with his tape, but then he came here on a 30 visit. He's got this infectious personality.
"He plays fast. He's good up towards the ball, ball production, 10 interceptions over that last couple years. He's just a really good football player, and then when you add the person, he's a team captain. It's like Steve Wilks said, 'That's my dude right there.'"
Moody was the first kicker drafted by the 49ers since 2002, and the position was a top priority for San Francisco heading into 2023.
"We felt like we got the best kicker in the draft," Shanahan said. "I can't say that I study kickers every year, but the people who do felt good about it... When you look at the history, the majority of the kickers go in the fourth round. We didn't have a fourth round pick. That guy was not going to be there in the fifth round.
"When you look at Pick 99, they call it the third round, but to me, it's seven picks after the third round ends, so I feel like it's the start of the fourth round. To me, that was the spot that we felt would be the spot to get him, but that's also why we were nervous that someone could come up to 100 and take him."
The most appealing quality of the 49ers newest tight end was his versatility.
"He went to 'Bama as a linebacker, and I think he plays like that," Lynch said. "He's an aggressive player. He's a competitive player. When you're watching film with him, he's a guy who as soon as the next play comes up, his recall is really good. He says, 'Oh coach, that's not a good one.' He grew on you from that standpoint... We like the skill set. We like the mentality."
The 49ers have made decisions on both Brandon Aiyuk and Javon Kinlaw's fifth-year options.
"We talked to both of them," Lynch said. "Brandon, we're going to exercise that fifth-year option. We won't with Javon. I talked with Javon. We're still looking for great things from Javon. Javon is having an outstanding offseason. He's in a great place, and he's excited about what is to come as we are for him."
