The San Francisco 49ers have entered the draft room. The 49ers sent the Minnesota Vikings Nos. 102, 164 and 222, with San Francisco selecting Penn State safety Ji’Ayir Brown at No. 87 overall.
The 49ers were armed with a plethora of late selections this year, so it comes as little surprise that they have spent a few of them to move up the board. Their decision to do so has landed them one of the top options available at the position in this year’s class.
Brown was not joined by many other highly-touted safeties in terms of draftable prospects, explaining his fall to this point on Day 2. He put up impressive numbers in the past two years in particular with the Nittany Lions, however, which could set him up for a notable early role in the Bay Area.
The 5-foot-11, 203-pounder racked up 10 interceptions and eight PBUs in 2021 and 2022, adding eight tackles for loss during that span. That production could allow him to line up at a number of spots at the NFL level, and there are vacancies to be filled in San Francisco’s secondary given the way the early free agent period played out.
The 49ers lost Jimmie Ward and Tarvarius Moore to the Texans and Packers, respectively, last month. While San Francisco was able to re-sign Tashaun Gipson, the departures of the former two should allow for Brown to at least compete for rotational snaps as a rookie. Over the long term, he could easily find himself in a starting role down the road as a contributor on one of the league’s elite defenses.
More must-reads: