In day three of the NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers added players to both the offensive and defensive side of the ball in hopes of filling gaping holes. Here's a breakdown of each pick:
San Francisco 49ers' Fourth Round Selection: Joe Williams
The 49ers traded up in the fourth round to select Utah running back Joe Williams.
The 49ers traded up to No. 121 overall in general manager John Lynch’s sixth trade of the draft. Just minutes earlier, the 49ers acquired Kapri Bibbs in a trade with the Denver Broncos.
The 49ers traded up in the fourth round with Indianapolis to select Williams. The 49ers dealt No. 143 in the fourth round and No. 161 of the fifth round to the Colts to complete the trade.
Williams, who ran a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash, rushed for 1,407 yards and 10 touchdowns on 210 rushing attempts in nine games. He also caught nine passes for 107 yards.
Williams walked away from the team two weeks into last season but was welcomed back. He was welcomed back to the team and rushed for 332 yards against UCLA.
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Former 49ers head coach Dennis Erickson, who was Utah’s running backs coach, later explained Williams’ brief “retirement.”
"I knew he was down a little bit at the beginning of the year," Erickson said. "He fumbled a couple of times. Mentally, he was drained a little bit. Physically, he was not feeling very good."
Williams had 278 all-purpose yards to be named MVP of the Foster Farms Bowl against Indiana at Levi’s Stadium.
On a conferene call with Bay Area reporters, Williams explained his personal struggle of the past 10 years that led to him stepping away from the game:
"I had to lay it out on the line (to teams) that football is what I drink and breathe. It's what I wake up for in the morning and it's how I want to provide for my family. They knew at first they wanted to understand how I could walk away from football, but after I tell them how it came to be, I felt they were empathetic about it and they understand that sometimes you have to put things on hold to do what's right.
"My sister (Kylee, 7 years old) had passed away in 2006. She died in my hands. She died on Sunday, June 19th. She'd been in and out of the hospital that Friday and Saturday. She had fell unconscious and . . . just the guilt and shame I always put upon myself because I didn't act quickly enough with my parents or call 911, I thought it was my fault. Going through high school and college, I was getting counseling.
"Coming into this season, a lot of the emotions were coming to the forefront, and I was trying to deal them the best way I could. As the season started, and I knew my mental health wasn't where it needed to be, I knew the best option for me was to sit down in front of my wife and my coaches and just tell them where I was at. It came to the decision that stepping back at that time would be for my best interest -- not only for football but for life after football.
"I did a lot of soul-searching. I got my sister's tattoo on my left arm. I was doing everything necessary to finally come to peace with her death. . . I finally forgave myself."
San Francisco 49ers' Fifth Round Selection: George Kittle
The 49ers selected Iowa tight end George Kittle in the fifth round with the No. 146 overall pick.
Kittle becomes the second Iowa player the 49ers selected in two days. Late Friday, the 49ers traded up to select quarterback C.J. Beathard.
Kittle was considered an outstanding blocker in the Hawkeyes pro-style offense. As a senior, Kittle appeared in nine games and caught 22 passes for 314 yards and four touchdowns. In 2015, he had 20 receptions for 290 yards and six touchdowns.
"I think my game overall, I’m a very versatile player," Kittle said. "I can have my hand in the dirt and block anybody you want me to block. You can move me around and run routes. I’ll do whatever you want me to do. I feel like I can catch the ball well and run routes well. I’m a versatile guy."
Kittle joins a 49ers tight end group that includes Vance McDonald, Garrett Celek, Logan Paulsen, Blake Bell and Je’Ron Hamm.
Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi on Friday reported the 49ers are attempting to trade McDonald. In one of former general manager Trent Baalke’s final moves, the 49ers signed McDonald in December to a five-year contract extension that included a $7 million signing bonus.
Kittle said he caught passes during Beathard's workout with 49ers quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello. The next day, he was invited to fly to Santa Clara as one of the 49ers' 30 pre-draft visits.
While the 49ers' selection of Beathard at the end of the third round might have surprised some, Kittle said he figured the 49ers would have reason to be interested in his teammate of the past four years.
"He’s just a guy, he loves football more than anything other than maybe his daughter," Kittle said of Beathard. "He lives and breathes it. That’s all he cares about. He is a genius in the film room and on the football field. He know absolutely everything that everybody is going to do. . . . He’s one of the best leaders I've ever been around.”
San Francisco 49ers' Fifth Round Selection: Trent Taylor
The 49ers selected Louisiana Tech wide receiver and return man Trent Taylor late in the fifth round with the No. 177 overall pick.
Taylor caught 136 passes as a senior for an NCAA-best 1,803 yards and 12 touchdowns in Louisiana Tech’s spread offense. Taylor’s 327 career receptions is fifth in NCAA history. He was second in college football last season in receptions. Zay Jones of East Carolina caught 158 passes.
He also averaged 10.5 yards on 17 punt returns in his final college season.
The 49ers acquired the draft pick earlier in the day as part of a trade with the Denver Broncos in which San Francisco acquired running back Kapri Bibbs. The 49ers’ next scheduled pick is in the sixth round at No. 198 overall.
Taylor said he spoke with the 49ers at the Senior Bowl and NFL scouting combine but did not have any other interaction with the team. He did not work out for the 49ers.
“I guess they knew what they liked in me and they didn’t need to do any of that,” Taylor said. “I’m happy to be a 49er, 100 percent. I’m ready to go to work.”
Taylor’s college teammate, Carlos Henderson, was a third-round pick of the Broncos. Taylor, the 26th receiver taken in the draft, saw a little bit of everything from defenses from the slot while leading the nation in receiving.
“Teams tried to bracket me a bunch, and some double-coverage every now and then,” Taylor said. “We had another great receiver in Carlos Henderson on the outside for our team. So they could pick their poison with both of us.”
Taylor, who ran the 40 at the combine in 4.63 seconds, uses short-area quickness to get open. He said he is looking forward to making the transition to playing the slot in Kyle Shanahan’s offense with the 49ers.
“I know they like to sling it around a little bit,” Taylor said. “I’m definitely excited to be a part of this offense. It’s something I’ve always heard about and something I believe in. I’m definitely excited to get down there and get to work and show them I can fit and I can be a playmaker from the start."
San Francisco 49ers' Sixth Round Selection: D.J. Jones
The 49ers selected nose tackle D.J. Jones from Mississippi in the sixth round with the No. 198 overall selection.
Jones started every game last season at nose tackle. He was credited with 30 tackles, two sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery.
“I’m able to play any interior (position), three technique, nose,” Jones said. “I’m very coachable. I take coaching from anyone who wants to teach me.”
Jones figures to compete for a roster spot behind veteran Earl Mitchell, the projected starter at nose tackle.
Jones spent his final two seasons at Mississippi after being listed as a top-10 junior college prospect at East Mississippi. In his first season after transferring to the SEC school, Jones recorded 40 tackles and four sacks.
San Francisco 49ers' Sixth Round Selection: Pita Taumoepenu
The 49ers selected Utah pass-rusher Pita Taumoepenu in the sixth round with the No. 202 overall pick.
Taumoepenu recorded nine sacks last season and figures to line up at the 49ers’ “Leo” position in their new 4-3 scheme under first-year coordinator Robert Saleh.
“I have a great ability to get after the quarterback,” he said. “That’s what I do. I have a lot of passion for it.”
Taumoepenu (pronounced tao-mo-eh-pen-new) was an honorable mention All-Pac-12 selection. In addition to tying for fourth in the conference in sacks, he tied for third in the Pac-12 with three forced fumbles.
In the Foster Farms Bowl against Indiana at Levi's Stadium, Taumoepenu recorded six tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.
Taumoepenu took pre-draft visits to the Pittsburgh Steelers and had workouts with the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots, he said.
San Francisco 49ers' Seventh Round Selection: Adrian Colbert
The 49ers selected Miami defensive back Adrian Colbert with the team’s final pick of the draft.
General manager John Lynch wrapped up his first draft with the selection of Colbert with the No. 229 overall selection. Colbert has the ability to play cornerback or free safety with the 49ers. He could make the team as a core special-teams performer.
Colbert played his first three college seasons at Texas before transferring to Miami, where he saw action in eight games with two starts. As a senior, he recorded 22 tackles and one interception.
San Francisco 49ers Acquisition Via Trade: Kapri Bibbs
The 49ers acquired running back Kapri Bibbs from the Denver Broncos in general manager John Lynch’s fifth trade of the draft.
The 49ers also picked up Denver’s fifth-round selection, No. 177 overall, in exchange for the 49ers’ fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft.
Bibbs, who was not selected in the 2014 draft, carried 29 times for 129 yards last season. He caught two passes for 75 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown catch-and-run against the Raiders.
Lynch worked out the trade for Bibbs (5-11, 203) with Denver general manager John Elway. Adam Peters, the 49ers’ vice president of player personnel, previously served as Denver’s director of college scouting.
Bibbs joins a 49ers running back group that consists of Carlos Hyde, Tim Hightower, DuJuan Harris, Mike Davis and Raheem Mostert.
