Grant Cohn: Grading 49ers draft — not a total failure, but close

They’re punting again.

And it isn’t even fourth down. The season hasn’t started yet, and the 49ers just brought out Bradley Pinion to boot the ball as far downfield as possible while Chip Kelly stands on the sideline and tells his players, “We’ll get ’em next season.”

After the first day of the recent NFL Draft, we thought the Niners might go for it this season, might actually try to compete. They drafted two players in Round 1: Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner, and Stanford guard Joshua Garnett.

The Niners took Buckner with their pick - No. 7 - and took Garnett with the Chiefs’ pick - No. 28 - which San Francisco acquired in exchange for a second-rounder, a fourth-rounder and sixth-rounder. Three picks to move up for one guard. A win-now move.

Teams typically don’t trade up into Round 1 to take guards - guards are easy to find. The Niners must have felt Garnett was by far the best guard in the draft.

The Niners probably are right about him. Garnett struggles at times in pass protection, but he’s a monster run-blocker. Think Mike Iupati. Garnett is a perfect fit for a run-first offense like the Niners’. He will start right away and play almost every snap next season. Good pick.

Buckner is an ever better pick. He’s similar to the 49ers’ first-rounder last year - Arik Armstead - but more talented. Buckner has the potential to become an All-Pro defensive end in a few years.

Like Armstead, Buckner probably won’t start as a rookie. He’s tall and thin for an NFL defensive lineman, so teams would run right at him on first-and-10. The Niners probably will use Buckner as a third-down pass-rushing specialist, just as they used Armstead last season. Eventually, Buckner will become a cornerstone of the 49ers defense. Good pick.

If the draft ended after Round 1, the Niners would get an “A.” But there were six more rounds, and the Niners had eight more picks. How did they use them?

Most of us expected the Niners would draft an inside linebacker. Ever since 2015 when third-round pick Chris Borland retired, inside linebacker has been the biggest hole on the Niners defense. No question. The third round seemed like a good time to draft one.

The third round also would have been a good time to draft an outside linebacker, a right tackle or a running back. Those are big needs, too.

Instead, the Niners drafted Will Redmond, a nickel back who tore his ACL in October and may not play next season. If he’s healthy, he’ll play one of the only positions at which the Niners are set. They drafted two nickel backs - Jimmie Ward and Keith Reaser - just two years ago.

Ten days before the draft, Niners general manager Trent Baalke raved about Ward, Reaser and the rest of the secondary.

“I do believe there’s a lot of good young players,” Baalke said. “A year ago we heard how Ward was a bust. Well, look at the last eight games of (last) season and tell me how Ward’s playing.” Baalke also described Reaser as “more than capable.”

Then, Baalke got philosophical. “I think Bill Walsh said it a long time ago - two years. Give (young players) two full years (to develop). Now, I don’t think it’s two years. Now I think it’s three years … these guys are coming into the NFL less ready because there’s a year less development for most of them to begin with … They’re a lot less fundamentally sound.”

The message: Ward and Reaser will come into their own next season, their third in the NFL. Don’t write them off yet, especially Reaser, who entered the league with a torn ACL. Be patient.

Less than two weeks later, Baalke lost his patience.

He used his third-round pick to replace Reaser with a Reaser clone. Redmond is the same height as Reaser, he plays the same position and he and Reaser suffered the same knee injury in college. Like Reaser, Redmond probably will spend his rookie season rehabbing. He may become a starter after a few seasons if his knee fully recovers, but it probably won’t.

Even under ideal circumstances, a repaired knee is unstable. A swimmer or a bike rider might return as good as new after an ACL surgery, but a football player has very bad odds for a meaningful, long-term recovery. You’d think the Niners would realize this after drafting six players with torn ACLs the past three years, none of whom have panned out. So much for learning from past mistakes.

Baalke probably will lose his patience with Redmond after two years and replace him with another injured corner.

What an awful third-round pick for a position he didn’t need to fill. What was Baalke thinking?

The fourth-round pick was even worse. Instead of taking an inside linebacker, the Niners drafted yet another corner, Rashard Robinson, who hasn’t played since 2014. LSU suspended him indefinitely midway through the 2014 season for violating various team rules.

Robinson wasn’t even good before he got suspended. He appeared in only 20 games at LSU, starting eight, and intercepting just one pass.

At his Pro Day on March 14, Robinson weighed 171 pounds and managed only five reps on the bench press. That’s high-school stuff. Robinson almost surely won’t play his rookie season.

What an awful fourth-round pick for a position he didn’t need to fill. What was Baalke thinking?

After Robinson, the Niners spent their seven remaining picks on backups: Two backup offensive tackles, a backup defensive lineman, a backup quarterback, a backup running back, a backup wide receiver and one more backup corner for good measure. Not a single inside linebacker.

The Niners failed to address their biggest need, and added just two players - Buckner and Garnett - who will contribute in 2016. And their contributions won’t help much. Unless prominent players from opposing teams suffer major injuries, the Niners will win no more than four games next season. They’re playing for the season after next. Have a great time, season-ticket holders.

Final draft grade: D-minus

Grant Cohn writes sports columns and the “Inside the 49ers” blog for The Press Democrat’s website. You can reach him at grantcohn@gmail.com.