The 49ers entered the draft with 13 selections and they used some of them to swing a trade with the Cowboys for the 18th pick in the first round.
They used the pick to shore up the safety spot, grabbing Eric Reid from LSU to join a group that lost Dashon Goldson to the Buccaneers in free agency. That made safety one of the few needs on a team that had more picks than they had roster spots open for newcomers.
Reid has the size/speed mix that teams are looking for in safeties in an age when tight ends move like wide receivers. Reid uses that size and speed to lay some serious hits on ball carriers, which should make him right at home alongside Donte Whitner in the 49ers secondary. We’ll see if Reid’s arrival ends the chance that Charles Woodson winds up in San Francisco.
The 49ers gave up the 74th overall pick in addition to sending the 31st pick of the first round to Dallas.