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The 2014 NFL Draft heads into its final days, and the San Francisco 49ers will be plenty busy with seven picks over the final four rounds. They were also rather busy Friday evening, making four trades of 2014 picks, and eventually drafting four players.
I've posted a poll at the bottom to get your thoughts on the 49ers Day 2 work. Do not include the Jimmie Ward pick, and do not include the Stevie Johnson trade. We're looking strictly at what they did with their Day 2 draft picks. Just a reminder, here is what the 49ers did on Day 2. The moves resulted in four players added, and a pair of Day 3 picks added to the previous haul of five.
Picks
1. Second round: Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio State
2. Third round: Marcus Martin, C/OG, USC
3. Third round: Chris Borland, ILB, Wisconsin
4. Third round: Brandon Thomas, OG, Clemson
Trades
1. Traded No. 56 and No. 242 to Denver Broncos for No. 63, No. 171, 2015 4th round pick
2. Traded No. 63 No. 171 to Miami Dolphins for No. 57
3. Traded No 61 to Jacksonville Jaguars for No. 70, No. 150
4. Traded No. 94 to Cleveland Browns for No. 106, No. 180
There are not a ton of Day 2 draft grades, but I found a few I figured I would share.
Grade: A-, "The 49ers are once again collecting a ton of talented prospects much later than they should be going. It's just another year at the NFL Draft. Marcus Martin was a complete steal at 70, and if Brandon Thomas stays healthy San Francisco will have a deep offensive line for the future."
Carlos Hyde, C+: "With Gore aging, I get it. But they seemingly draft a back a year, which is weird."
Marcus Martin, A: "Great pick by the 49ers. He fills a hole and will step in and compete right away. Value. Value. Value."
Chris Borland, B-: "This is an obvious pick to try and plug the hole if Bowman can't come back right away from a knee injury. I think it's a little high and wonder if he can play an inside 3-4 LB, but that has to be it."
Brandon Thomas, B: "The 49ers do a nice job picking kids they can give a redshirt. Thomas had late first-round ability and tore his ACL, so it will take time. But I like it."
"General Manager gets a sticker": "The second day was where Trent Baalke was really going to do some damage, and the 49ers were moving all over the place Friday night. Hyde is a between-the-tackles runner who can spell Frank Gore while developing into a nice tandem with Marcus Lattimore down the road. Martin was the best center in the draft and is a smart pickup. Borland is a steal and provides plenty of insurance for NaVorro Bowman. Thomas is a perfect fit for the 49ers. He'll be on the PUP list after tearing an ACL, but he has early second-round talent."
Carlos Hyde: "So the San Francisco 49ers are just planning on destroying opponents in the trenches. Carlos Hyde now teams up with Frank Gore, Marcus Lattimore and Kendall Hunter to form a ridiculous backfield."
Marcus Martin, A-: "After the 49ers moved back and forth through the draft order, they hit another home run in the third round and in a position of need. Marcus Martin has plenty of experience at guard and center, but comes in young at the age of 20. Martin has the size, athleticism and leg strength to be a great center, but needs a little more time to develop. San Francisco is the dream landing spot for him and a place where he can maximize on his potential."
Chris Borland, A: "As we indicated earlier, Borland would have been a first-round pick if he was a couple inches taller. He was getting some play as a first-round option leading up to the draft. Borland will be able to fill in for NaVorro Bowman and could even see some action as an edge rusher"
Brandon Thomas, B: "Leave it to the 49ers to get a player that would have likely been an early Day 2 pick if it wasn't for a torn ACL. Thomas will be a starter in the NFL for a long time, but he's likely to redshirt in 2014. I am downgrading this selection because Pierre Desir should have been the pick."
Bleacher Report
Carlos Hyde: C+
Marcus Martin: B+
Chris Borland: A-
Brandon Thomas: A+