How do you grade 49ers NFL Draft addition Adrian Colbert?

The San Francisco 49ers wrapped up the 2017 season and have begun their work to prepare for 2018 free agency and the draft. We’ll be breaking down plenty of what that means, but in the meantime, we wanted to take a look back at the season that was for the 49ers. Jimmy Garoppolo captured our imagination, but the 49ers rebuilding process was extensive last year. We are going to take a look at every notable addition and provide a forum for grading how that signing, trade, or draft pick worked out.

Adrian Colbert, safety
How acquired: Drafted in the seventh round (229th overall)

So the 49ers entered the 2017 season with Jimmie Ward and Eric Reid as the starting free and strong safeties, respectively. Both Ward and Reid spent time injured, which led to Jaquiski Tartt getting playing time and Reid moving around. Tartt was also injured, putting Reid back at strong safety and Adrian Colbert, a rookie we heard very little about to this point, entered the fray.

Colbert showed us all that he’s very fast, unafraid to make a big hit and possessing of incredible range. He was playing cornerback in training camp before the 49ers moved him to safety out of necessity. He wasn’t supposed to play at all, but he looked at least as good as Ward, and didn’t make any egregious mistakes I noticed.

He deflected five passes and forced two fumbles. He served the 49ers well playing deep in Robert Saleh’s cover 3 defense.

Interestingly, Colbert was acquired with the 229th overall pick, a seventh-rounder the 49ers received from the Saints along with a 2018 second-round pick in exchange for San Francisco’s 2017 third-round pick, which was eventually used on Alvin Kamara.

Either way, I think Colbert has made the case. He doesn’t look anything like a seventh-round rookie. He should be a starter going forward, and his selection deserves an ‘A-plus,’ but we’ll cap the poll at an ‘A’ as usual.