Golden Nuggets: It’s time for the money round

5 things to know about 49ers third-round pick S Ji’Ayir Brown

“(Brown is a) versatile defensive back who has shown the ability to line up over the slot, play as a down safety and patrol the outfield as a Cover 1 safety ready to read and range,” wrote Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. “...He’s a fiery run defender and plays with undeniable coverage instincts. He has an excellent motor that fuels him throughout the game, as well.”

49ers trade up in 3rd round, draft standout Penn State safety

“Overall, Brown must introduce more discipline and body control in his play, but he is a physical presence versus the run with the anticipation and ball skills to match up in coverage. He has the football character and skill set of an interchangeable starting safety at the next level.”

49ers draft Ji’Ayir Brown: Penn State safety should be a good fit in secondary (paywall)

“He seems to be a strong culture fit on a hard-hitting 49ers defense and has not been shy about flying out of the backfield and making tackles around the line of scrimmage. He’s also strong against the pass with 18 pass breakups and 10 interceptions in the last two seasons.”

49ers draft Michigan kicker, make him 2nd-highest kicking selection in 18 years

“Moody, by all accounts, was the best kicker in the draft. He was generally seen as a two-round-better prospect than the next-closest kicking prospect, Maryland’s Chad Ryland.”

49ers draft Alabama tight end to finish third round

“An argument in his favor is that he played in the SEC and faced serious competition. He had to block quite a few defensive line prospects who were drafted on Thursday and Friday, he just — in this writer’s view — didn’t look outstanding doing so, and didn’t flash the sort of athleticism shown by prospects like Cincinnati’s Josh Whyle, Purdue’s Payne Durham and Wake Forest’s Blake Whiteheart...His receiving upside, especially in the red zone could be a major factor here. He’s god decent hands and isn’t stiff-hipped running his routes.”

49ers draft Cameron Latu: Alabama tight end slots in as George Kittle’s backup (paywall)

“Latu started out as a pass rusher at Alabama before switching to tight end in 2019. He also suffered a foot injury just before his final season and seemed to have fully recovered from that by the end of the season...“That’s one of the things we liked about him the most,” Shanahan said. “He looked like a good player (at the start of the year) but also how much better he got throughout the year and how much more we think is in his body. … We think he can get a lot better in the run game and the pass game.”

Source: 49ers pick up Aiyuk’s fifth-year option for 2024

“The 49ers have picked up Brandon Aiyuk’s fifth-year contract option for the 2024 NFL season, a league source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area on Friday.”

49ers declining fifth-year option on Javon Kinlaw, says John Lynch

“I talked with Javon,” Lynch told reporters, explaining the decision. “Still looking for great things from Javon. Javon’s having an outstanding offseason. He’s in a great place and he’s excited about what’s to come as are we for him.”

49ers restructure Christian McCaffrey contract, create huge chunk of cap space [report]

“They also reportedly restructured the contracts of both Fred Warner (saved $9.5 million) and Charvarius Ward (saved nearly $10 million) earlier this offseason. All three moves created roughly $28 million in cap space.”