A kicker in Round 3?!? Why the 49ers aren’t insecure about drafting Jake Moody

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Not long after the announcement had been made — with the 99th pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the San Francisco 49ers select Jake Moody, kicker, Michigan — texts started rolling into coach Kyle Shanahan’s phone.

Widely regarded as one of the game’s brightest offensive minds, Shanahan had eschewed his usual third-round running back in favor of … a kicker?

“Most of my friends made fun of me,” Shanahan said with a chuckle. “They were trying to make me feel insecure about it. But we don’t.”

Upon arrival in 2017, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch wasted little time securing a reliable kicker. They signed veteran Robbie Gould, who became a mainstay by delivering when it matters most, including a perfect 40-of-40 on field goals and extra points in the postseason.

In 2019, the 49ers used the franchise tag on Gould before signing him to a four-year, $19 million extension. But when Gould, 40, hit free agency this offseason, the Niners opted to get younger and cheaper at the position.

As it turns out, you actually can put a price on peace of mind. Under the current regime, that apparently means one of two things: paying premium money for a proven veteran such as Gould or spending significant draft capital on a younger, cheaper option.

After six years of the former, the Niners went for the latter in the form of Moody, who is projected to make around $5.4 million over four seasons under the NFL’s slotted rookie contract system.

“I think when you put this much work into making your roster as competitive as we have, you’re going to be in a lot of close games and kickers matter,” Lynch said. “We put a lot of thought into it. When we felt like there was one who separated themselves from the rest, we became very convicted and we were fortunate to have three third-round picks. We felt like he was worthy of one and we are happy to have done it.”

The 49ers entered this year’s draft believing their roster was mostly set. Although they had 11 picks, none were before No. 99, which meant that they were unlikely to be in striking range of starters. They viewed kicker as the exception, despite trading for veteran Zane Gonzalez in March.

So, they sent special teams coach Brian Schneider to scout as many kicking prospects as possible. That included a private workout with Moody. At Michigan, Moody had set season (147) and career (355) records in points, earned the 2021 Lou Groza Award as the nation’s best kicker and was a finalist again in 2022.

Considering the Niners’ recent record of success, one of the things they wanted from Gould’s replacement was someone who could deliver in close, late situations. Gould was 9-of-11 on field goals in the final two minutes of regulation or in overtime as a Niner, tied for third most in the league in that span. That included a game-winning 45-yard field goal on frozen Lambeau Field in the 2021 NFC divisional playoffs.

Moody hit a game winner from 35 yards against Illinois last season, but Schneider wanted to see how he’d handle simulated pressure. For one drill, Schneider set up a fire drill in which Moody was asked to rush onto the field and hit a long field goal to win the “game.” According to assistant general manager Adam Peters, Moody converted from 50 yards in purposefully suboptimal conditions in which the laces were pointing the wrong way and everything was rushed.

“Part of the evaluation process with the people that we talked to that are inside that building, that was one of the things they emphasized,” said Tariq Ahmad, the Niners director of college scouting. “How this guy has ice in his veins, this guy is as consistent as any position player that they had there.”

It didn’t hurt Moody’s cause that he’s represented by Brian Mackler, the same agent as Gould. In the run-up to the draft, Moody was able to lean on Gould for advice. During February’s NFL scouting combine, Gould drove from Chicago to Indianapolis to have dinner with Moody and Mackler. The pair kept in touch, and Gould told Moody how much he enjoyed his time in San Francisco.

When the Niners drafted Moody, Gould was one of the first to text a congratulatory note.

“I’m not sure if he felt the need to kind of pass the torch down to a newer guy in the league, but he’s been a really good mentor these past few months,” Moody said. “He’s been helping me out with a ton of stuff, whether it was combine stuff, preparing for the draft or all the workouts, he’s been there the whole way and I’m very happy that he has.”

Drafting a kicker early comes with plenty of raised eyebrows. Moody is the first kicker the 49ers have drafted since taking Jeff Chandler No. 102 overall in 2002. He’s also the first kicker drafted within the first three rounds since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Roberto Aguayo in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft. That pick is something of a cautionary tale, as Aguayo was cut after one season and never played in the NFL again.

While Moody excelled in 2021, he had some rough patches in college. In 60 games, he made 82.1% of his field goals and was just 17-of-27 on field goals between 40 and 49 yards and 4-of-10 on attempts of 50-plus yards.

Still, there’s no denying Moody has a powerful leg. He made a career-long 59-yard attempt in the Fiesta Bowl last season and his 221 touchbacks are the fourth most in the FBS over the past five seasons, so he should be able to help solve the Niners’ issues on kickoffs, where their touchback percentage of 55.1 since 2017 is 21st in the NFL.

@jmoods13#49ersDraft pic.twitter.com/49hzYTOXJ8

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) April 29, 2023

The Niners believed so strongly that Moody was the best kicker in the draft that they didn’t think they could wait even one extra pick to take him. Lynch said they had a good idea of how many teams were in the market for a kicker, and with no picks in the fourth round, they didn’t want to risk losing Moody by waiting until Round 5.

And though history hasn’t often been kind to teams using picks on kickers — of the 54 taken since the draft went to seven rounds in 1994, only two have made multiple Pro Bowls — the Niners hope that one of their few previous forays into picking a kicker early repeats itself. In 1994, the 49ers used the 85th overall choice on Doug Brien. They went on to win the Super Bowl that year, though Brien was gone after less than two full seasons in San Francisco.

Perhaps that’s a trade the Niners wouldn’t mind making with Moody, but they hope he stabilizes the position long-term so Shanahan can get back to drafting players at positions that don’t inspire taunt-filled texts from his friends.

“I don’t want to have to think about it, which I’ve been fortunate here for the last six years,” Shanahan said. “It’s not fun to go and replace that. I still can’t believe we didn’t take a running back, but it was a necessary need, and if you’re going to do it, you better do it with the right one. We felt like we got the best kicker in the draft.”