The 49ers made nine selections in the 2023 draft, with their first choice not hitting the board until they traded up to No. 87 in Round 3. They still checked some boxes they needed to fill, but without a premium pick the team likely didn’t do much to bolster the top end of their roster.
Instead, as we went through and projected roles for each member of the draft class, it became clear the impact of this year’s class could be felt further down the depth chart and perhaps over the next handful of seasons.
Here’s how we think roles for the nine-player draft class will shake out: