In continuity with annual tradition, the 49ers made several eyebrow-raising selections during this year’s draft. This most notably includes taking Ole Miss wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling at the top of the second round and Indiana running back Kaelon Black in the third round—higher than many anticipated each player would go.
During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show on Thursday, Shanahan broke down the 49ers’ thought process during the draft. San Francisco went into the draft with the No. 27 selection and six total picks. Though Shanahan noted there were a couple players they would have stayed put at No. 27 to take, those players went off the board so they traded back twice to accrue more picks—a priority since Shanahan felt they needed to add more than six players.
