When the 49ers selected Rice tight end Vance McDonald in the second round of the 2013 draft, general manager Trent Baalke cited all the things to like about him:His 6-foot-4, 267-pound frame, his 34 3/8 arm length, his huge hands and his versatility. At Rice, McDonald was used all over the field – close to the tackles on some plays, in motion or split outside like a wide receiver on others.The 49ers liked him so much, they even moved up in the round to get him.And, Baalke wasn't the only one who loved McDonald. Former Dallas Cowboys executive and current NFL.com analyst Gil Brandt said at the time: "I love Vance McDonald. This is an excellent athlete. He's big and he's fast and I thought he was the second best tight end out there."The Niners had lost versatile backup tight end Delanie Walker, but Brandt believed McDonald could step right in to replace him. "He'll be able to do all the things Walker did for them," Brandt told the San Francisco Chronicle's Eric Branch shortly after the draft. "I'm excited to watch him develop."Yet McDonald hasn't developed as a playmaker in the NFL, and that has caused problems for the 49ers. Last season they didn't get nearly enough from...
Questions About McDonald Force 49ers to Seek Tight End Help
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