49ers’ Jaquiski Tartt among the top-5 graded defensive players from the 2015 draft

Then-San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke made safety Jaquiski Tartt a second-round draft pick in 2015. The fourth-year player, along with Adrian Colbert, is projected to be a starting safety in 2018.

The new regime, including general manager John Lynch, has been impressed with Tartt. The team rewarded the safety with a two-year contract extension in April. The new deal will keep Tartt in San Francisco through the 2020 season.

"Since we arrived last year, Jaquiski has impressed us with his play, his work ethic and the kind of teammate he is," Lynch said following the finalization of the extension. "We believe he's a natural fit in our defensive system, and his abilities will allow him to flourish."

Pro Football Focus saw a dramatic improvement in Tartt last season. During his rookie campaign, the analytics site gave the safety a 43.3 grade. The next season, he earned a 50.8 grade. While Tartt's 2017 season was cut short by a broken forearm, he still registered 55 combined tackles, an interception, three passes defensed, and half a sack through nine games as a starter.

Tartt earned an 85.8 grade from Pro Football Focus last season. That was a top-five grade among defensive players drafted in 2015.

Tartt didn't play long enough to see the 49ers earn their first win of the season. He started the season as the 49ers' starting free safety but was moved to strong safety after a Week 2 injury to Eric Reid and registered 11 defensive stops in the three games that followed.

Tartt explained in April what it was like watching from the sidelines last season as his team found success down the stretch.

"It's very hard," Tartt said. "The team was winning. I felt like I wanted to be a part of that. I mean, I wish I was, but I just wanted to be on the field playing with my teammates."

Tartt should have his chance to be part of some victories in 2018 – assuming the 49ers don't regress from their strong finish in 2017.

While the current regime has purged most of Baalke's players from the roster, it would appear that Tartt is part of the defense's long-term plans. He has recorded 181 combined tackles, 3.5 sacks, nine passes defensed, and two interceptions through 39 games and 23 starts in his three NFL seasons.