San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch appeared to outdo his predecessor, Trent Baalke, who was scrutinized back in 2015 for selecting former Clemson punter Bradley Pinion in Round 5 of that year's NFL Draft.
In 2019, Lynch made Utah punter Mitch Wishnowski the first specialist taken off the board, a full round earlier than Baalke's selection of Pinion.
Yet with Pinion departing the Niners for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers through free agency this offseason, at least Lynch had the benefit of not forcibly replacing a perennial favorite, as Baalke did with then-longtime 49ers punter Andy Lee, who was dealt to make room for Pinion.
Still, going after Wishnowski in the fourth round seemed questionable, at best. The Niners had taken wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd in Rounds 2 and 3, respectively, and a good chunk of defensive talent had worked its way down into Round 4. Yet Lynch moved away from the No. 104 overall pick in a deal with the Cincinnati Bengals, moving down to the 110th overall pick and grabbing Wishnowski in the process.
"Because we really liked him," Lynch told reporters when asked why the 49ers used a fourth-round pick on a punter. "We thought Mitch was a big time prospect. Kyle and I studied punters more this year than other years but we're hoping he's a long term answer. We're thinking a 10-year guy. He checks all the boxes in terms of what you want from a punter. He has a huge leg. Inside the plus 50, he's very adept at pinning people back. [Special teams coordinator Richard] Hightower tells us he's got all the clubs that you need in the bag. He's got different styles, which is kind of a new thing in punting. He can hit it with different spins, and so we just felt like a very good prospect at that position. ...
"We had a number of teams that we felt were interested in adding a punter and felt like he had distanced himself, and the fact he kicks off and is a very good holder, as well. So, all those things fit into the puzzle."
Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan also both admitted they spent considerable time looking at punters this year, knowing Pinion was hitting the open market and highly unlikely to return.
They must have realized, aside from Wishnowski having a solid leg, the Australian native also managed to be pretty savvy in the fake game, too:
Punters have highlight reels too. @mitchwish #ForTheBrand
🎥: @thecheckdown pic.twitter.com/PTzGSOTATU
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) April 27, 2019
So, did San Francisco reach?
According to Shanahan, no, who was insistent the New England Patriots would have grabbed Wishnowski shortly after if the Niners hadn't done so.
"That's why the Patriots had to trade up to get the next guy," Shanahan said.
The Patriots ended up moving up for Stanford's Jake Bailey at No. 163 overall, and it would make sense if Bailey was the next punter on New England's wish list, if Shanahan was correct.
If Wishnowski winds up being a long-term fixture, exceeding the output Pinion showcased during his four years with the 49ers, it's likely few will care where the former was drafted in the very near future.
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
