49ers GM John Lynch believes Jake Moody evolves Niners' kicking game

It's not often that NFL franchises use high draft choices on special teams players during the draft. When it happens, it's often met with skepticism and questions.

In the case of Michigan kicker Jake Moody, the San Francisco 49ers didn't waste any time making Moody their selection in the third round of the draft, as Niners GM John Lynch recently discussed that Moody was coveted by other teams where he was selected.

"I can tell you, since then, that a lot of teams have called and said, you know, shortly thereafter they were going there," Lynch said on San Francisco radio station KNBR's Murph & Mac show. "In fact, teams tried to trade up to get in front of us. So, something we feel really good about. Time will tell, as it will with all these guys. But we think he has the makings of a really cornerstone, foundational-type player for years to come for us, and we're proud to have him a part of us."

With the Niners' selection of Moody, the franchise believes that he could be a day-one starter for the team that could elevate the Niners' kicking game to new heights.

As Moody showed many times during his career in Ann Arbor, his near-endless range brings a different dynamic to special teams.

"I think you know that if you're taking a kicker that high, believe me, we weren't doing cartwheels over it," Lynch said. "I think we'll be doing cartwheels if he's the guy we think he is because kickers are really important. They score a lot of points. They finish a lot of drives. I think this guy will give us an opportunity to extend where we've been able to kick from.

"I think we'll be able to kick the 55-plus yarders now. I think on the kickoffs, this is a guy who can put 'em into the end zone when we need, kick 'em out of the end zone. We can hang it up there. I think he affords us the opportunity to do a lot of things."

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