Draft Wrap
Niner Report|June/July 2017

Covering 49ers from A-Z.

Craig Massei
Draft Wrap

Tidbits, trivia and other draft morsels as we cover the 49ers’ 10-player Class of 2017 from top to bottom while running down every letter of the alphabet:

A is for Ahkello: As in third-round draft pick Ahkello Witherspoon, the Angular and Agile cornerback from the University of Colorado the 49ers grabbed with the No. 66 overall selection. Here, A also is for “Ain’t Nobody’s Business,” the song recorded by Witherspoon’s grandfather — renowned blues/jazz musician and singer Jimmy Witherspoon — that reached No. 1 on the United States’ R&B charts in 1949.

B is for Brotherly Bond: As in the connection that already developed between first-round draft picks Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster during their first day together amid their new home at 49ers headquarters. “I’ve spent 10 minutes with him, and I already feel like he’s my brother,” Thomas said of Foster at their introductory news conference a day after each was selected by the team. That kind of sentiment was bouncing all around the building. “The energy those two had, one of the coolest things I thought is just how quickly they bonded,” Niners general manager John Lynch said. “It was like they were long-lost brothers. It was really, really cool.”

C is for C.J.: As in C.J. Beathard, the quarterback prospect the 49ers selected in the third round with the No. 104 overall pick after moving up in a trade with Minnesota. The C stands for Casey, as C.J. was named after his father, country music songwriter Casey Beathard.

This story is from the June/July 2017 edition of Niner Report.

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This story is from the June/July 2017 edition of Niner Report.

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