The 49ers were surely excited about adding Michigan kicker Jake Moody with the 99th overall pick in this year’s draft, but they probably weren’t nearly as excited as NFL Network host and Michigan alum Rich Eisen.
Eisen on NFL Network’s draft coverage gushed about Moody, who kicked for the Wolverines for five seasons. He made 82.1 percent of his 84 field goal attempts and 100 percent of his 148 extra point tries.
While Moody struggled early in his career, connecting on only 17 of his first 24 field goals, he came up big in his last two seasons. Those final two years where he made 52-of-60 kicks were what had Eisen gushing.
“This guy can kick footballs straight through the uprights like nobody I’ve seen,” Eisen said with just enough excess vigor to stay sincere without trickling into sarcasm. “I’m serious. I have been a Michigan fan since 1986. This is the best kicker Michigan has ever had. He is beyond reliable, and the 49ers and you fans in San Francisco and throughout Niners Nation are going to love Jake Moody.”
When a team like the @49ers choose a kicker in the 3rd round, it’s news.
When it’s a @UMichFootball kicker like @jmoods13, I take over the broadcast. pic.twitter.com/4BrsFXvvWR
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) April 29, 2023
The 49ers also traded for kicker Zane Gonzalez this offseason, but the deal involved a 2025 seventh-round pick swap. There will likely be a preseason kicker competition, but Moody would surely have the inside track to the job. If Eisen’s passion for Moody is any indication, he’ll win the battle and provide the 49ers with another reliable kicker in the post-Robbie Gould era.
