49ers Draft TE Charlie Woerner in Round 6

The San Francisco 49ers drafted Georgia tight end Charlier Woerner in Round 6 of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Grant Cohn | Apr 25, 2020

The 49ers have drafted a blocking tight end who also can play fullback.

In the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the 49ers took Georgia tight end Charlie Woerner with the 190th pick. The 49ers acquired pick 190 after trading Marquise Goodwin and pick 210 to the Eagles.

Woerner caught just 34 passes and gained only 376 receiving yards in four seasons at Georgia. But he wasn't a pass-catching specialist. He was a blocking specialist who played multiple positions: tight end, H-back and even fullback at times, even though doesn't have a fullback's body type. He's tall, lean and angular -- 6'5", 244 pounds.

For what it's worth, Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle was a blocking specialist in college as well -- he caught just 48 passes at Iowa. The 49ers saw Kittle's potential and developed his skills as a pass-catcher. Perhaps the 49ers see similar traits and potential in Woerner.

Last year, the 49ers drafted blocking tight end Kaden Smith in Round 6, but released him after training camp. Former undrafted free agent Ross Dwelley and veteran Levine Toilolo both beat out Smith, who later signed with the New York Giants.

This offseason, the Giants signed Toilolo away from the 49ers. So the 49ers needed a blocking tight end to replace him. Enter Woerner.

The 49ers also might need a new fullback in 2021, because starter Kyle Juszczyk will be a free agent after next season. For 2020, Woerner can serve as a both a backup tight end, a backup fullback and a special teamer. In 2021, he could become the 49ers' starting fullback, depending on whether the team re-signs Juszczyk or lets him walk during free agency.

Published Apr 25, 2020

GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.