The need was there http://www.49erslockerroom.com/authentic-patrick-willis-jersey , but is this a proper value play?"rs Salary CapLevi’s Stadium Events49ers Transactions49ers Injury News49ers Press Conferences & Conference Calls49ers Rookies2019 NFL Draft: 49ers picks, mock drafts, news, rumors, analysis49ers draft a punter in the 4th, raising questions about decision-makingNew,416commentsThe need was there, but is this a proper value play?PDTShareTweetShareShare49ers draft a punter in the 4th, raising questions about decision-makingRuss Isabella-USA TODAY SportsThe San Francisco 49ers spent a fourth round pick on punter Mitch Wishnowsky, and you know that excites me. Well, drafting a punter makes me happy. Spending a fourth round pick on the position? It raises some question marks.Any time a special teams player is draft before the sixth round, eyebrows are raised. When it happens in the fourth round, there are usually strong responses. The 49ers needed a punter, so you can’t fault filling said need. But could they have landed Wishnowsky later?In the phone call to Wishnowsky, head coach Kyle Shanahan told him they were worried they would not be able to land him. He did not offer any more specifics, but it would suggest they thought someone else was interested in Wishnowsky in the fourth. The 49ers spent the 110th overall pick on Wishnowsky Tevin Coleman Jersey , and the next punter off the board was Stanford’s Jake Bailey to the New England Patriots at No. 163.The Patriots sent a seventh to the Philadelphia Eagles to move up four spots to land Bailey. After the draft, John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan both acknowledged the Patriots and others were likely interested.Lynch: “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.”Shanahan: “That’s a hard thing to figure out. Everyone knows he’s the best punter in the draft, and when is he going to go, and you always want to take that as late as possible, so you feel the same way going in the fourth. You’d love to do it in the seventh, but I promise you we wouldn’t have gotten him if we tried to do it in the fifth. That’s why the Patriots traded up to take next guy in the fifth.”Lynch said the team loved what Wishnowsky brought to the table, and easily led the field as the prospect they wanted.This raises another question. Is the punter position sufficiently valuable enough that you need to invest a fourth round pick in the best player if you think he is that much better. He has gotten some comps Seattle Seahawks All Pro punter Michael Dickson. If Wishnowsky proved to be as good as Dickson, is he worth the pick? Or is the drop-off to Bailey or another worth spending that fourth on another need?A great punter is valuable in flipping field position, but fourth round value? The 49ers were 18th in total points, and if the offense improves, they very well could slide further down the list. Fewer points ideally further decreases that value.You know I love a great punter as much as anybody, but I won’t pretend spending high picks on a punter is not a bit of a head scratcher. And when you add in the context of the 49ers history the past two years, it raises questions. Oscar Aparicio offered a solid take on overpaying.The 49ers decision to draft a punter in the fourth round is not exactly an outlier in their decision-making. They’ve spent big on positions that traditionally are not invested as such. You can make individual arguments for each decision Dante Pettis Jersey , but until the team actually starts winning some football games, the totality of the decisions will keep us scratching our heads in the short term.This could pan out where the 49ers have one of the best punters in the league for the next decade — and I’d love to see that. But it is reasonable to raise questions about the decision-making process. The San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants square off on Monday Night Football this week, with plenty of draft implications to consider. In the meantime, Sunday has brought the 49ers a couple helpful breaks.The Buffalo Bills thumped the New York Jets, wining 41-10 in spite of starting Matt Barkley at quarterback. Josh Allen should be back next week, but the “anybody but Nathan Peterman” strategy paid dividends this week. The Bills improve to 3-7 with the win.In Cleveland, the Browns got big days from rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield (three TD passes) and rookie running back Nick Chubb (a record-setting 92-yard touchdown run in a 28-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons. The Browns improve to 3-6-1 with the win.Both wins mean if the 49ers beat the Giants on Monday, they will likely not drop behind the Bills. They could fall into a tie, but the 49ers have the weaker strength of schedule for the tiebreaker edge. The 49ers have a shot to beat both the Giants this week and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the bye, so teams near them winning is always a plus.The only other game of significant note for now saw Arizona lose 26-14 to Kansas City. The Cardinals gave the Chiefs a tough time and covered the spread, but they could not take advantage of some opportunities and dropped to 2-7. The 49ers still hold the SOS tiebreaker edge.The afternoon slate features the Oakland Raiders hosting the Los Angeles Chargers. The Raiders are pretty awful, and I think they end up with the No. 1 or No. 2 pick. However, we can still root for them to mess up their own draft position!I enjoy watching the 49ers win games, but I also recognize that odds are pretty good Nick Mullens is not the second coming of Joe Montana. I’m fine rooting for the team to win but also being plenty happy with other teams winning to keep the 49ers in a decent draft position.