The San Francisco 49ers’ first three selections in 2018 will play a large part in the team’s success this season."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections 49ers Salary CapLevi’s Stadium Events49ers Transactions49ers Injury News49ers Press Conferences & Conference CallsSan Francisco 49ers News49ers RosterHigh expectations for 49ers’ top 2018 draft picksNew Ahkello Witherspoon Color Rush Jersey ,39commentsThe 49ers’ first three selections in 2018 will play a large part in the team’s success this season.PDTShareTweetShareShareHigh expectations for 49ers’ top 2018 draft picksJasen Vinlove-USA TODAY SportsThe spotlight is on the San Francisco 49ers’ current crop of rookies - and rightfully so. We’re only a couple weeks removed from the 2019 NFL Draft, and the team just wrapped up their first rookie minicamp last weekend. As the team prepares for OTAs later this month, we’ll turn our attention towards the previous year’s rookies, the players that are expected to take that next developmental step forward in Year 2 of their career. General manager John Lynch’s first three draft picks in 2018 have all earned starting roles. It’s a good sign, but now they’ll be expected to do more for the team to compete in the NFC West. Let’s take a look at the expectations for the 49ers’ first three draft picks in 2018:OT Mike McGlincheyLynch raised eyebrows when he selected McGlinchey with the ninth pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Notre Dame offensive lineman wasn’t seen as a strong need with both Trent Brown and Joe Staley on the roster for 2018. That presumption faded when the 49ers traded Brown to the New England Patriots the following day. Despite his success as a pass blocker, the 49ers didn’t view Brown as a fit in the run game or a candidate for a long-term extension. McGlinchey’s rookie performance was far from perfect https://www.49ersfanshop.com/C.-J.-Beathard-Jersey , but he’s quickly established himself as a well-rounded and reliable starter.McGlinchey finished 2018 as Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded rookie tackle (73.2) and the second-highest-graded rookie offensive lineman. His 78.2 run-blocking grade was the best among rookie offensive linemen. McGlinchey’s most significant area for improvement moving forward will be his pass blocking. He earned a 64.2 grade and allowed 40 total pressures in 2018. With NFL defenses attacking the right side of the offensive line just as much as the left, the 49ers will be relying on McGlinchey to improve in the passing game to keep quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo upright.WR Dante PettisPettis was another surprise selection from the 49ers in 2018. Lynch gave up a third-round pick to trade up in the second round to select the former Washington wideout with the 44th pick. Many draft analysts expected Pettis to go later in the draft, but it didn’t take long for him to prove why the 49ers were enamored. Pettis was nearly impossible to cover in training camp, showing off the route-running and hands that Shanahan covets.A pair of knee injuries suffered in Week 3 and Week 16 limited Pettis to just eight games in 2018. However, his durability isn’t a concern yet, given he never missed a single game in college. The 49ers rookie made an impact when on the field though. His 17.3 yards per catch ranked second among rookie receivers Matt Breida Jersey , reeling in 27 passes for 467 yards and five touchdowns on the season. In his final six games of the season, Pettis established a 16-game pace of 62 receptions for 964 yards and ten touchdowns. The 49ers’ offense would be cruising if Pettis can come close to that in 2019, especially in the red zone.Capable of playing all three receiver positions, Pettis will be relied upon heavily in 2019 as one of the offense’s leading playmakers. The 49ers parted ways with Pierre Garcon in the offseason while speedster Marquise Goodwin struggled to have the impact he authored in 2017. Along with fellow second-rounder Deebo Samuel, a strong season for Pettis would give the 49ers’ confidence in a young group of pass-catchers moving forward.LB Fred WarnerThe 49ers entered into the 2018 season with linebacker Reuben Foster, who seemed destined for a promising career after a strong rookie season. Those hopes quickly unraveled after a myriad of off-field problems that included multiple domestic violence incidents Trent Taylor Color Rush Jersey , prompting a parting of ways between Foster and the 49ers. Fortunately, the 49ers picked Warner in the third-round in 2018 and his promising rookie season softened the blow of losing Foster.Warner totaled 124 tackles last season, along with three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, six pass breakups, and a forced fumble. Warner showed flashes throughout the season but only managed a 63.9 grade from PFF - good for 50th among qualifying linebackers https://www.49ersfanshop.com/Adrian-Colbert-Jersey , likely brought down by his team-leading 16 missed tackles.Warner is now at the center of the 49ers defense behind a line stacked with first-round talent. He’ll be joined by free-agent acquisition Kwon Alexander, who’ll likely occupy the WILL position next to Warner at MIKE. Alexander suffered a torn ACL in 2018 and may not be fully recovered before the start of the season, putting additional pressure on Warner to take the next step in Year 2. Warner already possesses a versatile skill set best suited for today’s NFL. If he can improve his tackling, Warner should be in for a significant step forward in 2019. SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — A blowout loss at home followed by a spirited comeback attempt by Matthew Stafford that fell just short.Matt Patricia’s coaching tenure in Detroit hasn’t gotten off to an impressive start and things look only to get tougher for the Lions following a 30-27 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.Detroit (0-2) dug a deep hole with another rough third quarter and wasn’t able to pull off a comeback in part because of a key penalty. Now the Lions will look for their first win under Patricia next week when they host his former team, the New England Patriots.“It’s the NFL. You don’t have time to hang your head Dante Pettis Jersey ,” defensive tackle Sylvester Williams said.“We’ve got seven days. We’ll be on the field again in seven days, so no one has any time to hang our head. We’ve got to get back in there, and learn from our mistakes and come back from them.”Patricia was hired in Detroit after a long run as defensive coordinator of the Patriots. But his team has allowed 78 points through two games after losing 48-17 to the New York Jets in the opener .That’s the third-most points ever allowed by the Lions through two games, ranking behind only the 82 points given up by an 0-16 team in 2008 and 80 by a three-win team in 2002.But there were plenty of problems across the board for the Lions. There was a breakdown on defense that left Kendrick Bourne wide open on San Francisco’s first touchdown. The special teams allowed a 90-yard kickoff return by D.J. Reed to start the second half, setting up the second touchdown for the 49ers.Patricia mismanaged the clock late in the first half, costing the Lions nearly 40 seconds that contributed to a field goal instead of a possible touchdown.Then there were 10 penalties for 105 yards Jimmy Garoppolo Color Rush Jersey , including a hold away from the play that turned a potential game-changing interception into a San Francisco first down and a personal foul on LeGarrette Blount that led to an ejection for coming off the sideline to shove a 49ers player.“It bothers me a lot when that happens,” Patricia said of the litany of mistakes. “We have to do a better job. We had some breakdowns in all three phases. We had some opportunities in all three phases too that we didn’t capitalize on. I think that’s the biggest thing right now.”Despite all that, Detroit was in position to pull off a comeback late after Stafford threw touchdown passes to Marvin Jones Jr. and Michael Roberts to cut a 17-point deficit to 30-27 with 3:27 to play.The defense then appeared to come up with the game-changing play when Tracy Walker stepped in front of a pass from Jimmy Garoppolo for an interception that he returned to the San Francisco 7.But the officials called a holding penalty away from the play on Quandre Diggs, giving the 49ers a first down instead. The defense still managed to come up with a stop, but the offense didn’t get the ball back until there was 1:08 to play and the Lions were at their 16.Stafford moved the ball out to the 39 before three straight incompletions led to a turnover on downs and another Detroit loss. Stafford finished 34 for 53 for 347 yards and three touchdowns .“The guys we have on this team, the way that we fight https://www.49ersfanshop.com/Fred-Warner-Jersey , we’re never out of it,” he said. “I can appreciate that. We just have to make a few more plays, whether it be earlier in the game or later. There’s a million plays throughout the game we can clean up and be better, and it starts with me.”