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Trent Baalke’s 2013 draft class short on impact players

In April, as 49ers general manager Trent Baalke was being questioned about his recent drafts, he cautioned against a rush to judgment.

Baalke said college players were leaving school earlier than their predecessors and entering the NFL younger and less polished. In addition, he noted that many prospects played in systems, such as the increasingly popular spread offense, that don’t have NFL-level sophistication.

His message: Be patient, folks, before writing off his recent draft picks.

“I think Bill Walsh said it a long time ago — two years. Give them two full years,” Baalke said.