It’s been known derisively as Team ACL, players who essentially get a medical redshirt by being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers as they recover from a knee injury. Last year’s draftee was receiver DeAndre Smelter. Welcome, then, Will Redmond.

My take: Surprised? You shouldn’t be. General manager Trent Baalke has a certain fascination with players who enter the draft rehabbing a torn ACL, essentially giving them a medical redshirt year. Baalke has drafted seven players since 2013 who are recovering from knee injuries, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Still, Baalke said he expects Redmond, a cornerback from Mississippi State whom the Niners selected in the third round on Friday night, to be ready for the start of training camp. In that event, the Niners actually had bigger needs at inside linebacker, receiver, and maybe even quarterback. But by passing over Michigan State’s Connor Cook, does that mean the Niners are finally going back all-in with Colin Kaepernick?

Will he play?: According to Baalke, yes. In fact, Baalke expects Redmond to be ready for training camp and sees him as a nickelback, even if that was the job of 2014 first-rounder Jimmie Ward. If so, then Ward transitions to safety full-time, which is where 2015 second-rounder Jaquiski Tartt took over at strong safety after the injury to Antoine Bethea last season. “Well, I’m just trying to get there, work hard,” Redmond said on a conference call. “Get with the trainers, get back healthy. That’s my biggest focus right now. Get back healthy. Get back on the field. Get ready to play. Get ready to do my best for the 49ers.”

A glut in the secondary? Redmond, who had three interceptions last season at Mississippi State, joins a young and, some would say, deep secondary with cornerbacks Kenneth Acker, Tramaine Brock, Marcus Cromartie, Chris Davis, Dontae Johnson and Keith Reaser and safeties Ward, Bethea, Tartt, L.J. McCray and Eric Reid. Yes, it was the fourth straight year the Niners have taken a defensive back in the first three rounds.

What’s next: Barring any trades, the 49ers have eight selections on Saturday, a fourth-rounder (35^th in the round), three in the fifth round (third, sixth, 37^th), three in the sixth round (32^nd, 36^th, 38^th) and one in the seventh (28^th).