The San Francisco 49ers have been at the forefront of redshirting drafted players that are undervalued due to injuries.

Tank Carradine and Marcus Lattimore were widely considered first round talents before suffering season-ending knee injuries.

"To answer the question, yes, it is a conscious decision we made to do that," Baalke said from his office Friday, as rookie minicamp kicked off in Santa Clara. "You know there's a possibility that, if the board falls a certain way, that's a decision that could be made. But it's not just the last two years -- we've just been in position to make those picks the last two years. It really comes down to value."

The 49ers most famously took a gamble on that type of player in drafting Frank Gore, who had already torn both ACLs in college.

"Any time a player gets injured, there's the possibility that they never reach pre-injury form again," Baalke said. "That's a reality of what we do. But at the same time, it goes back to the risk-reward and the work you do. What's your research? You can minimize the risk by doing a very good job in researching the injury, in researching the individual. You increase your odds of a positive outcome by being thorough."