The San Francisco 49ers used a third-round pick to draft Jake Moody last year, hoping he would solidify their kicking position for years to come.

However, Moody’s performance in the second half of his second season with San Francisco has raised doubts about whether he will remain the team’s kicker heading into next season.

Moody missed his sixth field goal in the past seven games last week, prompting questions about whether the 49ers might need to replace him or at least bring in competition for the job next season.

Coach Kyle Shanahan expressed confidence in Moody on Thursday, suggesting that some of his struggles could be due to a high ankle sprain he suffered in his kicking leg earlier in the season.

“I still feel the same about him, that I believe he is going to be our guy,” Shanahan said. “Everyone has got to perform and do things like that and I think he has had a tough year.

I thought he was doing really well and then had a high ankle sprain to his kicking foot. Since he’s come back, he hasn’t been as consistent, obviously. But I think a lot of that probably has to do with that, just common-sense wise.”

Moody started the season strong, making all six of his field goals in the opener and going 13 for 14 before injuring his ankle while attempting to make a tackle on a kickoff return in Week 5.

After missing three games, Moody has struggled since his return. He missed three field goals in his first game back against Tampa Bay, two more in the snow at Buffalo in Week 13, and then a 41-yarder last week against the Dolphins.

“That’s the great thing about kicking is, you can be as talented as whoever and you can struggle,” Moody said. “I feel like this year, I’ve struggled. It doesn’t really waver my confidence or anything.

I feel like, throughout my entire life, I’ve gone through struggles, I’ve gone through high points. The biggest thing is to just stay consistent, not change anything.”

Moody had a mixed rookie season, making 21 of 25 field goals in the regular season and missing only one extra point. However, he missed a potential game-winning kick in a loss to Cleveland and missed field goals in playoff wins against Green Bay and Detroit.

Moody then made three field goals in the Super Bowl, with two coming from over 50 yards, including a 53-yard kick that gave the 49ers the lead late in the fourth quarter against Kansas City. However, Moody also had an extra point blocked in that game.

“I believe we’ve got the right guy and I think that eventually, I think he has shown that at times,” Shanahan said. “I thought he showed that at times his rookie year. I thought he showed that big time being 12 out of 13 to start this year. And I think he’ll show us all that in the future.”