Winners and Losers from San Francisco 49ers' Draft

One of the biggest losers from the San Francisco 49ers’ draft is head coach Jim Tomsula.

He has very little job security. If the Niners take another step back next season, they might unfairly scapegoat him. He might be a one-and-done head coach.

Considering the pressure he’s under to produce a winning team, he could use instant-impact players—guys who can help him keep his job for more than one season.

He didn’t get many of those kind of players. Mostly, he got long-term projects.

Sorry, Jim.

Here are the rest of the winners and losers from the 49ers’ draft.

WINNER: Scott Brown, Defensive Line Coach

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For the past eight seasons, Tomsula was the 49ers’ defensive line coach. And he was excellent. He turned Justin Smith into a perennial Pro Bowler and Ray McDonald into one of the best run-defenders in the NFL.

Now Tomsula is the Niners head coach and Scott Brown is the defensive line coach. Brown has 35 years of experience coaching defensive lines in college, but zero experience coaching in the NFL.

In college, the best player Brown ever developed was Will Sutton. Brown coached him at Arizona State. Sutton currently plays for the Chicago Bears. Last season, his rookie season, he started five games.

Now, Brown has an opportunity to develop probably the most athletic player he has ever coached—former Oregon defensive end Arik Armstead. Brown will make a name for himself if Armstead becomes a good player.

LOSER: Quinton Dial, Defensive End

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When the Niners drafted Quinton Dial and Tank Carradine in 2013, it seemed Carradine would eventually replace Justin Smith, and Dial would eventually replace Ray McDonald.

The 49ers released McDonald in December, and Dial was first in line to replace him at left defensive end. Then the Niners spent their first-round pick on Arik Armstead.

Now, Dial clearly has no future with the Niners at left defensive end—that’s Armstead’s future position. If Dial has a future in the Niners’ starting lineup, his future is at nose tackle. And currently he is third on the nose tackle depth chart behind Ian Williams and Glenn Dorsey.

Tough break.

WINNER: Carlos Hyde, Running Back

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In Mel Kiper Jr.’s final mock draft, he predicted the 49ers would draft former Georgia running back Todd Gurley with the 15th pick. The St. Louis Rams ended up taking him with the 10th pick. If he had fallen to the Niners and they had drafted him, he probably would have taken Carlos Hyde’s starting job. Hyde was a late second-round pick last year.

After the Rams picked Gurley, the Niners still had a chance to draft an elite running back prospect.

Former Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon fell to the 15th pick, and he’s fantastic—almost as good as Gurley. If the Niners had taken Gordon, he probably would have taken Hyde’s job, too. But the 49ers traded down with San Diego and the Chargers took Gordon.

Hyde’s job is safe for now.

LOSER: Corey Lemonier, Outside Linebacker

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The 49ers drafted Corey Lemonier in the third round of the 2013 draft. They must have hoped he could be the heir apparent to outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks.

In two seasons, Lemonier has made one sack. That’s it. He is no one’s heir apparent. He probably is on the way out of the league.

Which is probably why the 49ers spent their third-round pick this year on former Virginia outside linebacker Eli Harold. Harold is a better pass-rusher than Lemonier right now.

Harold actually has moves. Lemonier doesn’t—he just runs into the offensive tackle and gets tied up.

Now Lemonier is the fifth outside linebacker on the depth chart. The Niners typically carry no more than four outside linebackers on the roster. Don’t be surprised if they release Lemonier before the season.

WINNER: Adam Henry, Wide Receivers Coach

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The 49ers haven’t developed a Pro Bowl wide receiver since Terrell Owens.

This offseason, they hired former LSU wide receivers coach Adam Henry. He developed Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry—two of the best rookie receivers in the NFL last season. Beckham Jr. won the Offensive Player of the Year award. Landry started 11 games and made 84 catches.

Now, Henry has to develop 49ers fourth-round pick DeAndre Smelter. The former Georgia Tech receiver played just two seasons of college football—he was a relief pitcher his first two years of college. Then he hurt his shoulder, lost his fastball and switched to football as a junior.

And he tore his ACL in November. He probably will miss most, if not all of the offseason workouts. He is an injured, inexperienced project. If anyone can turn him into a quality receiver, it’s Henry. Henry has a terrific opportunity to show the world how good of a coach he really is.

LOSER: Trent Baalke, General Manager

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Forty-niners general manager Trent Baalke began the offseason by informing us that the 49ers were not rebuilding, they merely were reloading.

Then he drafted zero players who will make an immediate impact in 2015.

In Round 1, he drafted former Oregon defensive end Arik Armstead, who has been a full-time football player for only one year—he played basketball and football his first two years at Oregon. He needs to get stronger before he can start in the 49ers defense.

In Round 2, Baalke drafted former Samford strong safety Jaquiski Tartt. He may never be a starter for the Niners. Antoine Bethea is currently the starting strong safety, and Jimmie Ward is his backup. Ward was a first-round pick last year.

In Round 3, Baalke drafted former Virginia outside linebacker Eli Harold. He is the fourth outside linebacker on the depth chart.

In Round 4, Baalke drafted three players. First, he drafted former Oklahoma tight end Blake Bell, who played quarterback until his senior season. Project.

Next, Baalke drafted South Carolina running back Mike Davis. Backup. He won’t play much unless Carlos Hyde and Reggie Bush get hurt.

Finally, Baalke drafted former Georgia Tech wide receiver DeAndre Smelter in Round 4. He didn’t play football his first two years of college, and he tore his ACL in November. Another project.

In Round 5, Baalke drafted a punter (former Clemson Tiger Bradley Pinion), even though the 49ers already have one of the best punters in the NFL (Andy Lee), and he's only 32.

That’s called building for the future, not reloading for the present. Maybe the Niners will be good in a few seasons, but for now they seem to have fallen behind the rest of the NFC West.

And that’s on Baalke.

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