Re-Grading San Francisco 49ers' Past 5 Drafts

San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke builds his roster primarily through the draft.

Rarely will he give a gigantic contract to another team’s free agent. While he gave a five-year, $40 million contract to former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith this offseason, that was the biggest contract Baalke ever has given to another team’s free agent.

Baalke mostly makes small moves in free agency, signs players to cheap, short-terms contracts and tries to find top talent in the draft. Sometimes he finds four or five top talents in the draft, and sometimes he finds zero. The 49ers’ future depends on Baalke’s performance in the draft.

Here is an assessment for each of his past five drafts.

2010 Draft

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

Round	Pick No.	Player Name	Position	School
1	11	Anthony Davis	T	Rutgers
1	17	Mike Iupati	G	Idaho
2	49	Taylor Mays	S	USC
3	91	NaVorro Bowman	LB	Penn State
6	173	Anthony Dixon	RB	Miss. State
6	182	Nate Byham	TE	Pittsburgh
6	206	Kyle Williams	WR	Arizona State
7	224	Phillip Adams	CB	South Carolina State

This draft features two solid picks, followed by a horrible pick, followed by a brilliant pick.

The 49ers chose to draft two offensive linemen in the top 20. They took right tackle Anthony Davis and left guard Mike Iupati. They were the correct offensive linemen to draft.

Davis is a good right tackle, although he never has made a Pro Bowl team. The 49ers drafted him ahead of Seattle Seahawks’ three-time All-Pro free safety Earl Thomas.

Iupati went to three Pro Bowls in five seasons, and still the Niners made little attempt to re-sign him this offseason. They drafted him ahead of Dallas Cowboys All-Pro wide receiver Dez Bryant.

Iupati and Davis helped give the 49ers one of the strongest offensive lines in the NFL for a few seasons. But the Niners probably would have been better off drafting Thomas and Bryant.

In the second round, the 49ers drafted safety Taylor Mays ahead of Seattle Seahawks’ All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham and Detroit Lions’ Pro Bowl receiver Golden Tate.

The Niners redeemed their entire draft in Round 3. They took three-time Pro Bowl linebacker NaVorro Bowman with the 91st pick. He turned out to be one of the best players in the entire draft before he tore his ACL and MCL. That injury doesn’t tarnish the Niners’ draft grade.

Grade: A-

2011 Draft

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Round	Pick No.	Player Name	Position	School
1	7	Aldon Smith	LB	Missouri
2	36	Colin Kaepernick	QB	Nevada
3	80	Chris Culliver	CB	South Carolina
4	115	Kendall Hunter	RB	Oklahoma State
5	163	Daniel Kilgore	C	Appalachian St.
6	182	Ronald Johnson	WR	USC
6	190	Colin Jones	S	TCU
7	211	Bruce Miller	FB	Central Florida
7	239	Michael Person	T	Montana State
7	250	Curtis Holcomb	CB	Florida A&M

After the 2012 season, Aldon Smith seemed like the best player from this draft. He recorded 33.5 sacks his first two seasons. J.J. Watt, the 11th pick in the 2011 draft, recorded 26 sacks his first two seasons.

Since then, Smith has started just 14 of 32 regular-season games. Last season he seemed out of shape—he recorded only 2.5 sacks.

He should be in shape this season, and no suspension looms over his head. If he bounces back and the 49ers re-sign him next offseason, this draft grade will improve.

The Niners got quarterback Colin Kaepernick in Round 2. He regressed last season (his second full season as a starter), but he was a terrific draft pick. He might be the best quarterback from this draft.

In Round 7, the Niners got fullback Bruce Miller. He might be the Niners’ best pick from this draft. He had never played fullback before the Niners drafted him—he was a defensive end in college. He became one of the best fullbacks in the NFL his rookie season.

Grade: A

2012 Draft

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Round	Pick No.	Player Name	Position	School
1	30	A.J. Jenkins	WR	Illinois
2	61	LaMichael James	RB	Oregon
4	117	Joe Looney	G	Wake Forest
5	165	Darius Fleming	LB	Notre Dame
6	180	Trenton Robinson	S	Michigan State
6	199	Jason Slowey	C	Western Oregon
7	237	Cam Johnson	DE	Virginia

This is the draft that separated the Seahawks from the 49ers.

Check out the Seahawks’ first three picks:

1. Starting outside linebacker Bruce Irvin.
2. All-Pro Middle Linebacker Bobby Wagner.
3. Two-time Pro-Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson.

Now check out the Niners’ first three picks:

1. Wide receiver A.J. Jenkins, who is no longer with the team.
2. Running back LaMichael James, who is no longer with the team.
3. Guard Joe Looney, who has four starts in three seasons.

The Niners were better before this draft. Once Irvin, Wagner and Wilson developed and Jenkins, James and Looney flopped, the Seahawks became the far superior team. It all traces back to these six picks.

Jenkins never started a game for the Niners. He currently is a free agent—no team seems to want him. The Niners drafted him ahead of Chicago Bears’ Pro Bowl wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.

Grade: Z

2013 Draft

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Round	Pick No.	Player Name	Position	School
1	18	Eric Reid	S	LSU
2	40	Tank Carradine	DE	FSU
2	55	Vance McDonald	TE	Rice
3	88	Corey Lemonier	LB	Auburn
4	128	Quinton Patton	WR	Louisiana Tech
4	131	Marcus Lattimore	RB	South Carolina
5	157	Quinton Dial	DE	Alabama
6	180	Nick Moody	LB	FSU
7	237	B.J. Daniels	QB	South Florida
7	246	Carter Bykowski	OT	Iowa State
7	252	Marcus Cooper	CB	Rutgers

The Niners let free safety Dashon Goldson walk in free safety, so they needed to replace him. Instead of signing a veteran like Charles Woodson to a cheap, short-term contract, they traded up in Round 1 for Eric Reid.

It seemed like a good move for a while. Reid went to the Pro Bowl his rookie season but didn’t go to the Pro Bowl his second season. And he has suffered three concussions during his first two seasons. His future might be murky.

It might have been smarter to sign Woodson and draft a cornerback such as Desmond Trufant or Xavier Rhodes. They already have become two of the best corners in the NFL. They’re more valuable players than Reid is.

Other than Reid, the only other two players from this class who matter are Tank Carradine and Quinton Dial. They might develop into starting defensive linemen in the next few seasons, or they might not. Their progress will determine this group’s grade in the long run.

Grade: C+

2014 Draft

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Round	Pick No.	Player Name	Position	School
1	30	Jimmie Ward	S	Northern Illinois
2	57	Carlos Hyde	RB	Ohio State
3	70	Marcus Martin	C	USC
3	77	Chris Borland	LB	Wisconsin
3	100	Brandon Thomas	G	Clemson
4	106	Bruce Ellington	WR	South Carolina
4	129	Dontae Johnson	CB	North Carolina State
5	150	Aaron Lynch	LB	South Florida
5	170	Keith Reaser	CB	Florida Atlantic
6	180	Kenneth Acker	CB	SMU
7	243	Kaleb Ramsey	DE	Boston Col.
7	245	Trey Millard	FB	Oklahoma

The Niners needed a cornerback after passing on all of the good ones in 2013.

Instead of drafting cornerback Bradley Roby in Round 1, the Niners drafted safety Jimmie Ward and tried to turn him into a cornerback. Ward did not fare well at his new position the first half of his rookie season. Then he broke his foot and missed the second half of his rookie season.

Ward might become a good corner one day. It’s too soon to say one way or the other.

Second-round pick Carlos Hyde probably will become an excellent running back. He didn’t get many carries while backing up Frank Gore last season, but Hyde will carry the load in 2015. He could be a top-10 rusher and a Pro Bowler.

But the best player from this draft class is outside linebacker Aaron Lynch. The Niners got him in Round 5. He was the best pass-rusher on the 49ers last season.

He might become one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL in 2015 or 2016. He’s only 22 years old.

Grade: B+

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