The San Francisco 49ers had a draft that left the fan base scratching their heads. With no first-round pick due to the big trade last year to get Trey Lance, the team started with the 61st overall pick. However, as the team looks to get back to the Super Bowl, they need to shore up a few holes. At the same time, the 49ers looked to become favorites in the NFC, and people aren’t sure if this draft helped them. Furthermore, Kyle Shannan’s fascination with a new running back has hampered the team’s ability to choose the best player available.
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Best Pick: Drake Jackson (Round 2, Pick 61)
Looking at the players available at pick 61, it’s clear that the team made the right choice. With Jackson having a mid-second round grade, the Niners choose to take him to solidify the edge position. With Jackson playing opposite Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead, he will become the starter early on. While his only competition is Dee Ford, who is on the downslide in his career, Jackson has a clear path to start.
Grade: A
For more on Jackson, check out our scouting report on him.
Worst Pick: Tyrion Davis-Price (Round 3, Pick 93)
With the Niners already having two sophomore running backs on the team, spending a high draft pick for another makes no sense. While Davis-Price is a solid back, he will already be in a rotation with two other good backs. With Elijah Mitchell being the clear starter, Davis-Price would, at best, become the second string back. At the same time, the team took a luxury player when they still had holes on their roster. In a deep corner and tight end class, the team failed to acquire a big-time corner to strengthen the secondary. Furthermore, with George Kittle becoming more injury-prone every year, taking a solid backup tight end would have been better.
Grade: C-
Sleeper Pick: Samuel Womack (Round 5, Pick 172)
Womack is a good selection in the fifth round. However, he is a project player that needs a year or two to develop. With the Niners in win-now mode, their weakness is the defensive secondary. So while Womack is an excellent developmental player taking your first corner in the fifth round isn’t a great idea. At the same time, he does have the potential to become a standout player for the Niners. With a year spent developing his skill set, he could be a very impactful player.
Grade: B
Summary
With many holes on the defense and the offense, the 49ers didn’t address many of them. However, they did add a few complementary pieces to the roster that could strengthen a strength. However, with the team in a win-now mode, they needed to address the holes and didn’t. While the NFC is a wide-open division, the Niners needed to load up with talent to become competitive. However, with Day 3 picks worthy of note, they made a few mistakes with the first two days.
Grade: C+
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