San Francisco 49ers: 5 Best, 5 Worst Draft Picks in the Trent Baalke Era

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Dec 20, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman (53) celebrates after the 49ers recovered an onside kick during the fourth quarter at Levi /

Best: NaVorro Bowman, LB, Penn State

2010 third-round selection, No. 91 overall

Let’s look back at the 2010 draft one more time. If you’re on the clock with the first overall pick, who do you take?

You certainly have some options. Antonio Brown might be the best wide receiver in football now that Calvin Johnson has retired. Earl Thomas is a stud in the secondary and leads the Legion of Boom. Ndamukong Suh and Geno Atkins have been stellar on the defensive line.

NaVorro Bowman is up there with any of them, and there’s a strong argument to be made that he’s the best player in his draft class. He’s a three-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, not to mention the heart and soul of the 49ers defense now that Patrick Willis is gone. Even if he never fully regains the form he had prior to his devastating knee injury in the NFC Championship, Bowman’s fantastic play has made him one of, if not the, best inside linebackers in all of football. To get a player like that in the third round is fantastic, and remains the best selection Trent Baalke has ever made.

What could have been: Bowman wasn’t an obvious fit for a 3-4 defense, and there were character concerns surrounding him when he was drafted. The 49ers could have gone for a “safer” pick, like Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran, or USC cornerback Kevin Thomas. Let’s be honest, though, even if the 49ers had taken another great value in the third round—tight end Jimmy Graham went four picks later—it would be disappointing compared to Bowman.

Next: Considering Noah Spence

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Bryan Knowles is a staff writer here at Niner Noise. Follow him @BryKno on Twitter.