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

3 of 11

Oct 22, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers cornerback Kenneth Acker (20) intercepts the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the third quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The Seattle Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers 20-3. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Fifth-Best: Kenneth Acker, DB, SMU

2014 sixth-round selection, No. 180 overall

Kenneth Acker is one of the players you can point to if you want to defend Baalke’s general draft strategy. Acker’s selection was the result of a trade down with Cleveland to add an extra late-round draft pick, and he was redshirted for the 2014 season with a foot fracture.

Last season, Acker started 13 games for the team, intercepting three passes and racking up eight passes defensed. He was better in run coverage than he was in pass coverage, with high-effort, aggressive play to get to the ball carrier; he finished the year with 53 tackles.

He was replaced late in the year by Dontae Johnson, and he’s not by any means guaranteed a starting spot next season, but he was the 180^th overall pick. To get any production out of someone so late in the draft has to be considered impressive, and the 62 percent of snaps he was involved in earned him the most performance-based pay of anyone on the roster last year.

A first-year corner with flashes of skill isn’t exactly the most exciting pick in the world—and maybe the fact that he cracks the top five is an indictment of Baalke’s skill more than anything else—but a solid role player in the sixth-round is a very good pick.

What could have been: Ever hear of Kendall James or Bennett Jackson? Both are cornerbacks with higher grades than Acker who were taken within seven picks of Acker. Both have yet to appear in an NFL game.

Next: Not Delanie Walker's Replacement