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

Second-Worst: LaMichael James, RB, Oregon

2012 second-round selection, No. 61 overall

And so we finally come to the 2012 draft, which may go down in history as the worst draft in franchise history.  None of the players taken in that years’ draft are still with the 49ers, and only Trent Robinson, a sixth-round selection, has played even 30 games in the NFL.  It was a terrible blank after a great draft in 2010 and a very solid one in 2011; a lost year for 49ers football development.

LaMichael James was supposed to be a thrilling playmaker.  At Oregon, he was a Heisman Trophy nominee on multiple occasions.  He was a potential home-run hitter.  He put up a 4.45-second 40-yard dash at the combine, coupled with great performances in the broad jump and cone drills. Sure, he was a bit undersized, but he would be a threat to score on every single play, right?

Not so much.  After a little more than two seasons in the 49ers backfield, James was released.  He never could earn regular playing time, either in San Francisco or Miami, and ended his 49ers career with just 41 carries for 184 yards and no touchdowns.  He was last on a roster for Miami in Week 1 last season, but fumbled a kickoff return and got in a fight with receiver Jarvis Landry and was released.  His career appears to be over.

What could have been: LSU’s Reuben Randle has had an intriguing, if somewhat less than solid, career as a receiver for the New York Giants; he was taken just two slots after James and certainly would have been a better addition to the 49ers’ depleted receiving corps than their first-round pick that season.  If the 49ers did feel they desperately needed to add a running back to a corps that already had Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and Brandon Jacobs, they could have gone with Ronnie Hillman from San Diego State instead; he has 1,842 career rushing yards so far.

Next: A Run-Blocking Dynamo