2016 NFL Draft: 5 Burning Questions Facing the San Francisco 49ers

What Will the 49ers Do Between Rounds 3 and 5?

First-round picks all too often get the most amount of attention and hype within the NFL Draft. And it’s not hard to understand why.

Yet the 49ers have the majority of their picks falling in Rounds 3 through 5 — six to be exact. Here’s the full list, courtesy of the team’s website:

Round 1: Pick 7
Round 2: Pick 6 (37th overall)
Round 3: Pick 5 (68th overall)
Round 4: Pick 7 (105th overall)
Round 4: Pick 35 (133rd overall) – compensatory
Round 5: Pick 3 (142nd overall) – from San Diego
Round 5: Pick 6 (145th overall)
Round 5: Pick 37 (174th overall) – compensatory
Round 6: Pick 3 (178th overall) – from Dallas
Round 6: Pick 32 (207th overall) – from Denver
Round 6: Pick 36 (211th overall) – compensatory
Round 6: Pick 38 (213th overall) – compensatory

Last year, the 49ers netted linebacker Eli Harold (Round 3), tight end Blake Bell (Round 4), running back Mike Davis (Round 4), wide receiver DeAndre Smelter (Round 4) and punter Bradley Pinion during this stretch. In 2014, San Francisco grabbed center Marcus Martin (Round 3), linebacker Chris Borland (Round 3), guard Brandon Thomas (Round 3), wide receiver Bruce Ellington (Round 4), cornerback Dontae Johnson (Round 4), linebacker Aaron Lynch (Round 5) and cornerback Keith Reaser (Round 5).

In 2013, these same rounds generated linebacker Corey Lemonier (Round 3), wide receiver Quinton Patton (Round 4), running back Marcus Lattimore (Round 4) and defensive tackle Quinton Dial (Round 5).

From that entire crop, Lynch and Dial have been the best players in terms of a positive return on investment. Borland might have been had it not been for an abrupt retirement after one season. Some players — like Patton, Ellington, Johnson and Bell — may still have some promise. And Smelter hasn’t seen the field yet.

But the vast majority of remaining players have either been a major disappointment or never came close to providing much impact.

If the 49ers had few needs, this point would be moot. Yet San Francisco needs more than just a handful of positive returns from these crucial middle rounds.

All this puts even more pressure on general manager Trent Baalke. But what are the expected results? Should fans be satisfied if, let’s say, 50 percent of the Niners’ six picks between these rounds wind up being NFL-worthy players? Does it need to be 60 percent or even higher?

Well, the more the better. That’s for sure.

Next: Who Goes First to the 49ers?