San Francisco 49ers: 2016 NFL Draft Recap & Analysis
Final Grade
Giving a grade to the 49ers’ draft is difficult, because it depends on how much you value the pick at the very top, and the overall strategy.
On the plus side, the 49ers didn’t botch their first-round pick. DeForest Buckner is the best prospect the 49ers have drafted since Aldon Smith and he fills a major need. The only other player on the board you could have really made an argument for over Buckner was tackle Laremy Tunsil, and with the strange Twitter bong-video situation surrounding him at the time, Buckner was probably the safer pick.
The 49ers also had a clear strategy, and stuck to it–build through defense and the lines. Three of their first seven picks were offensive linemen, and the rest play defense. In addition to Buckner, Ronald Blair is someone to keep an eye out for as a rotational lineman, and Fahn Cooper might be my favorite of the offensive line picks, when you consider value at the slot.
They then picked up a couple promising skill players late, with Kelvin Taylor and Aaron Burbridge joining the team as compensatory picks in the sixth round. The feeling that there is a plan, rather than last year’s bumbling, is a definite plus.
On the other hand, it would have been hard to not ace the first-round pick. Buckner was nearly a no-brainer choice; rumors that had the 49ers reaching for Paxton Lynch or gambling on Myles Jack’s knee that high never seemed more than wishful thinking and poor strategy at the position. How much credit can you give Trent Baalke and his staff for a more-or-less obvious pick?
In addition, while having a strategy is fine, I disagree with a number of the players they actually chose to run it. I’m not a fan of the 49ers’ second, third or fourth picks–Joshua Garnett is a solid player, but there were many interesting talents available both at No. 28, where the 49ers traded up, and back at No. 37. I would have rather had Reggie Ragland and a fourth-round pick than Garnett. I think both of the cornerbacks taken were overrated, as well. I don’t think offensive tackle John Theus is going to contribute soon, and I had never heard of Prince Charles Iworah, though there’s only so much you can complain about the 249th overall pick in a draft.
The final grade, then, comes mostly in how you weight things. How much does Buckner and a really solid sixth round outweigh question marks in the middle?
Trent Baalke has a very idiosyncratic draft board; he often goes against common wisdom to make picks of the players he feels are the best. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that; Bill Belichick and the Patriots also buck standard rankings when making their picks, and they’ve had great success. Baalke, though, has not had great success in the past four drafts, and it’s hard to give the architect of 2012 and the redshirt strategy much of the benefit of the doubt.
Because there was a clear plan and Buckner is pretty much the best the 49ers could have done at No. 7, I can’t rate this draft class too far down. But with the middle of the draft bringing so many question marks, I can’t rate this draft above average, either.
Grade: C-
Next: Depth Chart