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Best, Worst Picks by 49ers in the 2016 NFL Draft

By Bryan Knowles

Dec 5, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks defensive end DeForest Buckner (44) celebrates after a sack in the second quarter against the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Championship at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks defensive end DeForest Buckner (44) celebrates after a sack in the second quarter against the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Championship at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 19, 2015; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Greyson Lambert (11) reacts with offensive tackle John Theus (71) after a Georgia touchdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated South Carolina 52-20. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 19, 2015; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Greyson Lambert (11) reacts with offensive tackle John Theus (71) after a Georgia touchdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated South Carolina 52-20. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
  1. John Theus, OT, Georgia (Pick No. 145)

I may not have been a fan of taking Robinson in the fourth round, but I still feel that his talent and potential were worth a day three pick by someone, somewhere. Will Redmond’s ACL concerns me, but there’s no question he should have been drafted. The 49ers traded too much to get Joshua Garnett, but he’s going to be a key part of the offensive line this season.

John Theus is, in my opinion, not as good as the offensive tackle the 49ers picked up a round later in Fahn Cooper—I’m going out on a limb and predicting Cooper is the sixth or seventh offensive lineman active on gameday this year, while Theus is mostly inactive. I’m not sure I see why he was drafted at all, much less above Cooper.

Walter Football said “Theus doesn’t have a NFL skill set. He isn’t quick or athletic enough for left tackle in the NFL. Theus doesn’t have pro strength; he’s just big. Sources say they are giving Theus late-round grades. At the Senior Bowl and combine, he didn’t impress.”

NFL.com said “he may have issues in the NFL because he lacks the foot quickness of a left tackle and the power of a right tackle” and quoted a scout as saying “he’s extremely weak with no edge strength to help widen the pocket. He’s not soft, he just isn’t strong. That’s going to be a big problem for him.”

ESPN called him “not a finisher”, “not a dominating blocker”, “struggles to adjust on moving targets in space” and said he “will set with too high of pad level, which will get him in trouble against speed-to-power”.

There are contrary opinions—CBS had him ranked just about where the 49ers took him and DraftTek had him as a top-75 prospect—but the negative quotes match up more with what I saw when I watched his gametape.

I feel there were better offensive linemen available here, including Fahn Cooper, who the 49ers picked up in the next round and the previously-mentioned Caleb Benenoch. They could have grabbed another guard like Christian Westerman or Joe Dahl, there were receivers like Jordan Payton and Rashard Higgins; they could have even taken a swing at quarterback with Kevin Hogan from Stanford.

It’s hard to argue that offensive line was a need, and the 49ers were committed to building through the trenches in the draft; I just find it hard to imagine Theus will be do much in an NFL jersey.

Next: Quick Takes on 49ers' UDFA Class

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Of course, now that this is on the record, John Theus and Rashard Robinson will become All-Pros, while Kelvin Taylor and Aaron Burbridge never see the 53-man roster, but that’s the way things go.