Niner Noise
FanSided

Where Are They Now? Each San Francisco 49ers Draft Pick Since 2011

By Peter Panacy

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Feb 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead talks to the media at the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead talks to the media at the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

2015 NFL Draft

Each one of San Francisco’s 10 selections from the 2015 NFL Draft remains with the 49ers. And this year’s class is starting to look like it’s pretty good.

Highlighted by the first-round selection of defensive end Arik Armstead, general manager Trent Baalke might have found some solid pieces out of a crop which didn’t exactly receive the most praise shortly after this group was assembled.

The Picks

  1. Defensive End Arik Armstead, Oregon
  2. Safety Jaquiski Tartt, Samford
  3. Linebacker Eli Harold, Virginia
  4. Tight End Blake Bell, Oklahoma
  5. Running Back Mike Davis, South Carolina
  6. Wide Receiver DeAndre Smelter, Georgia Tech
  7. Punter Bradley Pinion, Clemson
  8. Offensive Lineman Ian Silberman, Boston College
  9. Offensive Lineman Trent Brown, Florida
  10. Tight End Busta Anderson, South Carolina

Armstead’s drafting is starting to look like a very, very good thing as now the massive 6’7″ force will be paired with former Oregon teammate DeForest Buckner along the 49ers defensive line. And Armstead showed plenty of promise towards the latter half of his rookie year.

Equally as imposing, physically, is safety Jaquiski Tartt. While the 49ers have a good number of safeties on their current roster, Tartt provides the flexibility to add support in a hybrid role in sub packages.

Outside linebacker Eli Harold already passed over fellow linebacker Corey Lemonier on the 49ers depth chart, so will 2016 be the season in which Harold adds some prowess to San Francisco’s pass rush?

Tight end Blake Bell, the “Belldozer,” made the switch from quarterback to tight end his senior year at Oklahoma. Inexperienced, yet physically gifted, Bell has a chance to climb up the 49ers depth chart this season, along with fellow developing TE Busta Anderson, given the ongoing struggles of 2013 draftee Vance McDonald.

The same can’t exactly be said of running back Mike Davis though. Injuries cut short Davis’ rookie campaign last year, and the 49ers already have a lot of depth at this position behind No. 1 tailback Carlos Hyde. And this year’s addition of Kelvin Taylor doesn’t help Davis’ chances.

Equally as competitive will be a young crop of wide receivers. Wideout DeAndre Smelter should be a player to watch after being redshirted his rookie season a year ago.

Yep, the 49ers drafted a punter in Round 5. Bradley Pinion isn’t going anywhere.

Offensive linemen Ian Silberman and Trent Brown were both drafted late to supplement San Francisco’s O-line depth. Although Brown could easily emerge as the team’s starting right tackle in 2016 after a strong close to his rookie season.

More from Niner Noise

So there you have it — the full list of San Francisco’s draft selections and where they are now. And we can only hope the 49ers 2016 list of draftees will make a solid impact.

But part of the reason why the 49ers fell so hard from prominence was due to the large failures from the 2012 and 2013 draft classes. Looking back, it’s easy to connect the dots between the lack of impact players being able to step up following the mass exodus of starting talent in advance of the 2015 season.

Hopefully the 49ers are able to rebuild the organization from the ground up. This will take time, as few players are ready to make major contributions their rookie seasons.

Next: 10 Best, Worst Case Scenarios for the 49ers This Season

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.