San Francisco 49ers: Reevaluating the 2011 NFL Draft, Five Years Later

Round 5, Pick No. 163: Daniel Kilgore, OL, Appalachian State

The 49ers had just lost David Baas in free agency, but they had also signed Jonathan Goodwin, so center wasn’t really a pressing issue. With Mike Iupati and Adam Snyder at guard, they didn’t really need depth there, either. That’s why it was something of a surprise when the 49ers traded a sixth- and seventh-round pick to go up and grab Daniel Kilgore in the fifth round.

Kilgore was definitely a developmental prospect—he needed a lot of technique work, but his strength and effort were very impressive. He was one of those late-round lottery tickets; you find a player with a skill you like, and try to build around that, correcting their flaws along the way.

Kilgore’s developed into a player the 49ers feel can start, and they hope to have him start at center this year. He may be being a bit oversold, however—he’s only started 10 games in his NFL career, as he had to work and develop his way into the starting lineup, and then missed the last half of 2014 and most of 2015 with a serious leg injury.

The team is hoping he does well, and when he’s been in the lineup he’s done well, but he’s yet to prove he can do it over a full season.

Still, even being on a roster five years later as a fifth-round pick is something to celebrate—even more so being a penciled in starter.

While other linemen like Brandon Fusco have had more success as fifth-round picks than Kilgore, and other players like Pernell McPhee, Byron Maxwell, Charles Clay, Dwayne Harris or Tyrod Taylor have provided more on-field value than Kilgore has to this point in his career, the fact that Kilgore’s still here and still contributing means there’s no way this can be considered a bad pick.

Grade: C

Next: Ronald Johnson