Redrafting the San Francisco 49ers’ horrible 2013 NFL Draft

What if the San Francisco 49ers could have a do-over for the 2013 NFL Draft? Well, Niner Noise explores the “what should have beens” from yet another failed class from former Niners general manager Trent Baalke.

It’s the NFL’s down time, and there isn’t much to talk about for the San Francisco 49ers aside from the never-ending projections and prediction pieces for the upcoming season.

So that leaves some room to get a little creative and to reminisce about the team’s past.

Part of that past includes former general manager Trent Baalke and a number of not-so-great NFL Draft classes.

While 2012 is widely viewed as his worst, the 2013 class wasn’t particularly better. In fact, Niner Noise explored this a little while ago. Part of the conclusion was Baalke’s failed efforts in both 2012 and 2013 made the massive team departures in 2015 all the more critical.

Simply put, the 49ers’ cupboard was bare and without the necessary stock to alleviate what was one of the worst offseasons in franchise history.

The lack of impact picks from 2013 hurt, and hurt bad.

Speaking of those picks:

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/9/2017.

So let’s play the roles of fantasy GM, with a little bit of Back to the Future mixed in, and go back in time to redraft San Francisco’s 2013 NFL Draft class, shall we?

Round 1, Pick No. 18: Offensive Lineman Kyle Long, Oregon

Original Pick: Safety Eric Reid

It’s important to remember the Niners traded up from No. 31 to No. 18 in Round 1 of the draft to select former LSU safety Eric Reid.

San Francisco 49ers

The move made perfect sense at the time. San Francisco let former safety Dashon Goldson walk via free agency, and Reid was going to be the hard-hitting defensive back set to replace him.

Reid produced Pro Bowl efforts his rookie season. But injuries and inconsistency has left the remainder of his tenure with the 49ers a little less than exemplary.

Instead of taking Reid, the Niners should have still traded up to No. 18 — sending off a third-round pick in the process — to acquire former Oregon offensive lineman Kyle Long at this spot.

Long is a three-time Pro Bowler with the Chicago Bears now, who was probably on a trajectory to earn his fourth before an injury cut his 2016 season short.

With hindsight being 20-20, one can only imagine the need the 49ers had to replace offensive guard Mike Iupati in 2015, when he left via free agency. Instead of a player like Long, the Niners had to rely on Jordan Devey. And they haven’t exactly found better-than-average guards ever since Iupati left.

Long over Reid likely would have meant the Niners would start former safety Craig Dahl, which creates some headaches.

But it all starts up front, right?

Round 2, Pick No. 40: Running Back Le’Veon Bell, Michigan State

Original Pick: EDGE Tank Carradine

Let me ask you a simple question — who would you rather have on the 49ers right now, Tank Carradine or Le’Veon Bell?

With a pick acquired from the Tennessee Titans, Trent Baalke tried to find a long-term replacement for an aging 3-4 defensive end, Justin Smith, by picking up the former Florida State pass-rusher, Carradine.

Carradine was coming off a collegiate injury though, marking the first time Baalke took a gamble on a player with such a risk. The idea was to let Carradine marinate, eventually turning him into a prolific pass-rushing force.

Four years, and only four sacks later, it hasn’t happened.

Meanwhile, Bell has been one of the most prolific running backs in the NFL. 2014 saw him hit 1,361 rushing yards en route to Pro Bowl honors and a first-team All-Pro accolade. And it isn’t as if the Niners didn’t have the need here.

While no one could have predicted then-49ers running back Frank Gore would continue his storybook career this far, San Francisco did have a need to replace him.

Bell would have been an amazing fit.

Round 2: Pick No. 61: Tight End Travis Kelce, Cincinnati

Original Pick: Tight End Vance McDonald (No. 55 Overall)

Here’s a thought that should make you cringe — the 49ers traded up to land former Rice tight end Vance McDonald, up from No. 61 at the tail end of Round 2.

Yes, the Niners had a need for a tight end that year. Delanie Walker had left via free agency, and San Francisco had to be thinking about a long-term replacement for the veteran, Vernon Davis. McDonald appeared to be that guy.

But with hindsight being what it is, the better option would have been for Trent Baalke to stay put, hold onto those extra picks and select former Cincinnati TE Travis Kelce.

McDonald has been known for injuries, inconsistency and poor hands ever since his drafting. Meanwhile, Kelce has been one of the most productive tight ends in the NFL over the last two seasons.

In 2015, Kelce made his first Pro Bowl. He backed it up last year with 1,125 receiving yards en route to another Pro Bowl, as well as a first-team All-Pro selection.

McDonald hasn’t come anywhere close.

Ouch.

Round 3, No. 93: NT Brandon Williams, Missouri Southern

Original Pick: EDGE Corey Lemonier (No. 88 Overall)

Here’s another one of Trent Baalke’s trade-ups that should make you cringe.

Baalke moved up from No. 93 overall to the 88th spot, sending off a seventh-round pick in the process, to land former Auburn pass-rusher Corey Lemonier.

Lemonier, and his one pass-rushing move, went bust in a hurry. He’s no longer with the team, needless to say, and never turned into an effective EDGE for San Francisco as it looked to find some sort of fill-in for the prolific, yet troubled, Aldon Smith.

Instead, the Niners would have been wise to stay put and land former Missouri Southern nose tackle Brandon Williams.

Williams has been a solid nose for the Baltimore Ravens, starting all but two games since taking over a more prominent role in 2014. Meanwhile, the 49ers were forced to rotate in effective-yet-oft-injured nose tackles Glenn Dorsey and Ian Williams over the past few years.

Neither are with the 49ers anymore, but Williams likely would have been a part of a defense that would have fared much better against the run the last couple of seasons.

Round 4, No. 109: Offensive Lineman David Bakhtiari, Colorado

Original Pick: Wide Receiver Quinton Patton (No. 128 Overall)

The 49ers would have had to trade up to make this deal. But for the pleasure of making it happen in revisionist fantasy, the Niners would send off their sixth-round pick (No. 173 overall — kept from not making the Vance McDonald trade) to land current Green Bay Packers tackle David Bakhtiari.

Bakhtiari, a Bay Area native, has been a full-time starter in Green Bay ever since he was drafted, missing only two games during his pro tenure.

Had the Niners selected him instead of wide receiver Quinton Patton, the eventual 2015 retirement of right tackle Anthony Davis wouldn’t have hurt so bad. Heck, it wouldn’t have hurt at all.

Hindsight tells all, and there’s no way general manager Trent Baalke could have known Davis’ intentions. Yet San Francisco had to be thinking of a possible long-term replacement for veteran left tackle Joe Staley or, at least, a solid swing tackle capable of backing up both positions.

The need for a young wideout at this point in the draft was apparent. But Patton never amounted to much outside of an OK third-tier receiver in San Francisco.

Round 4, Pick No. 131: Wide Receiver Kenny Stills, Oklahoma

Original Pick: Running Back Marcus Lattimore

I’ll be honest, I was stoked the 49ers selected former South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore at this point.

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At the time, Lattimore was going to be the understudy for Frank Gore as the rookie would rehabilitate his gruesome collegiate knee injury and work his way towards being Gore’s heir apparent in 2014 and beyond.

Of course, Lattimore retired before ever seeing an NFL snap.

But remember that wide receiver need the 49ers had? Remember how Quinton Patton was supposed to fill this void?

Well, current Miami Dolphins wideout Kenny Stills would have been a nice find. He might not have been able to contribute right away, and his numbers have surely been inflated from playing on more prolific offenses like the New Orleans Saints and Dolphins.

Yet consider San Francisco’s receiving needs in 2015 and 2016. They were huge, and Stills would have been a nice option to have instead of Lattimore.

Round 5, Pick No. 157 Overall: Defensive Back Micah Hyde, Iowa

Original Pick: Defensive Tackle Quinton Dial

First, let me preface this by saying defensive tackle Quinton Dial was one of the more productive pickups in the 2013 49ers draft class. He’s both versatile and reliable, and one can think the Niners defense would have been even worse over the past few years without Dial in the ranks.

But remember, the 49ers didn’t draft safety Eric Reid in this re-mock of 2013. They still need to address a void at free safety, and they could have done so by selecting former Iowa defensive back Micah Hyde at this spot.

Hyde entered the league as a cornerback, but the Packers elected to move him to safety the following season.

Had the Niners drafted him, he likely would have done the same, which would have meant Craig Dahl would get the 2013 start at free safety.

That would have probably hurt for a year, perhaps more, but Hyde would have been a solid late-round find for Trent Baalke.

Round 6, Pick No. 180: Running Back Latavius Murray, Central Florida

Original Pick: ILB Nick Moody

The 49ers have already found a future-featured running back at this point in the 2013 draft, Le’Veon Bell, but adding some late-round competition would have been nice.

What Trent Baalke originally did here was land former Florida State linebacker Nick Moody, who ended up playing mostly on San Francisco’s special teams unit for the better part of two seasons.

OK, fine. Special teamers are often found at this point in the draft, so the move made sense.

Yet the 49ers might have been better off landing a player like Central Florida’s Latavius Murray, who went on to have three effective seasons with the Oakland Raiders after missing his rookie year.

Why this matters is because the Niners were hurting for productive tailbacks in both 2015 and 2016, when now-No. 1 running back Carlos Hyde was dealing with a multitude of injuries.

Sure, the whole context would have been different had the Niners taken Bell. But at least Murray would have been a nice change-of-pace option.

Round 7, Pick No. 216: EDGE Armonty Bryant, East Central

Original Pick: Traded by the 49ers for Corey Lemonier

Without the trade-up for edge rusher Corey Lemonier, the 49ers would have had one more seventh-round draft pick to add to their roster.

This pick, No. 216, should then have been used to land former East Central EDGE Armonty Bryant, who has since worked as a semi-productive pass-rusher for both the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions the last four years.

In total, Bryant has netted 11.5 sacks over 36 games played.

The 49ers have lacked good pass-rushing depth the past few seasons, and a player like Bryant could have given San Francisco a nice rotational piece capable of putting pressure on opponents’ quarterbacks.

Round 7, Pick No. 237: Defensive Back Kemal Ishmael, Central Florida

Original Pick: Quarterback B.J. Daniels

NFL teams should draft a quarterback each year, given the importance of the position. And it made sense the 49ers selected a guy, B.J. Daniels, similar in skill set to then-starter Colin Kaepernick.

Daniels was intriguing, but he didn’t even land on a regular-season roster until 2015.

Had San Francisco passed on Daniels, a wise pickup would have been former Central Florida defensive back Kemal Ishmael.

Ishmael is built more like a safety than cornerback, which would have added to the Niners depth at the position. And he’s been a serviceable special teams player for the Atlanta Falcons ever since.

See, special teams are important.

Round 7, Pick No. 246: Center T.J. Johnson, South Carolina

Original Pick: Offensive Lineman Carter Bykowski

The 49ers were looking for a long-term replacement for veteran center Jonathan Goodwin, who eventually left the Niners after the 2013 season.

Fortunately, one was already on the roster — Daniel Kilgore.

But Kilgore’s injury history required someone to provide adequate backup services. And in 2014, that pick ended up being Marcus Martin in Round 3 of that year’s NFL Draft.

Yeah, that didn’t work out at all.

Had Trent Baalke known Martin would be a bust, he could have addressed this need by targeting former South Carolina offensive lineman T.J. Johnson, who posted a halfway-decent 69.4 overall grade last year, according to Pro Football Focus.

Much better than Martin’s 39.1 grade, for sure.

Round 7, Pick No. 252: Defensive Back Marcus Cooper, Rutgers

Original Pick: Defensive Back Marcus Cooper

Hey, a pick where Trent Baalke actually got something right.

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Well, sort of. Former Rutgers defensive back Marcus Cooper never made the 49ers’ 53-man roster his rookie season, instead landing with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013.

The only argument against Baalke here is he should have kept Cooper on the roster.

Sure, Cooper’s coverage skills have never turned into something Pro Bowl worthy. But he has been a bit of a ballhawk over his four years at the NFL level, logging seven interceptions, three of which were recorded in 2013.

San Francisco already had a decent crop of cornerbacks entering 2013, although Cooper would have been a nice contributor on both special teams and the depth chart that season.

Plus, his addition would have alleviated the need for Baalke to land a plethora of corners in the draft the following season. This would have, most likely, allowed the Niners’ former general manager to focus his efforts elsewhere.

And one can only think what he could/should have done with those picks, with the 2015 debacle less than a year away.

Next: Trent Baalke and the dismantling of a Super Bowl roster

Speaking of 2014, Niner Noise will revisit that draft and make our revisionist picks shortly. So stay tuned!