Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Top 20 NFL draft picks from former general manager Trent Baalke

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 20: San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke speaks to the media during a press conference where Chip Kelly was announced as the new head coach of the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on January 20, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 20: San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke speaks to the media during a press conference where Chip Kelly was announced as the new head coach of the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on January 20, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 25: Eric Reid (C) of the LSU Tigers holds his daughter Leilani as they stand with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as they hold up a jersey on stage after Reid was picked #18 overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 25, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 25: Eric Reid (C) of the LSU Tigers holds his daughter Leilani as they stand with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as they hold up a jersey on stage after Reid was picked #18 overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 25, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

Niner Noise takes a look back at the San Francisco 49ers’ NFL Draft history under former general manager Trent Baalke and compiles the 20 best picks from his tenure.

Former San Francisco 49ers general manager certainly received his fair share of criticism for how far the team had fallen in recent years, leading up to his eventual firing in January of 2017.

Baalke had more than a few flaws. He avoided top-tier wide receivers in early rounds, overly spent draft capital on defensive backs and used far too many picks on injured players, who never panned out at the NFL level.

Those reasons, and more, are why Baalke is no longer employed with the Niners.

Yet Baalke did have his fair share of good selections. Officially, he took over as general manager in 2011. But when former GM Scot McCloughan was relieved of duties the previous year, Baalke was tasked with handling San Francisco’s efforts in the 2010 NFL Draft.

So, from 2010 through 2016, let’s look back at the best of Baalke’s draft picks. Players are ranked based off a mix of stats, Pro Bowl/All-Pro selections, value, tenure and general impact.

Here are the top 20.