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 ORLEANS, LA – NOVEMBER 25: Quarterback Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints at The Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 25, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – NOVEMBER 25: Quarterback Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints at The Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 25, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

I’m sure there are going to be those who argue former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick shouldn’t be ranked this high.

OK, fine. But first, put aside all the social and political arguments aside for a bit. This ranking has nothing to do with Kaepernick’s stances there. Or yours.

And let’s also try to detract ourselves from Kap’s 2014 and 2015 campaigns, neither of which were particularly good, and recall the impact he had for San Francisco the previous two years. You know, when the Niners were perennial Super Bowl contenders?

Yes, Kaepernick had a great team surrounding him — one that wasn’t falling apart his final two-plus years with the franchise.

But the former 49ers quarterback was one of the young stars on the rise in the NFL. You can’t argue how many pundits and analyst sang his praises.

If you try to, just watch this:

Out of all the quarterbacks San Francisco employed during Baalke’s tenure, Kaepernick certainly enjoyed the most success and was a key component in carrying his team deep into the playoffs in consecutive years.

Yeah, Kap deserves to be this high.