Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Regrading the 2015 NFL Draft class three years later

By Peter Panacy

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 22: Defensive lineman Arik Armstead of Oregon competes during the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 22, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 22: Defensive lineman Arik Armstead of Oregon competes during the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 22, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 11: Robby Anderson #11 of the New York Jets is hit by Jaquiski Tartt #29 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 11: Robby Anderson #11 of the New York Jets is hit by Jaquiski Tartt #29 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Niner Noise looks back at the San Francisco 49ers’ NFL Draft class of 2015 and regrades the efforts from former general manager Trent Baalke.

The 2018 NFL Draft just wrapped up, and the San Francisco 49ers are hoping the latest crop of rookies will be the next in line to make a noteworthy impact for a franchise apparently on the rise.

Of course, as things go, there are grades assigned. It’s a bit silly, as none of these prospects have ever taken a meaningful snap at the NFL level. But being in the world of discussing sports, we all have to do it.

However, many subscribe to the notion you need three years to truly evaluate a drafted player/NFL Draft class.

If that’s the case, we should be looking at 2015 — a year in which the Niners took a dramatic fall from perennial Super Bowl contention to the low years between former head coach Jim Harbaugh and head coach Kyle Shanahan today.

Yes, this was yet another draft class from then-general manager Trent Baalke. And if you forgot, here it is:

2015 49ers Drafted Players Table
Rnd Player Pick Pos Yrs From To St G College/Univ
1 Arik Armstead 17 DT 3 2015 2017 0 30 Oregon
2 Jaquiski Tartt 46 SS 3 2015 2017 1 39 Samford
3 Eli Harold 79 OLB 3 2015 2017 2 48 Virginia
4 Blake Bell 117 TE 3 2015 2017 0 40 Oklahoma
4 Mike Davis 126 RB 3 2015 2017 0 20 South Carolina
4 DeAndre Smelter 132 WR 1 2016 2016 0 2 Georgia Tech
5 Bradley Pinion 165 P 3 2015 2017 3 48 Clemson
6 Ian Silberman 190 G 1 2015 2015 0 1 Boston Col.
7 Trenton Brown 244 G 3 2015 2017 2 32 Florida
7 Rory ‘Busta’ Anderson 254 TE 0 South Carolina

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/3/2018.

With three years now in the books, and a whole new regime in place, let’s look back and regrade Baalke’s efforts using that same three-year scale. And we’ll apply a grade curve, based on expectation levels for each round.

Starting off with the Niners’ first pick that year, defensive tackle Arik Armstead.