Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: 10 worst NFL Draft picks of the decade

By Titus Briseno

Solomon Thomas of Stanford with Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell after being picked #3 overall by the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
Solomon Thomas of Stanford with Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell after being picked #3 overall by the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) /
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Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina
Marcus Lattimore #21 of the South Carolina Gamecocks (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Running Back Marcus Lattimore, Round 4, 2013 NFL Draft

Speaking of project picks, this might have been the biggest project of all. The 49ers used their Round 4 pick of the 2013 NFL Draft to grab a running back out of South Carolina, Marcus Lattimore.

In 2011, Lattimore tore his left ACL. He recovered and made his return in 2012. His junior was cut short when he suffered another injury, this time tearing his ACL, PCL and LCL in one of the most gruesome setbacks a player could endure.

Lattimore was an exciting prospect who had his best season as a freshman for the Gamecocks. He rushed for over 1,100 yards and 17 touchdowns during his first college season, totals that he was not able to match again because of injuries.

The project back never made it past the preseason with the 49ers. He spent the entire offseason his rookie year rehabbing his knee, but the pain and suffering were too much to continue. Lattimore later said, “I went out there and put a smile on my face live everything was alright. But it was hell. Every day.”

The Faithful and Gamecock fans will forever wonder what Lattimore could have been.