San Francisco 49ers: Ranking 5 worst first-round NFL Draft picks since 2010
By Peter Panacy
The San Francisco 49ers had both hits and misses in the NFL Draft since 2010, and Niner Noise ranks out the five worst first-round selections from the previous decade.
On a positive note, the San Francisco 49ers mostly made excellent use of their first-round NFL Draft selections dating back to 2010.
In 2019, for example, the Niners struck gold by nabbing EDGE Nick Bosa, widely viewed as the top prospect in that year’s draft, at No. 2 overall after the Arizona Cardinals elected to grab quarterback Kyler Murray with the first pick.
Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, who now finds himself with the Indianapolis Colts, provided four excellent years to San Francisco’s defense. And while it took a little while to come on, defensive back Jimmie Ward (2014) and defensive end Arik Armstead (2015) both turned into solid players as of late.
Yet the 49ers, split between former and current general managers, Trent Baalke and John Lynch, have also endured their share of bad picks.
In fairness, all GMs make mistakes. So this isn’t necessarily an indictment against Lynch, particularly. Rather just a ranking of the five worst first-round selections the Niners have made since 2010.
No. 5: Offensive Tackle Anthony Davis
Drafted by 49ers 11th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft
It’s a little unfair to put former offensive lineman Anthony Davis, whom the 49ers grabbed a number of picks before fellow lineman Mike Iupati in the 2010 draft, on this list. After all, at least for four seasons, Davis was a regular mainstay along a San Francisco offensive line, which headlined a perennial Super Bowl contender between 2011 and 2014.
Yet the Niners ultimately decided to move on from Iuptai in 2015 while holding onto Davis, only to see Davis “temporarily” retire later that year.
It put San Francisco in quite the bind, and efforts to replace him didn’t work out well at all.
Sure, Davis came back from retirement for a mere one game in 2016, then retired again.
Those four good seasons from Davis keep him from being ranked higher on this list. But saying the 49ers got an excellent return on their investment here is an overstatement.