SF 49ers: Grading all 4 of John Lynch’s NFL Draft classes

SF 49ers 2019 Draft Class

Following the ACL injury to Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 3, the SF 49ers floundered and fumbled their way to the second-overall pick the following year. The hole on the roster was massive and obvious, and the Niners knew what they had to do to to set the final pieces for a strong 2019 season.

It is worth noting grading the 2019 class is very fluid given how all these players are just wrapping up their second season in the NFL. This grade can majorly change in two years.

Round 1, Pick 2: DE Nick Bosa

Notable Players drafted afterwards: DE Josh Allen, DT Quinnen Williams, DE Brian Burns

Entering the draft, it was obvious the SF 49ers had a major Nick Bosa-sized hole on their defensive line. They desperately needed a bookend rusher who could unlock their anemic pass rush.

So, when the Arizona Cardinals drafted quarterback Kyler Murray to start a new era of offense under head coach Kliff Kingsbury, the SF 49ers gladly scooped up the edge rusher.

In his rookie year, Bosa was a top-10 EDGE. Not of his rookie class, but of the entire league. He commanded double teams and chips near the end of his rookie campaign. He was, without question, the best defensive lineman on the SF 49ers. His torn ACLin  Week 2 versus the NY Jets in 2020 was a fluke injury, but it does re-raise perhaps the only concern with Bosa heading into the draft: his health.

A grade based on one season of play should be taken with mountains of salt, but everything we’ve seen so far paints a picture of a franchise cornerstone.

Grade: A+

Round 2, Pick 36: WR Deebo Samuel

Notable players drafted afterwards: OL Dalton Risner, WR A.J. Brown, WR D.K. Metcalf, S Juan Thornhill

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel also had injury concerns his second year, another issue given how violent and physical his play has been. However, it is important to remember how good and unique Samuel is. A running back in a wide receiver’s body, Samuel combines violent finishes with savvy route-running to be a multi-faceted threat for the SF 49ers. His ability on deep passes to get up and grab the ball should also be noted, though it has been rarely used in his two years in the NFL.

The biggest issue with Samuel’s selection is health and the level of the receivers drafted after him. Both Ole Miss teammates, A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf, have been healthier and therefore more productive than Samuel.

While Metcalf may not have been what Kyle Shanahan was looking for, Brown seems to be able to do what Samuel does, so in that way the pick looks a little worse in hindsight.

However, the SF 49ers would make this pick again if they could.

Grade: B+

Round 3, Pick 67: WR Jalen Hurd

Notable players drafted afterwards: WR Terry McLaurin, DE Chase Winovich

The selection of converted wide receiver Jalen Hurd is a story of “what if?”.

What if Metcalf fell three more spots where Shanahan reportedly was interested in him? What if Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson wasn’t taken one spot ahead?

And perhaps most importantly, what if Hurd wasn’t bit by the injury bug?

The idea of Hurd is a particularly powerful one: a player who was a running back now playing wide receiver built with the size of a tight end. The perfect H-back who would maximize the idea of positional flexibility and allow the SF 49ers to run a positionless offense, something they’ve already done in limited opportunities.

However, the idea of Hurd isn’t what the Niners got. They got a receiver who hasn’t stayed healthy his first two seasons.

Hopefully, Hurd can come back and showcase the talent and flexibility that made him go so high, but until he does, it’s an automatic F.

Grade: F

Round 4, Pick 110: P Mitch Wishnowsky

Mitch Wishnowsky is a fine punter, and after having seen fellow punter Michael Dickson be a legitimate weapon for the Seahawks a year ago, it made sense to select a punter with talent.

But a fourth-round pick for a punter?

This is the definition of a failure of a draft pick, no matter how well Wishnowsky plays. Unless he becomes the greatest punter of all time, it would be a bad draft pick, and even if he did become the GOAT of punters, it’s still a hopeless understanding of positional value.

Grade: F

Round 5, Pick 148: LB Dre Greenlaw

In typical SF 49ers fashion under Shanahan and John Lynch, they correct a mistake in the mid-rounds, such as selecting a punter before the sixth round, with a savvy smart decision in the later rounds. Dre Greenlaw is much of the same mold that Fred Warner was, a college safety who has the physical capabilities to play linebacker.

Though Greenlaw lacks the same instincts Warner has at the respective stages of their careers, and Greenlaw has had a slight step back this year as he seems to get lost in space, he is also a competent linebacker who has tremendous speed and the capacity to be a matchup problem.

He made one of the biggest plays of the SF 49ers’ 2019 season, and for a fifth-round pick, you can’t ask for much more.

Grade: A

Round 6, Pick 176: TE Kaden Smith

Kaden Smith has played relatively well in his NFL career, carving out a solid role as a competent backup rotational tight end. He just didn’t do it for the SF 49ers.

Off the roster early in his career, this pick was a waste.

Grade: F

Round 6, Pick 183: OT Justin Skule

Justin Skule is not a starter-quality lineman. He’s gotten ample opportunity to showcase his ability, and time after time he has struggled. He is, however, a perfectly valid depth piece for a roster, who if necessary, can play maybe a game at a competent level.

Not a good pick by far. But at this stage of the draft, a depth piece like this is good enough.

Grade: C

Round 6, Pick 198: CB Tim Harris

Tim Harris was a developmental cornerback selection who was likely going to be cut before he was stashed on season-ending IR. He hasn’t played nearly enough to warrant any true grade, so there’s nothing to really grade him off of.

For now, it’s an F, but this grade is very fluid and could easily change in the future.

Grade: F

Notable Undrafted Free Agents: DT Kevin Givens, LB Azeez Al-Shaair

Both Kevin Givens and Azeez Al-Shaair are good depth players with both of them flashing enough potential to become competent starters in the future, Al-Shaair especially.

Again, to get any players with decent potential and production is an A-level haul from the undrafted free agent selection, although this group lacks the punch of the previous hauls.

Grade: B-

Overall Draft Grade

The SF 49ers walked away with a superstar at a cornerstone position, a competent building block with star potential who has actualized on that potential to some degree at wide receiver, a starting linebacker and a punter.

What makes this draft different from 2017 and 2018 is where they missed versus where they hit. Once players make the team, the draft position shouldn’t matter too much in evaluating them. They’re just competing. But it is more important to hit up top than to pull a diamond in the rough, so even though the three drafts might have produced the same quality of players, 2019 gets a good grade.

For now.

A few misses push down the stock a bit, but it’s still a very good performance.