Ranking SF 49ers 10 worst NFL Draft picks by John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: SF 49ers Wide Receiver Jalen Hurd
Selected No. 67 Overall in the 2019 NFL Draft
At least Dante Pettis got to see the field and make an impact. The same can’t be said of wide receiver Jalen Hurd, who ranks one spot ahead of Pettis on this list.
Granted, it’s not all Hurd’s fault. The 6-foot-4 converted collegiate running back was supposed to be a mismatch weapon for Kyle Shanahan and the Niners offense, and there are likely still some fans who believe Hurd can reach that now-distant goal.
Except for Hurd, who did flash his rookie preseason, suffered a serious back injury before the regular season even began and then dealt with an ACL tear entering 2020.
To date, Hurd has yet to step on the field for a regular-season snap.
While the book isn’t entirely closed on Hurd just yet, the chances of him making an impact are slim. For starters, he only played wide receiver for just one year in college, so he’s still new to the position. On top of that, factoring into San Francisco’s offensive plans after missing back-to-back years with injuries won’t help matters either.
It’s hard to say Hurd was a complete bust. But if Shanahan and John Lynch could go back in time, there’s no doubting they’d want to undo this Round 3 selection and instead go with someone else who would have stayed healthy enough to contribute.