49ers NFL Draft: 10 high-profile picks who never panned out

49ers Linebacker Chris Borland, Wisconsin

Selected No. 77 Overall in the 2014 NFL Draft

Up to this point, each former San Francisco draftee named simply didn’t have careers that were overly impressive up to the point where either he or the team wanted to move on.

This certainly wasn’t the case with the 49ers’ third-round pick from the 2014 NFL Draft, Wisconsin linebacker Chris Borland, who was projected as being too short and small (6-foot-0 and 248 pounds) to make a sizable difference on anything but special teams at the pro level.

But when linebacker NaVorro Bowman suffered a serious knee injury the previous January during the playoffs, Borland suddenly found himself featured in a prominent role and quickly endeared himself to the NFL ranks as a defensive playmaker always around the ball.

Borland’s rookie season was nothing short of impressive, him racking up 108 tackles, a sack, four passes defended and two interceptions as the Niners looked to make up for Bowman’s absence. And with fellow linebacker Patrick Willis aging and destined to retire soon, although no one knew it at the time, Borland would have been a perfect transition player.

Except Borland also retired the following offseason, citing concern over head injuries and a desire to not subject his body any further to the rigors of life at the pro level.

Fans can only wonder what could have been if Borland elected to stick with it, potentially being a far-above-average defensive player and a potential cornerstone of San Francisco’s defense.

Too bad it never worked out that way.