10 players 49ers sorely wish they drafted in 2022 but didn’t
By Peter Panacy
49ers missed-opportunity No. 1: Safety Jaquan Brisker, Penn State
Every year, there are Round 1-caliber prospects who inevitably wind up slipping into Round 2, sometimes even further.
Regardless, it was a bit of a surprise to see Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker continuing to fall after he wasn’t selected towards the tail end of the first round. And with each passing selection on day two of the draft, San Francisco fans had to wonder whether or not he’d ultimately be available at No. 61 overall.
Well, the Chicago Bears put an end to those hopes by grabbing Brisker at No. 48 overall. It’s also not likely Brisker would have lasted much longer than that anyway.
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In all honesty, the 49ers’ hopes of grabbing Brisker would have had to involve a trade-up of some kind, perhaps shipping off one of those two third-round selections in addition to some day-three picks to get into Brisker’s eventual drafting range.
While the Niners sure should be happy with Drake Jackson and a reinforced pass rush, the thought of adding a playmaker like Brisker would have helped turn their defense into an awfully well-rounded unit at all three levels.
Perhaps San Francisco could have been a bit more aggressive here, but it wasn’t.