10 superstars 49ers could have drafted but unwisely didn’t

49ers 2018 draft re-do

Actual pick: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame – Rd 1, Pick 9

New pick: Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama – Rd 1, Pick 11 (Miami)

The origin of this project was to look for superstars whom the 49ers missed out on in the draft. So while drafting Notre Dame offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey was a reasonable selection for the Niners in 2018, there’s little doubt they missed out on a star in Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

While Fitzpatrick didn’t last long in Miami due to a firesale that took place during the Dolphins’ awful 2019 season, he showed from the outset what made him a special player on the back end of a defense that struggled in his rookie season.

Miami traded him to Pittsburgh along with two draft picks (a 2020 fourth-rounder and a 2021 seventh rounder) in September of 2020 for a 2020 first-round pick, a conditional fifth-round pick in that same year, and a conditional 2021 sixth-round selection.

It was a bizarre move at the time, but even more so since Fitzpatrick was both an All-Pro and a Pro Bowler in 2019 and 2020 with the Steelers and recently signed a four-year contract extension worth up to $72.98 million which included $36 million in guaranteed money and a $17.5 million signing bonus to stay in Pittsburgh until 2026.

Much like pairing Travis Kelce and George Kittle at tight end, the thought of having Fitzpatrick next to Jimmie Ward at the safety positions would have been tantalizing.

McGlinchey has been decent as the 49ers’ right tackle, but he missed half of the season in 2021 due to a torn quadriceps injury that forced him to have surgery. While the team did exercise his fifth-year option, that is no guarantee he’ll be on the team after 2022.

Fitzpatrick, on the other hand, appears to have been a great player no matter where he ended up.