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

49ers 2015 draft re-do

Actual pick: DeAndre Smelter, WR, Georgia Tech – Rd 4, Pick 132

New pick: Stefon Diggs, WR, Maryland – Rd 5, Pick 146 (Minnesota)

Another like-for-like pick, another massive swing-and-miss for San Francisco’s front office.

I went a little further from the pick than others so far, mostly because the players taken directly after the Niners took DeAndre Smelter out of Georgia Tech are not all that troublesome.

Once again, the idea was correct, with MichaelCrabtree having left town and even if you factor in my adding Jarvis Landry to the mix from the 2014 redraft, the 49ers’ wide receiver group in 2015 was dire.

Anquan Boldin led the team in receptions with 60 for 789 yards, followed by free-agent signee Torrey Smith’s 33 for 663, Quinton Patton’s 30 for 394, and Vance McDonald’s 25 for 326, with Vernon Davis missing most of the season. The team’s fifth-leading receiver was running back Shaun Draughn, who played in just six games.

So, yes, adding wide receiver talent was the right move, but Smelter was not the guy. The former Yellow Jacket managed just one catch for the 49ers and it didn’t come until 2016. That’s right. As bad as the receiving situation was in 2015, the fourth-round pick didn’t even make the roster as a rookie due to a non-football injury. Smelter played in just two games for San Francisco in 2016 before being waived.

It’s easy to understand why Stefon Diggs, who went to the Vikings 14 picks later, would have made a lot more sense at No. 132.

Diggs made an immediate impact on that Minnesota team, pulling in 52 receptions for 720 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games as a rookie before four more often-excellent seasons as a Viking led to a trade to Buffalo in 2020.

The former Maryland standout has totaled more than 1,000 receiving yards for four straight seasons, including 1,535 on 127 catches in his first season as a Bill.

Smelter over Diggs is a big miss for the 49ers, especially given how much they needed an immediate impact player next to Boldin that year.