The San Francisco 49ers have once again seen their NFL Draft class get lambasted by analysts, and many believed that John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan may have overdrafted many of their top rookies.
Their class, led by Ole Miss receiver De'Zhaun Stribling in the second round, Texas Tech pass-rusher Romello Height at the beginning of the third round, and Indiana running back Kaelon Black at the end of the third round, had executives across the league shaking their heads.
According to FanSided's Jason La Canfora, multiple executives around the NFL are in complete disbelief in Lynch and Shanahan going so against the grain in order to land some playmakers.
"They like to stretch for guys," the GM said. "I don’t get it." Another GM believes that Lynch set himself up for a grilling from draft analysts in the media. "Lynch is starting to get called out by you guys (the media) for going off the grid?" the executive said. "I thought they had a weird draft, too. We really didn't love a lot of what they did."
NFL executives bash 49ers after alleged draft reaches
Stribling is considered by many to be the most egregious of the picks due to the value of the No. 33 pick being used to select him. While he is a very impressive athlete with the ball in his hands, it it fair to wonder if there may have been receivers with a higher ceiling available at this point?
Height was considered decent value at the beginning of the third round, but with a smaller frame, there are questions about his ability to set the edge. Black, who split carries with UDFA Roman Hemby in college, could join the Trey Sermon and Tyrion Davis-Price graveyard of 49ers running backs picked high that never contribute.
Day 3 was a bit better for the consensus fans, as Okahoma defensive tackle Gracen Halton was considered a solid selection by many at the beginning of the fourth round, and Washington cornerback Ephesians Prysock capped off another early Day 3 steal.
However, the premium capital doesn't seem to be spent wisely.
The 49ers will likely be one of the best teams in the NFC again, and it seems like Stribling and Height will be impactful players as rookies, but San Francisco's inability to replenish the depth chart with elite talent in the draft may put a hard cap on their potential.
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