Ranking the 49ers' last 10 first-round draft picks from worst to best
The San Francisco 49ers will have their first draft pick in the first round of an NFL Draft since 2021 this season.
They traded away both their 2022 and 2023 picks in order to move up and select quarterback Trey Lance at No. 3 overall in the 2021 draft.
Needless to say that move did not pan out.
Ranking the 49ers' last 10 first-round NFL Draft picks from worst to best
However, some of their other picks throughout the years have turned out better than that one.
Overall, under head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, the Niners have done a good job drafting talent. They have done some of their better work later in the draft with their selections of players like tight end George Kittle and linebacker Dre Greenlaw who were both fifth-round selections.
Of course, quarterback Brock Purdy wound up being a pretty good selection as the last pick of the 2022 draft.
It is always a bit of a craps shoot with drafting players. Very rarely are there players who come along who are 100% surefire bets to be successful NFL players. All a team can do is scout to the best of its ability and go off the best information that they have before making a selection.
The 49ers have done a fairly good job of that over the years with many of their legendary players from both the past and present being players who were drafted by the organization. Players like Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, and Patrick Willis were all taken in the first round.
It remains to be seen what direction the Niners will go in with this year's first-round selection. It seems like they could go with an offensive lineman as that is an area that needs to be addressed. The defense is another area that can improve going into next season.
Like any draft, there will be hidden gems, busts, and everything in between. With the NFL Draft taking place from April 25 through 27 later this month, there is no better time than now to take a look at the last 10 first-round picks by San Francisco, ranked from worst to best.
The first pick on the list was actually made during the first draft under Shanahan and Lynch.