Ranking the 49ers' last 10 first-round draft picks from worst to best

No. 8: OL Joshua Garnett (2016)

The 49ers selected guard Joshua Garnett with their first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Coming off of a solid collegiate career at Stanford, it was hoped that Garnett could be a solid contributor on the O-Line for some time.

Things did not pan out that way.

Unfortunately, Garnett only ended up playing in 22 games as a 49er. He played in 15 games his rookie season but then had knee surgery prior to 2017 which meant he missed that entire season. He was back in time for the start of the 2018 season, but injuries meant he only played in seven games.

The 49ers wound up releasing him in 2019 after declining his fifth-year option.

Garnett played three games for Washington in 2020, but that was it as he retired shortly thereafter.

Garnett just got bad luck with injuries, so we were never able to see his full potential in the league. But the fact that he played so little for the team is what makes him one of the worst first-round picks of the last 10.

The next former first-round pick was actually a 49er until he departed in free agency this offseason.