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.
No. 10: LB Reuben Foster (2017)
The 2017 NFL Draft saw the 49ers have two first-round picks. The first one they used at No. 3 overall on Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, while the second they used at No. 31 overall to select linebacker Reuben Foster.
Foster was a standout player at the University of Alabama and even won the Butkus Award, given to the best linebacker in college football. His talent as a player was never in doubt, but his conduct off the field was something that was very much in question.
Prior to the draft, Foster got into an argument with a student medical worker at the NFL Combine which led to him being sent home before meeting with teams. Then, Foster tested positive for drugs when he took a drug test. Despite this, John Lynch and the 49ers were comfortable taking him in the first round despte these question marks.
After 2017, it seemed like a wise gamble as Foster played in 10 games for San Francisco and had 72 tackles for the team. However, issues crept up again in the summer of 2018 when Foster was suspended for two games for a weapons and drug offense that violated the NFL's personal conduct policy.
He played in six games for the 49ers in 2018 before he was arrested for domestic violence and was subsequently released by San Francisco in November of that year. It was an embarrassing moment for the Shanahan-Lynch regime as well as CEO Jed York, who had promised that the team would "win with class" following the firing of former head coach Jim Harbaugh in 2015.
Foster has never played in the NFL again, although he was signed by Washington in 2019 and is currently playing in the UFL.
Despite his promise, his off-the-field issues kept showing up time and time again. It was a wasted pick and showed that the team overestimated their ability to get Foster on the right track.
That is why he is the worst first-round pick for the 49ers of their last 10.
The second worst pick did not have any off-the-field issues, but the Niners gave up way too much to get him, and he ended up being much worse than they anticipated.
No. 9: QB Trey Lance (2021)
In arguably the worst trade in franchise history, the 49ers traded up in the 2021 NFL Draft so they would have the thirrd overall pick.
With that pick, they selected Trey Lance.
While his collegiate career was incredibly brief, the hope was that his athleticism and speed would allow him to be successful in the NFL.
That is not how things panned out.
Lance was unable to beat out Jimmy Garoppolo for a starting quarterback job in 2021 even though Garoppolo was banged up at times and struggled when he was on the field. The Niners committed to Lance as their starting quarterback ahead of the 2022 season, but he broke his ankle in the second game of the year and never played in another regular-season game for San Francisco.
Brock Purdy emerged as the future at the quarterback position, and he has not looked back. If Purdy had struggled or looked bad when he had to fill in after the injury to Garoppolo in 2022, perhaps Lance would still be on the 49ers.
As things ended up, Purdy made it clear that he was the superior quarterback, and the 49ers wound up trading Lance to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick. It was a pretty colossal mistake by the 49ers, but the fact that they were able to find their quarterback of the future the following year with the last pick of the draft almost negated this gaffe.
It remains to be seen what Lance's future in the NFL will hold. He has only played in eight regular-season NFL games in his career. He currently sits at No. 3 on the depth chart in Dallas, and it is unclear when (or if) he will get a chance to start in the NFL. He will go down as one of the worst draft selections in Niners history, especially considering what they had to give up to get him.
The next draft pick is no longer on the 49ers and was a pretty big disappointment for the team on the offensive line.
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.
No. 7: DL Javon Kinlaw (2020)
The 49ers selected defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw in the 2020 NFL Draft as a replacement for their star defensive lineman, DeForest Buckner, whom they traded away in the offseason ostensibly to save money.
Kinlaw did not end up being Buckner 2.0.
He had a decent rookie campaign in which he started 12 games and had 1.5 sacks with 33 tackles and even a pick-six. It was by no means phenomenal, but in the strange Covid year it seemed like he could blossom in year two.
Unfortunately, injuries limited Kinlaw to just four games in 2021. Then, 2022 saw him limited to just six regular-season games while also playing in the postseason. Because of his injuries, the 49ers declined his fifth-year option ahead of 2023, which meant he would be a free agent after the season.
Kinlaw had his best season as a Niner in 2023. He played in all 17 games and recorded 3.5 sacks along with 25 tackles. He played quite a bit due to injuries to Arik Armstead and finally looked closer to the version of himself the 49ers hoped they had drafted.
He ended up being signed by the New York Jets in the offseason, though, so we will see if he can build upon his solid 2023. However, his Niner career will be characterized by disappointment especially since he was supposed to replace Buckner.
The next pick we will take a look at is another defensive lineman who did not live up to expectations.
No. 6: DL Solomon Thomas (2017)
The first pick the 49ers made under Lynch and Shanahan was the Stanford product Solomon Thomas. Thomas had a great career for the Stanford Cardinal, and it seemed like he was a surefire pick for the Niners as they were looking to rebuild amid that 2017 offseason.
Unfortunately, Thomas just did not pan out as they thought as his starting role dwindled each year. By 2019, he only started in three games for the team. In 2020, an ACL tear effectively ended his Niner career. By the end of his San Francisco tenure, he had six sacks and 95 tackles, a far cry from what was expected when he was selected third overall.
He signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 and had a solid year before reuniting with former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh on the Jets. He had a very solid 2023 in which he had a career-high five sacks. He re-signed with the Jets this offseason.
While things didn't quite work out with the 49ers, Thomas has always seemed like a stand-up guy, so it is great to see him still doing well.
The next pick was meant to solidify the offensive line for the team.
No. 5: OL Mike McGlinchey (2018)
The 49ers drafted offensive lineman Mike McGlinchey in 2018 out of Notre Dame with the ninth overall pick. McGlinchey was a fairly solid contributor, although he may not have reached the expectations many fans had for him.
He played for five seasons with the Niners and was pretty consistently in the lineup. However, he left the team in free agency last offseason and signed a big contract with the Denver Broncos. While the Niners would have liked to keep him probably, it seems that they did not want to match the five-year $87.5 million offer the Broncos gave.
McGlinchey ended up being a better selection than Joshua Garnett as they at least got decent value for him for five seasons. He cannot be called a bust by any means, but he did not end up being Joe Staley 2.0 as some fans may have hoped.
The next pick was a great 49er but was traded in one of the most controversial moves of the current regime.
No. 4: DL DeForest Buckner (2016)
Taken with the seventh overall pick in the NFL Draft in 2016 by the 49ers, DeForest Buckner established himself as a great defensive lineman in San Francisco. He had 12 sacks in 2018, which was his best season as a pro so far.
However, after 2019, the 49ers traded Buckner to the Colts in exchange for their first-round pick which they used to select Javon Kinlaw, who we already know was unable to replace Buckner's productivity.
At the time, the thinking was that the Niners would be unable to afford both Buckner and Arik Armstead, so they had to choose which one they wanted to commit to longer term while trading the other. Debate on this decision among fans will never cease. Armstead had solid years since then, but there will always be that "what if?" on whether they had kept Buckner.
Nonetheless, Buckner had four good years with the Niners before he was traded. If he had not been traded, perhaps he would be higher on the list.
The next player on the list is currently a 49er but may be traded according to current rumors.
No. 3: WR Brandon Aiyuk (2020)
The 49ers have done a pretty good job of drafting wide receivers recently. Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, and Brandon Aiyuk were all players drafted by San Francisco.
The only one of these who was taken in the first round was Aiyuk.
The 49ers got Aiyuk with the 25th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Of course, much of Aiyuk's early tenure in San Francisco was marred by reports that he was in Kyle Shanahan's proverbial "doghouse" because he was not getting a lot of targets.
Eventually, Aiyuk became an essential part of the offense.
Last season, he seemed to step up his game even further as he and Brock Purdy seemed to establish a good connection. In 2023, Aiyuk had over 1,300 receiving yard, seven touchdown catches, and roughly 18 yards per reception.
While it remains unclear what Aiyuk's future will be with the Niners, it is clear that he is a huge part of their offense. They would not be able to easily replace him on the field, so the 49ers should think long and hard before trading him.
The next player on this list just ceased being a 49er after being the longest-tenured player on the team.
No. 2: DT Arik Armstead (2015)
While things ended a bit bitterly with the 49ers releasing defensive lineman Arik Armstead after he refused to take a pay cut, he was still an outstanding 49er. He was a steady presence on defense for the team even though he battled injuries throughout his career.
The Niners selected Armstead with the 17th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Oregon. While there was a time when it seemed like Armstead could be a bust due to frequent injury, by 2018, he began to stay on the field and be a solid contributor.
Ultimately, the Niners decided to give him the big pay day over DeForest Buckner following the 2019 season. The first two years of that deal, Armstead played in every game, but the last two seasons, the injuries began to pile up again as he only played in 21 regular-season games out of 34 over the last two years.
He played through multiple injuries throughout the 2023 season, which speaks to his toughness as an athlete and his competitive drive. He was also phenomenal off the field as he did a lot of community work in the Bay Area and was a consistent Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee.
He may no longer be a 49er, but the 49ers did a pretty good job selecting him all those years ago.
The final player on this list is also a defensive lineman who was a pretty good investment.
No. 1: DL Nick Bosa
In a way, the nightmare that was the 2018 season for the 49ers was a blessing in disguise as it allowed the team to select edge Nick Bosa with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 draft. Bosa completely transformed the defensive line and was a huge reason why the 49ers made it to the Super Bowl in his rookie season.
He is now the highest-paid defensive player in the entire NFL, which he earned in 2021 and 2022 with his phenomenal seasons where he had 15.5 and 18.5 sacks, respectively. He had only 10.5 sacks last year, which is a down year by his standards but a great one for most players.
He has also become a leader on the team over the years, growing from the fairly mute type to becoming more vocal and even giving talks to the team prior to every game.
In many ways, the 49ers probably do not have the success they've had over the last five seasons without Bosa. He came in and added that missing link to make their defense truly great. We can only hope he keeps it up for many years to come.
Those were the last 10 first-round picks by the 49ers.