Aside from one player, the 49ers horribly whiffed in the 2022 NFL Draft, and Drake Jackson being waived is yet another example of this.
Quarterback Brock Purdy has yet one more argument in his favor as he continues to negotiate a contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers.
He was the only member of the Niners' 2022 NFL Draft class who achieved any sort of success. Period.
San Francisco's 2022 class was pretty horrific, and it just took yet another blow in light of the 49ers waiving their top pick from that year's group, defensive end Drake Jackson, after failing a physical.
News of the transaction was first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The Niners selected Jackson in Round 2, No. 61 overall, after trading away their first-round pick for that year in the 2021 deal to move up and select quarterback Trey Lance.
The former USC Trojan had modest success his rookie season, which included swatting down eight passes at the line of scrimmage and registering three sacks. But a lack of conditioning led to him being a regular inactive late that year and into the playoffs.
A hot start in 2023 resulted in three sacks in Week 1 over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he again slumped down the stretch and recorded precisely zero quarterback takedowns thereafter before suffering a season-ending knee injury, one that kept him fully off the field in 2024.
San Francisco used its first pick in the 2025 draft on Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams, suggesting it had pretty much given up on Jackson as an impactful option, to which he seemingly recognized in an attempt-to-bounce-back social media post, recently.
Poised to hit free agency, Jackson being let go is yet another blow to what's turned into a disastrous 2022 draft class for the 49ers.
Drake Jackson's departure highlights 49ers' failures in 2022 NFL Draft
In case you want to recall:
- DE Drake Jackson (USC), Round 2
- RB Tyrion Davis-Price (LSU), Round 3
- WR Danny Gray (SMU), Round 3
- OL Spencer Burford (UTSA), Round 4
- CB Samuel Womack (Toledo), Round 5
- OL Nick Zakelj (Fordham), Round 6
- DT Kalia Davis (UCF), Round 6
- CB Tariq Castro-Fields (Penn State), Round 6
- QB Brock Purdy (Iowa State), Round 7
Aside from Purdy, no one else from that draft class made any sort of long-lasting impression with the Niners. Davis-Price didn't last beyond two seasons, while Gray was also off the roster after a similar disappointment.
Womack was arguably let go too soon, while Castro-Fields was a longshot anyway.
Burford, Zakelj and Davis remain on the fringes of San Francisco's roster, leaving Purdy as the lone standout.
Fans may have been expecting Jackson's ultimate fate in the Bay Area for some time now, but news of the transaction only reaffirms the massive whiff.