Run The Damn Ball Kyle!!! 2020 49ers Offseason Thread.
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He just can't stay healthy. He's a top tier TE, though.
he may be like Eifert cut his snap count and he may stay healthy.
The best and worst 49ers draft picks in the last 20 years? Wait, didn’t you just do this last year?
Yes. Good eye. Busted.
This, however, is a redo.
A few months after filing last year’s item, I started working on a book about the 49ers teams of the 2000s. That led to many conversations with coaches and players from the recent past and it quickly became apparent I had omitted someone from the “best” category: safety Dashon Goldson.
There’s a phenomenon at play here. Goldson was part of the Jim Harbaugh-era squads that were excellent for a few years then fell apart just as fast as they ascended. Because of that, perhaps there wasn’t an opportunity to properly appreciate the players who were on those teams.
I feel like Vernon Davis falls into that category, too. He was excellent — he had 44 touchdown catches in a five-year span; 44! — and was huge in some of the 49ers’ biggest moments. But he was unceremoniously unloaded for a sixth-round pick in 2015, which may have sullied his reputation a bit.
Goldson, meanwhile, was a key member of the best secondary in the league in 2011. None of the top five defensive backs on that team (rookie Chris Culliver entered in nickel situations) had played together before that season. Still, the unit finished with 19 regular-season interceptions with one more — Goldson’s interception of Saints quarterback Drew Brees — in the playoffs. He and Carlos Rogers made the Pro Bowl that season
So Goldson definitely makes the revised list, which has been shuffled around a bit in other areas as well. (Welcome, Joshua Garnett!)
The two main criteria used were the players’ productivity vs. where they were taken in the draft. That is, good players taken late in the draft are weighted more heavily than good players picked early on, and vice versa.
The general manager who gets credit or blame for a pick also is listed. There’s some question as to who is responsible for the 49ers’ 2010 draft. Scot McCloughan was ousted in March of that year and Trent Baalke made the actual picks as the interim GM before getting the job officially in 2011. But the team’s draft board, which guided the selections, was largely complete before McCloughan left. So we’re attaching that draft to him.
Top 15
1. Running back Frank Gore, Miami, Round 3/65th overall, 2005: Few figured Gore, coming off two ACL surgeries and a bum shoulder, would last through his initial contract. Instead, he’s lasted and lasted and lasted some more to the point where he’s now in third place on the NFL’s all-time rushing list. Gore recently dropped off Frank Gore Jr. for his son’s freshman year at Southern Mississippi, which means there’s a possibility the league could one day have two Frank Gores at the same time.
The elder Gore can recite, in order, the five running backs taken ahead of him in the 2005 draft. At the time he vowed not to let any of them out-rush him, and none came close. The last runner from the group to remain in the NFL, Ronnie Brown, made his final carry on Dec. 20, 2014, in a game — poetically — against Gore and the 49ers. Brown had seven carries for 33 yards that day. Gore did a bit better: 26 carries for 158 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown. /McCloughan
2. Tackle Joe Staley, Central Michigan, Round 1/28th overall, 2007: The Sporting News’ take after the 49ers chose the relatively unknown Staley in Round 1: “Joe Staley, a workout warrior, was a big-time reach.” Staley not only had the last laugh, 13 years later he was still laughing … and still starting at left tackle. Staley is on the cusp of joining the top 10 for regular-season games played by a 49er. When you consider he’s had six head coaches, that’s a monster achievement. /McCloughan
3. Linebacker Patrick Willis, Ole Miss, Round 1/11th overall, 2007: Willis was such a ferocious tackler that you could hear him practicing — the crack of his shoulder pads was distinct — from a half-mile away. True story: Mike Nolan and then-linebackers coach Mike Singletary initially were skeptical about Willis. They thought he was too small, too fragile. After they finally gave him his first preseason start and he led the team in tackles in the game they weren’t as skeptical anymore. /McCloughan
4. Tight end George Kittle, Iowa, Round 5/146th overall, 2017: In two years, Kittle went from “He looks like a pretty solid fifth-round pick” to “Holy crap, where did this guy come from?” The 49ers had Kittle rated as a third-rounder in 2017 and crossed their fingers he’d still be around in the fifth. Eight tight ends were selected before him. “I always joke that we didn’t draft him until the fifth round, so we weren’t that smart about it,” GM John Lynch said of Kittle. “But we did have him tagged as someone we liked.” /Lynch
5. Linebacker NaVorro Bowman, Penn State, Round 3/91st overall, 2010:Bowman’s two most famous plays came against the Falcons — an interception return for a touchdown in the farewell game at Candlestick Park in December 2013 and a deflected pass that sealed the 49ers’ trip to the 2012 Super Bowl. Bowman’s greatest achievement, however, may have been leading the NFL in tackles in 2015, two seasons after his horrific knee injury in Seattle during the January 2014 NFC Championship Game. Bowman talked about his third-round status (thumbs down) and his big plays (thumbs up) during a “Here’s The Catch” podcast episode in Miami last month. /McCloughan
6. Tight end Delanie Walker, Central Missouri, Round 6/175th overall, 2006: People must have rolled their eyes when Walker first entered team headquarters. He played receiver and kick returner at a small, Midwest university and introduced himself to everyone as DLove. It turns out there was plenty of substance to Walker, so much so that the former sixth-round pick still is in the league — and is looking for a new team after 14 seasons. /McCloughan
7. Tight end Vernon Davis, Maryland, Round 1/sixth overall, 2006: No 49er made more big plays than Davis during the team’s playoff runs from 2011-13. Davis caught seven postseason touchdowns in that span and was on the receiving end of the 49ers’ most iconic play of this century, his emotional, last-second catch at the goal line to beat New Orleans in January 2012. It may have taken some time for him to live up to the expectations of a former No. 6 pick, but Davis eventually exceeded them. He ranks 10th in all-time receiving yards by a tight end. /McCloughan
8. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Nevada, Round 2/36th overall, 2011: Five quarterbacks were taken ahead of Kaepernick in 2011 — Cam Newton (first), Jake Locker (eighth), Blaine Gabbert (10th), Christian Ponder (12th) and Andy Dalton (35th). Of that group, Kaepernick is the only one to have taken his team to two championship games. /Baalke
9. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, Oregon, Round 1/seventh, 2016: In a league dominated by injury news, Buckner’s greatest gift is resilience. He’s missed one game in four seasons and only two defensive linemen have played more snaps than him since he entered the league. Time will tell whether trading him to Indianapolis earlier this month for the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft was a smart move. We can say right now that he was a very strong selection. /Baalke
10. Safety Dashon Goldson, Washington, Round 4/126th overall, 2007: The 49ers’ 2007 draft class is one of their best of the century. It included Willis, Staley, defensive tackle Ray McDonald (third round), cornerback Tarell Brown (fifth) as well as Goldson. He spent a decade in the league, made the Pro Bowl twice and was a first-team All-Pro pick in 2012. His best season came in 2011 when he had six interceptions and, along with Donte Whitner, made receivers shiver and quake when venturing across the middle. Said former 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio of Goldson: “For the time he was here, he was as good a safety as there was in football.” /McCloughan
11. Tackle Trent Brown, Florida, Round 7/244th overall, 2015: His two former teams fretted about how an offensive lineman who underachieved and over-ate in college would fare once he landed a massive contract. So far in his career, Brown has overachieved and remains one of the highest-paid offensive linemen in the league after receiving a four-year, $66 million contract from the Raiders in 2019. He may not have been one of the top-five pass protectors for the Raiders last season, but he remains in the top 20. His seventh-round — late-seventh-round — status makes one of the best bang-for-buck picks in the last 20 years. /Baalke
12. Wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, Illinois, Round 4/124th overall, 2003:Terry Donahue gets on the board! Lloyd, who had an unmistakable air of haughtiness to him, wasn’t everyone’s/anyone’s cup of tea. Former fullback Fred Beasley, for instance, couldn’t stand the guy. And Lloyd played for six different teams, batting around the order and finishing his career with the 49ers. But Lloyd lasted 14 seasons and left with nearly 6,000 receiving yards, not bad for a fourth-rounder. /Donahue
13. Punter Andy Lee, Pitt, Round 6/188th overall, 2004: People scoff whenever a team uses a draft pick on a punter. Lee, however, was well worth his draft slot. He’s led the NFL in either net or gross average (or both) in four different seasons, including 2018 with Arizona. He ranked second in gross average last year. In fact, at 37, you could say that Lee is becoming the Frank Gore of punting. /Donahue
14. Center Eric Heitmann, Stanford, Round 7/239th overall, 2002: As was the case with Gore, injury issues — questions about his back — sunk Heitmann’s draft stock and he fell to the final round. Heitmann, however, ended up starting 14 games, including two playoff contests, as a rookie and he played in 16 games in six of his nine seasons. A back injury sustained in Singletary’s infamous “Nutcracker” drill in 2010 ended his career. /Donahue
15. Defensive end Nick Bosa, Ohio State, Round 1/second overall, 2019:The biggest pre-draft critique of Bosa — from a football standpoint — was that he had a low ceiling, which meant there wasn’t a lot of room for him to get better. Well, who cares? The rookie’s floor was so high that he performed like an eight-year veteran. Best of all for the 49ers, Bosa seems like someone who will be consistently good for the foreseeable future. He was one of the 49ers’ best defensive linemen in Week 1 against Tampa and — along with Buckner — was one of the best in the Super Bowl in Miami. /Lynch
Yes. Good eye. Busted.
This, however, is a redo.
A few months after filing last year’s item, I started working on a book about the 49ers teams of the 2000s. That led to many conversations with coaches and players from the recent past and it quickly became apparent I had omitted someone from the “best” category: safety Dashon Goldson.
There’s a phenomenon at play here. Goldson was part of the Jim Harbaugh-era squads that were excellent for a few years then fell apart just as fast as they ascended. Because of that, perhaps there wasn’t an opportunity to properly appreciate the players who were on those teams.
I feel like Vernon Davis falls into that category, too. He was excellent — he had 44 touchdown catches in a five-year span; 44! — and was huge in some of the 49ers’ biggest moments. But he was unceremoniously unloaded for a sixth-round pick in 2015, which may have sullied his reputation a bit.
Goldson, meanwhile, was a key member of the best secondary in the league in 2011. None of the top five defensive backs on that team (rookie Chris Culliver entered in nickel situations) had played together before that season. Still, the unit finished with 19 regular-season interceptions with one more — Goldson’s interception of Saints quarterback Drew Brees — in the playoffs. He and Carlos Rogers made the Pro Bowl that season
So Goldson definitely makes the revised list, which has been shuffled around a bit in other areas as well. (Welcome, Joshua Garnett!)
The two main criteria used were the players’ productivity vs. where they were taken in the draft. That is, good players taken late in the draft are weighted more heavily than good players picked early on, and vice versa.
The general manager who gets credit or blame for a pick also is listed. There’s some question as to who is responsible for the 49ers’ 2010 draft. Scot McCloughan was ousted in March of that year and Trent Baalke made the actual picks as the interim GM before getting the job officially in 2011. But the team’s draft board, which guided the selections, was largely complete before McCloughan left. So we’re attaching that draft to him.
Top 15
1. Running back Frank Gore, Miami, Round 3/65th overall, 2005: Few figured Gore, coming off two ACL surgeries and a bum shoulder, would last through his initial contract. Instead, he’s lasted and lasted and lasted some more to the point where he’s now in third place on the NFL’s all-time rushing list. Gore recently dropped off Frank Gore Jr. for his son’s freshman year at Southern Mississippi, which means there’s a possibility the league could one day have two Frank Gores at the same time.
The elder Gore can recite, in order, the five running backs taken ahead of him in the 2005 draft. At the time he vowed not to let any of them out-rush him, and none came close. The last runner from the group to remain in the NFL, Ronnie Brown, made his final carry on Dec. 20, 2014, in a game — poetically — against Gore and the 49ers. Brown had seven carries for 33 yards that day. Gore did a bit better: 26 carries for 158 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown. /McCloughan
2. Tackle Joe Staley, Central Michigan, Round 1/28th overall, 2007: The Sporting News’ take after the 49ers chose the relatively unknown Staley in Round 1: “Joe Staley, a workout warrior, was a big-time reach.” Staley not only had the last laugh, 13 years later he was still laughing … and still starting at left tackle. Staley is on the cusp of joining the top 10 for regular-season games played by a 49er. When you consider he’s had six head coaches, that’s a monster achievement. /McCloughan
3. Linebacker Patrick Willis, Ole Miss, Round 1/11th overall, 2007: Willis was such a ferocious tackler that you could hear him practicing — the crack of his shoulder pads was distinct — from a half-mile away. True story: Mike Nolan and then-linebackers coach Mike Singletary initially were skeptical about Willis. They thought he was too small, too fragile. After they finally gave him his first preseason start and he led the team in tackles in the game they weren’t as skeptical anymore. /McCloughan
4. Tight end George Kittle, Iowa, Round 5/146th overall, 2017: In two years, Kittle went from “He looks like a pretty solid fifth-round pick” to “Holy crap, where did this guy come from?” The 49ers had Kittle rated as a third-rounder in 2017 and crossed their fingers he’d still be around in the fifth. Eight tight ends were selected before him. “I always joke that we didn’t draft him until the fifth round, so we weren’t that smart about it,” GM John Lynch said of Kittle. “But we did have him tagged as someone we liked.” /Lynch
5. Linebacker NaVorro Bowman, Penn State, Round 3/91st overall, 2010:Bowman’s two most famous plays came against the Falcons — an interception return for a touchdown in the farewell game at Candlestick Park in December 2013 and a deflected pass that sealed the 49ers’ trip to the 2012 Super Bowl. Bowman’s greatest achievement, however, may have been leading the NFL in tackles in 2015, two seasons after his horrific knee injury in Seattle during the January 2014 NFC Championship Game. Bowman talked about his third-round status (thumbs down) and his big plays (thumbs up) during a “Here’s The Catch” podcast episode in Miami last month. /McCloughan
6. Tight end Delanie Walker, Central Missouri, Round 6/175th overall, 2006: People must have rolled their eyes when Walker first entered team headquarters. He played receiver and kick returner at a small, Midwest university and introduced himself to everyone as DLove. It turns out there was plenty of substance to Walker, so much so that the former sixth-round pick still is in the league — and is looking for a new team after 14 seasons. /McCloughan
7. Tight end Vernon Davis, Maryland, Round 1/sixth overall, 2006: No 49er made more big plays than Davis during the team’s playoff runs from 2011-13. Davis caught seven postseason touchdowns in that span and was on the receiving end of the 49ers’ most iconic play of this century, his emotional, last-second catch at the goal line to beat New Orleans in January 2012. It may have taken some time for him to live up to the expectations of a former No. 6 pick, but Davis eventually exceeded them. He ranks 10th in all-time receiving yards by a tight end. /McCloughan
8. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Nevada, Round 2/36th overall, 2011: Five quarterbacks were taken ahead of Kaepernick in 2011 — Cam Newton (first), Jake Locker (eighth), Blaine Gabbert (10th), Christian Ponder (12th) and Andy Dalton (35th). Of that group, Kaepernick is the only one to have taken his team to two championship games. /Baalke
9. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, Oregon, Round 1/seventh, 2016: In a league dominated by injury news, Buckner’s greatest gift is resilience. He’s missed one game in four seasons and only two defensive linemen have played more snaps than him since he entered the league. Time will tell whether trading him to Indianapolis earlier this month for the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft was a smart move. We can say right now that he was a very strong selection. /Baalke
10. Safety Dashon Goldson, Washington, Round 4/126th overall, 2007: The 49ers’ 2007 draft class is one of their best of the century. It included Willis, Staley, defensive tackle Ray McDonald (third round), cornerback Tarell Brown (fifth) as well as Goldson. He spent a decade in the league, made the Pro Bowl twice and was a first-team All-Pro pick in 2012. His best season came in 2011 when he had six interceptions and, along with Donte Whitner, made receivers shiver and quake when venturing across the middle. Said former 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio of Goldson: “For the time he was here, he was as good a safety as there was in football.” /McCloughan
11. Tackle Trent Brown, Florida, Round 7/244th overall, 2015: His two former teams fretted about how an offensive lineman who underachieved and over-ate in college would fare once he landed a massive contract. So far in his career, Brown has overachieved and remains one of the highest-paid offensive linemen in the league after receiving a four-year, $66 million contract from the Raiders in 2019. He may not have been one of the top-five pass protectors for the Raiders last season, but he remains in the top 20. His seventh-round — late-seventh-round — status makes one of the best bang-for-buck picks in the last 20 years. /Baalke
12. Wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, Illinois, Round 4/124th overall, 2003:Terry Donahue gets on the board! Lloyd, who had an unmistakable air of haughtiness to him, wasn’t everyone’s/anyone’s cup of tea. Former fullback Fred Beasley, for instance, couldn’t stand the guy. And Lloyd played for six different teams, batting around the order and finishing his career with the 49ers. But Lloyd lasted 14 seasons and left with nearly 6,000 receiving yards, not bad for a fourth-rounder. /Donahue
13. Punter Andy Lee, Pitt, Round 6/188th overall, 2004: People scoff whenever a team uses a draft pick on a punter. Lee, however, was well worth his draft slot. He’s led the NFL in either net or gross average (or both) in four different seasons, including 2018 with Arizona. He ranked second in gross average last year. In fact, at 37, you could say that Lee is becoming the Frank Gore of punting. /Donahue
14. Center Eric Heitmann, Stanford, Round 7/239th overall, 2002: As was the case with Gore, injury issues — questions about his back — sunk Heitmann’s draft stock and he fell to the final round. Heitmann, however, ended up starting 14 games, including two playoff contests, as a rookie and he played in 16 games in six of his nine seasons. A back injury sustained in Singletary’s infamous “Nutcracker” drill in 2010 ended his career. /Donahue
15. Defensive end Nick Bosa, Ohio State, Round 1/second overall, 2019:The biggest pre-draft critique of Bosa — from a football standpoint — was that he had a low ceiling, which meant there wasn’t a lot of room for him to get better. Well, who cares? The rookie’s floor was so high that he performed like an eight-year veteran. Best of all for the 49ers, Bosa seems like someone who will be consistently good for the foreseeable future. He was one of the 49ers’ best defensive linemen in Week 1 against Tampa and — along with Buckner — was one of the best in the Super Bowl in Miami. /Lynch
Bottom 15
15. Punter Bradley Pinion, Clemson, Round 5/165th overall, 2015: Pinion was a decent punter in his four seasons with the 49ers and he handled kickoffs so that the team’s older kickers wouldn’t have to. But it continues to boggle the mind why the 49ers would use a fifth-round pick on a punter when they already had one of the best in the business in Lee. /Baalke
14. Defensive lineman Christian Ferrara, Syracuse, Round 7/226th overall, 2004: Ferrara may be the worst player the 49ers drafted this century, but he’s only 14th worst on this list because at least they waited until the end of the draft to take him. At the time, the team was experimenting with analytics as a way to draft players and, well, Ferrara was the poster child for the experiment. To make a long-ish story short, he couldn’t stay on his feet in practice and was cut shortly thereafter by an old-school coaching staff that resented a new-fangled approach being foisted upon them. By the way, the person who was most surprised the 49ers drafted Ferrara that year: Ferrara. /Donahue
13. Running back Joe Williams, Utah, Round 4/121st overall, 2017: The lesson here: Trust your gut. Lynch initially crossed Williams off of his draft list after learning the running back stepped away from his Utah team for a month the season prior. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Williams didn’t have the heart and hustle the 49ers were seeking and was beaten out by unheralded — and undrafted — Matt Breida. Williams was cut the following season and is currently out of the NFL. The 49ers compounded the mistake earlier in that draft by trading the No. 67 pick to the Saints, who used it to take running back Alvin Kamara. He’s totaled 4,476 rushing and receiving yards and 37 touchdowns in three seasons. Williams’ two-year tally: Zeroes across the board. /Lynch (though we suspect Kyle Shanahan’s fingerprints are on this pick)
12. Cornerback Will Redmond, Mississippi State, Round 3/68th overall, 2016: Of all the ACL patients Baalke drafted, Redmond stands out because Baalke, at the time of the draft, was so insistent that Redmond would be full-go by training camp. Said the general manager: “He will be healthy and he will be ready to go.” Surprise: He wasn’t. Redmond wasn’t even ready for the regular season and never played a snap for the 49ers. He was released the following year. So was Baalke. /Baalke
11. Wide receiver Brandon Williams, Wisconsin, Round 3/84th overall, 2006: Williams’ two-year tally with the 49ers: Zero catches, one fumbled punt and a one-game suspension when Williams, an aspiring rapper, broke team rules before a contest in his hometown of St. Louis. /McCloughan
10. Guard Joshua Garnett, Stanford, Round 1/28th overall, 2016: When you take a guard in the first round, you expect to plug that player into the starting lineup for the next five years. Garnett’s greatest performance for the 49ers may have been the one at the team’s local pro day — alongside players from Azusa Pacific and Incarnate Word — that prompted team officials to take him with a first-round pick. After that, Garnett had trouble overcoming knee, thumb, toe and finger injuries. After sitting out the entire 2019 season, he is now with the Lions. /Baalke
9. Kicker Jeff Chandler, Florida, Round 4/102nd overall, 2002: Not only was Chandler inaccurate (he hit just 19 of 27 attempts in three NFL seasons), the 49ers replaced him in 2003 with Owen Pochman, who is arguably the team’s worst free-agent signing of the 21st century. (But that’s for a different post.) /Donahue
8. Running back LaMichael James, Oregon, Round 2/61st overall, 2012:The 2012 draft class is the lousiest of this century for the 49ers and James is part of the reason why. His career totals with the team: 184 rushing yards, zero touchdowns, three fumbles. A decidedly finesse runner, James never fit the team’s hard-nosed, power-rushing style at the time. He was an odd fit, moped over his lack of use and eventually was granted his release. /Baalke
7. Running back Glen Coffee, Alabama, Round 3/75th overall, 2009: Coffee never really wanted to be a football player. Going through Camp Singletary in 2010 helped him realize this and he quit — just flat-out quit — that summer. His departure also prevented the world’s greatest running back-duo nickname, “Frank & Beans,” from catching on. /McCloughan
6. Tackle Kwame Harris, Stanford, Round 1/26th overall, 2003: When you take an offensive tackle in the first round, you pencil him in for the next 10 years. Harris lasted half that, becoming infamous for penalties — 14 false starts in three seasons — and, after his career, a bizarre arrest following a fight that was sparked by a disagreement over soy sauce and underwear. /Donahue
5. Linebacker Reuben Foster, Alabama, Round 1/31st overall, 2017: Foster played with so much energy and oomph at Alabama that it blinded the 49ers to the prominent red flags (plural) swirling around him. If you can’t pass a drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine when you know you’ll be tested there and then get kicked out of the same combine for a spat with a hospital worker, you might not be ready for the NFL. /Lynch
4. Quarterback Gio Carmazzi, Hofstra, Round 3/66th overall, 2000:Carmazzi doesn’t quite make it into the top three because he was only a third-round pick. But, man, was he awful. He couldn’t even run a huddle. What’s worse, with an offensive assistant banging the table for Carmazzi, the 49ers virtually ignored the local kid who was in the same draft. Trust us, Tom Brady hasn’t forgotten — never will forget — the slight. While Brady can claim to be The GOAT, this was an actual headline in 2011: “Giovanni Carmazzi is a Yoga-Exercising Farmer Who Owns Five Goats.” /Bill Walsh
3. Wide receiver Rashaun Woods, Oklahoma State, Round 1/31st overall, 2004: A bad sign: When a first-round pick tells you his life goal is to spend his days fishing. That’s what Woods said on draft day in 2004 and it’s what he’s doing now. He’s both a professional bass fisherman in his native Oklahoma and a head coach at Enid High, which went 0-10 this past season, losing by an average score of 46-8. Woods played only one season for the 49ers, but he did snag a touchdown as a rookie, which keeps him out of the bottom two on this list. True story: Woods made a sensational end-zone catch in practice one day, prompting a 49ers player to quip, “Hey, who’s the new guy?” This was in Week 17. /Donahue
2. Defensive lineman Kentwan Balmer, North Carolina, Round 1/29th overall, 2008: Coffee isn’t the only 49er who quit the team in 2010. Balmer essentially did the same when he stopped showing up for practice, essentially forcing the 49ers to trade him to Seattle. Shocker: He didn’t work out there, either. He also went AWOL during a 2012 training camp when he was with Washington. So at least he was consistent. /McCloughan
Balmer also was notorious for wearing — even after signing a multimillion-dollar rookie contract — grubby, grease-stained T-shirts around the team facility. The reason: He didn’t use silverware or napkins. After the 49ers drafted him, Balmer, Nolan and McCloughan had breakfast at the team hotel. Balmer ordered pancakes, then, to the coach and GM’s astonishment, proceeded to eat them with his hands. He even buttered them with his fingers. Butterfingers? That brings us to our final entry …
1. Wide receiver A.J. Jenkins, Illinois, Round 1/30th overall, 2012: Here’s when we knew Jenkins might not work out for the 49ers: immediately. He showed up out of shape for a rookie minicamp held just after the draft. Then he was unable to stay on his feet during practices — no-tackling, no-pads, no-contact practices, mind you — in the spring. Harbaugh felt compelled to defend the pick, aggressively chastising the “scribes, pundits and so-called experts” who criticized Jenkins at the time and vowing they’d look “clueless” when he developed into an “outstanding” player. Instead, it was the team’s decision-makers who looked clueless. Jenkins had zero catches as a rookie and only one the following preseason despite playing more snaps than any other wideout that summer. Sixteen months after he was taken in the first round, the 49ers traded him to Kansas City for another failed first-round receiver, Jon Baldwin. Ashes to ashes, bust for bust. /Baalke
15. Punter Bradley Pinion, Clemson, Round 5/165th overall, 2015: Pinion was a decent punter in his four seasons with the 49ers and he handled kickoffs so that the team’s older kickers wouldn’t have to. But it continues to boggle the mind why the 49ers would use a fifth-round pick on a punter when they already had one of the best in the business in Lee. /Baalke
14. Defensive lineman Christian Ferrara, Syracuse, Round 7/226th overall, 2004: Ferrara may be the worst player the 49ers drafted this century, but he’s only 14th worst on this list because at least they waited until the end of the draft to take him. At the time, the team was experimenting with analytics as a way to draft players and, well, Ferrara was the poster child for the experiment. To make a long-ish story short, he couldn’t stay on his feet in practice and was cut shortly thereafter by an old-school coaching staff that resented a new-fangled approach being foisted upon them. By the way, the person who was most surprised the 49ers drafted Ferrara that year: Ferrara. /Donahue
13. Running back Joe Williams, Utah, Round 4/121st overall, 2017: The lesson here: Trust your gut. Lynch initially crossed Williams off of his draft list after learning the running back stepped away from his Utah team for a month the season prior. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Williams didn’t have the heart and hustle the 49ers were seeking and was beaten out by unheralded — and undrafted — Matt Breida. Williams was cut the following season and is currently out of the NFL. The 49ers compounded the mistake earlier in that draft by trading the No. 67 pick to the Saints, who used it to take running back Alvin Kamara. He’s totaled 4,476 rushing and receiving yards and 37 touchdowns in three seasons. Williams’ two-year tally: Zeroes across the board. /Lynch (though we suspect Kyle Shanahan’s fingerprints are on this pick)
12. Cornerback Will Redmond, Mississippi State, Round 3/68th overall, 2016: Of all the ACL patients Baalke drafted, Redmond stands out because Baalke, at the time of the draft, was so insistent that Redmond would be full-go by training camp. Said the general manager: “He will be healthy and he will be ready to go.” Surprise: He wasn’t. Redmond wasn’t even ready for the regular season and never played a snap for the 49ers. He was released the following year. So was Baalke. /Baalke
11. Wide receiver Brandon Williams, Wisconsin, Round 3/84th overall, 2006: Williams’ two-year tally with the 49ers: Zero catches, one fumbled punt and a one-game suspension when Williams, an aspiring rapper, broke team rules before a contest in his hometown of St. Louis. /McCloughan
10. Guard Joshua Garnett, Stanford, Round 1/28th overall, 2016: When you take a guard in the first round, you expect to plug that player into the starting lineup for the next five years. Garnett’s greatest performance for the 49ers may have been the one at the team’s local pro day — alongside players from Azusa Pacific and Incarnate Word — that prompted team officials to take him with a first-round pick. After that, Garnett had trouble overcoming knee, thumb, toe and finger injuries. After sitting out the entire 2019 season, he is now with the Lions. /Baalke
9. Kicker Jeff Chandler, Florida, Round 4/102nd overall, 2002: Not only was Chandler inaccurate (he hit just 19 of 27 attempts in three NFL seasons), the 49ers replaced him in 2003 with Owen Pochman, who is arguably the team’s worst free-agent signing of the 21st century. (But that’s for a different post.) /Donahue
8. Running back LaMichael James, Oregon, Round 2/61st overall, 2012:The 2012 draft class is the lousiest of this century for the 49ers and James is part of the reason why. His career totals with the team: 184 rushing yards, zero touchdowns, three fumbles. A decidedly finesse runner, James never fit the team’s hard-nosed, power-rushing style at the time. He was an odd fit, moped over his lack of use and eventually was granted his release. /Baalke
7. Running back Glen Coffee, Alabama, Round 3/75th overall, 2009: Coffee never really wanted to be a football player. Going through Camp Singletary in 2010 helped him realize this and he quit — just flat-out quit — that summer. His departure also prevented the world’s greatest running back-duo nickname, “Frank & Beans,” from catching on. /McCloughan
6. Tackle Kwame Harris, Stanford, Round 1/26th overall, 2003: When you take an offensive tackle in the first round, you pencil him in for the next 10 years. Harris lasted half that, becoming infamous for penalties — 14 false starts in three seasons — and, after his career, a bizarre arrest following a fight that was sparked by a disagreement over soy sauce and underwear. /Donahue
5. Linebacker Reuben Foster, Alabama, Round 1/31st overall, 2017: Foster played with so much energy and oomph at Alabama that it blinded the 49ers to the prominent red flags (plural) swirling around him. If you can’t pass a drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine when you know you’ll be tested there and then get kicked out of the same combine for a spat with a hospital worker, you might not be ready for the NFL. /Lynch
4. Quarterback Gio Carmazzi, Hofstra, Round 3/66th overall, 2000:Carmazzi doesn’t quite make it into the top three because he was only a third-round pick. But, man, was he awful. He couldn’t even run a huddle. What’s worse, with an offensive assistant banging the table for Carmazzi, the 49ers virtually ignored the local kid who was in the same draft. Trust us, Tom Brady hasn’t forgotten — never will forget — the slight. While Brady can claim to be The GOAT, this was an actual headline in 2011: “Giovanni Carmazzi is a Yoga-Exercising Farmer Who Owns Five Goats.” /Bill Walsh
3. Wide receiver Rashaun Woods, Oklahoma State, Round 1/31st overall, 2004: A bad sign: When a first-round pick tells you his life goal is to spend his days fishing. That’s what Woods said on draft day in 2004 and it’s what he’s doing now. He’s both a professional bass fisherman in his native Oklahoma and a head coach at Enid High, which went 0-10 this past season, losing by an average score of 46-8. Woods played only one season for the 49ers, but he did snag a touchdown as a rookie, which keeps him out of the bottom two on this list. True story: Woods made a sensational end-zone catch in practice one day, prompting a 49ers player to quip, “Hey, who’s the new guy?” This was in Week 17. /Donahue
2. Defensive lineman Kentwan Balmer, North Carolina, Round 1/29th overall, 2008: Coffee isn’t the only 49er who quit the team in 2010. Balmer essentially did the same when he stopped showing up for practice, essentially forcing the 49ers to trade him to Seattle. Shocker: He didn’t work out there, either. He also went AWOL during a 2012 training camp when he was with Washington. So at least he was consistent. /McCloughan
Balmer also was notorious for wearing — even after signing a multimillion-dollar rookie contract — grubby, grease-stained T-shirts around the team facility. The reason: He didn’t use silverware or napkins. After the 49ers drafted him, Balmer, Nolan and McCloughan had breakfast at the team hotel. Balmer ordered pancakes, then, to the coach and GM’s astonishment, proceeded to eat them with his hands. He even buttered them with his fingers. Butterfingers? That brings us to our final entry …
1. Wide receiver A.J. Jenkins, Illinois, Round 1/30th overall, 2012: Here’s when we knew Jenkins might not work out for the 49ers: immediately. He showed up out of shape for a rookie minicamp held just after the draft. Then he was unable to stay on his feet during practices — no-tackling, no-pads, no-contact practices, mind you — in the spring. Harbaugh felt compelled to defend the pick, aggressively chastising the “scribes, pundits and so-called experts” who criticized Jenkins at the time and vowing they’d look “clueless” when he developed into an “outstanding” player. Instead, it was the team’s decision-makers who looked clueless. Jenkins had zero catches as a rookie and only one the following preseason despite playing more snaps than any other wideout that summer. Sixteen months after he was taken in the first round, the 49ers traded him to Kansas City for another failed first-round receiver, Jon Baldwin. Ashes to ashes, bust for bust. /Baalke
yseJ
Empire strikes back
7th rounders as well as late 3rd rounders and 4th rounders probably shouldnt be on any 'worst' lists...when you're that deep in the draft, some guys will not pan out.
why is balmer eating pancakes with his hands and not pancakes he received on the field mentioned ?
why is balmer eating pancakes with his hands and not pancakes he received on the field mentioned ?
Bryan Danielson
Jmare007 x Bryan Danielson x JLova = King Ghidorah
Bryan Danielson
Jmare007 x Bryan Danielson x JLova = King Ghidorah
feelosofer
#ninergang
7th rounders as well as late 3rd rounders and 4th rounders probably shouldnt be on any 'worst' lists...when you're that deep in the draft, some guys will not pan out.
why is balmer eating pancakes with his hands and not pancakes he received on the field mentioned ?
I almost threw the remote at my TV when we picked him in the 1st round that draft. Imagine if we picked Calais Campbell instead.
yseJ
Empire strikes back
I had similar reaction when we selected Taylor Mays. Thankfully I wasn't watching the draft when we picked Balmer.
yseJ
Empire strikes back
I wanted earl thomas badly in that draft
instead they got a safety I knew was a total stiff in coverage, I used to watch a ton of pac-10 back then
