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San Francisco 49ers: Recapping Some Past Early Round Draft Picks

By Andrew Greenblatt

January 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers strong safety Jimmie Ward (25) runs the football during the fourth quarter against the St. Louis Rams at Levi
January 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers strong safety Jimmie Ward (25) runs the football during the fourth quarter against the St. Louis Rams at Levi /
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The San Francisco 49ers have a Top-Ten pick in the upcoming the 2016 NFL Draft – but have a spotty and sometimes frustrating history with picks that high.

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For the San Francisco 49ers, there are a number of ways they can go with their first round pick. But any way they go, fans desperate to see this franchise turned around will be putting pressure on the team to right the ship in 2016.

The need to succeed in the draft has only grown recently, as the team has fallen quite suddenly and quite rapidly. The 49ers have gone from Super Bowl contenders to competing with the Cleveland Browns as the biggest joke of an NFL team.

Looking back on past drafts, the 49ers have done well with many of their early picks. Of all their first round draft picks within the last decade, many have played out well for the team and have become key faces of the organization. Others have fizzled and fallen out of favor quickly.

Finding a pattern in draft picks is difficult, as the 49ers seem to have off and on success with their first round picks. Look at the last several years for instance. 2014’s first rounder Jimmie Ward has struggled, though the team certainly hopes he can improve next season. A high pick from Northern Illinois, Ward has played poorly in a lot of different coverages against opposing offenses.

Meanwhile, the 2013 first rounder Eric Reid from LSU has proved to be a great pick. He has stepped up as a leader of the defense and played great against top offenses over the last several years.

Related Story: 49ers' 2016 Season Already Looks Hopeless

The 2012 first rounder is really the first bust on our list. A.J. Jenkins was drafted out of Illoinois as a pass catcher, but was scarcely used and ultimately nonexistent in the 49ers game plans. He was eventually traded for fellow bust receiver Jonathan Baldwin in 2014, but his career never took off and he is now listed as a free agent.

The real sting though, comes with the list of players who were drafted after him that the 49ers could have had but ultimately passed up. Players like Pro Bowl receivers Alshon Jeffery and T.Y. Hilton were both still on the board and taken in later rounds. Instead, the 49ers took a player who literally did not catch a pass in his entire time with the team.

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The 2011 selection can also be viewed as a failure, but not for lack of talent. Aldon Smith, a defensive end out of Missouri, was spectacular his rookie season. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2011 and then NFC Defensive Player of the Year in 2012.

While he was a monster on the field, he had his own personal demons off the field, which ultimately led to his own downfall. Without going into the whole sordid saga here, it was apparent that Smith was not in a good place personally during much of his time with the organization.

He’s now with the Oakland Raiders, but missed much of the 2015 season due to his year long suspension for those same off the field issues. If he can find a balance in his life, he will surely be a force to be reckoned with once more.

To round out our recap of recent 49er first round selections, there are the two early picks from 2010. A pair of offensive linemen who were both highly-touted college athletes, Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis, were both taken in the top 20 by the 49ers.

Iupati was a force on the San Francisco line who went to several NFC Championships and a Super Bowl, providing key blocks for Alex Smith and later Colin Kaepernick. Named to the Pro Bowl every year between 2012-2015, he was certainly a steal considering there were three offensive linemen drafted ahead of him.

He went on to sign with the division rival Arizona Cardinals last offseason, joining many other players in a string of unusual retirements and departures that left the team gutted.

One of the lineman drafted ahead of Iupati was Anthony Davis, who was also taken by the 49ers. A tackle out of Rutgers, Davis had an exciting reach and length that made him stand out amongst other lineman at the combine. After several solid and improving seasons with San Francisco, Davis suddenly and unexpectedly retired last offseason, citing his desire to let his brain and body heal.

Not only was that a damaging move for the 49ers, it was also a scary sign for the NFL as a whole. Davis joined other former 49ers Chris Borland and Patrick Willis in retiring young; all citing desires to save their health and bodies overall.

Next: 49ers Need To Rip Band-Aid Off, Deal Kaepernick

The mass exodus of players left the 49ers scrambling for scraps on the free agent market, and marked the departure of many key players from the 2012 Super Bowl run.

The state of the 49ers isn’t amazing or what fans hope for and expect. That much is obvious.
However, there’s always the 2016 NFL Draft. As long as they weigh their options carefully and make the smart decisions, they may just end up getting something good going this season.