The 49ers have built a juggernaut in part by discarding their top draft capital in trades. Their 2021 acquisition of quarterback Trey Lance cost them a 2023 first-round selection, and they parted ways with their own 2023 second, third and fourth-round choices to pull running back Christian McCaffrey away from the Carolina Panthers ahead of last season’s trade deadline.
Now they’re left with their third-round compensatory picks to kick off their 2023 draft, which sets their starting line at the No. 99 pick. Holding three of the final four picks in the third round isn’t the worst place for a team to be, but the draft is going to be particularly important for the 49ers in the next couple of years.
San Francisco can keep its roster loaded with high-priced, top-end talent like Trent Williams, Fred Warner and George Kittle because they’ve hit on some draft picks who produce well above their rookie contracts. This means they’ll need to find a couple of high-quality starters over the next draft or two to help restock the cupboard when to account for exiting free agents who will be priced out of the 49ers’ range.
They have 11 picks this year, so they have some ability to move around the board and target players they think can start for them. However, finding that player at one of their first three selections isn’t going to be easy. Only nine total players drafted between No. 99 and No. 102 since the AFL-NFL merger have made the Pro Bowl. While the 49ers have had some success later in the draft, finding a high-quality player in the third round – something they’ve not been able to do outside of the Warner selection in 2018 – would be a nice way to start an important couple of drafts for general manager John Lynch and the front office.
Here are the nine players who’ve made Pro Bowls out of the slots the 49ers hold at the end of Round 3:
2012, Round 4, Pick 102: QB Kirk Cousins, Washington
The ripple effects of this pick are still lapping up on the shores of the 49ers’ team facility in Santa Clara. Cousins is a four-time Pro Bowler who has carved out a nice career with Washington and then with Minnesota.
2010, Round 4, Pick 100: DE Everson Griffin, Minnesota Vikings
Griffin put together a really good 12-year career. He racked up 85.5 sacks and made four Pro Bowl appearances.
2005, Round 3, Pick 99: P Dustin Colquitt, Kansas City Chiefs
Colquitt was Kansas City’s punter for 15 seasons before wrapping up his career with stops in Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Cleveland over a two-year stretch. He made the Pro Bowl twice and won a Super Bowl in 2019 – his final year in KC.
2011, Round 4, Pick 99: LB KJ Wright, Seattle Seahawks
Wright wasn’t a headliner, but he was a key cog in the Seahawks’ Legion of Boom defense. His lone Pro Bowl appearance came in 2016 when he posted a career-high 126 tackles, and a career-best 4.0 sacks.
2012, Round 4, Pick 99: C Ben Jones, Houston Texans
Jones is an interesting case here because he played out his rookie contract with the Texans and started 43 of the 64 games he played at all of the interior offensive line spots. Then he signed with Tennessee where he’s been for the last seven years. His only Pro Bowl appearance came in the 2022 season – his 11th as a pro.
2001, Round 4, Pick 100: RB Rudi Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals
Johnson only made one Pro Bowl, but he had a couple of outstanding years for Cincinnati. His Pro Bowl appearance came from his breakout 2004 campaign where he rushed for 1,454 yards and 12 touchdowns. He followed that up with1,458 yards and 12 TDs, but no Pro Bowl. The year after that he posted 1,309 yards and 12 TDs, and still didn’t land in the NFL’s All-Star game. The 49ers would take a player who puts up that kind of production at their peak.
2016, Round 4, Pick 99: LB Joe Schobert, Cleveland Browns
Schobert has built a nice seven-year career, but he peaked during his second season in 2017 when he led the NFL with 144 tackles. He also 3.0 sacks, one interception and eight pass breakups to earn his way into the lone Pro Bowl nod of his career.
2011, Round 4, Pick 102: TE Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns
Cameron’s one Pro Bowl year is fascinating because it came out of nowhere, and then never came close to being replicated. In 2013 Cameron played 15 games and caught 80 of his 118 targets for 917 yards and seven touchdowns to earn his Pro Bowl nod. His other five seasons as a pro combined(51 games)? 182 targets, 93 catches, 1,129 yards and seven touchdowns.
2006, Round 4, Pick 100: FB Michael Robinson, San Francisco 49ers
Robinson had a really solid career that spanned eight years. He was a dual-threat quarterback in college at Penn State, but moved to fullback in the NFL. His only Pro Bowl came as a special teams ace for Seattle in 2011.
