The 49ers’ ability to draft well has played an outsized role in their run to three NFC championship games and a Super Bowl since 2019. While filling out the fringes of the roster with picks is valuable, finding genuine stars who play into second contracts with the club is how teams can quickly build Super Bowl contenders.
Finding the home run picks for general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan isn’t difficult. There are plenty of them. In fact, we went through all 49 of their selections and found the best one from every round with an honorable mention for each:
First round: DE Nick Bosa, No. 2 overall, 2019
Bosa slipping past the Cardinals to the 49ers in the 2019 draft was a franchise-altering moment for San Francisco. Their No. 2 overall pick was the Defensive Rookie of the Year, and three years later earned Defensive Player of the Year honors while spearheading the NFL’s best defense. It’s hard to do better in the first round than this.
Honorable mention: WR Brandon Aiyuk, No. 25 overall, 2020
San Francisco traded up for Aiyuk and he’s quietly gotten better every year. He eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in 2022 and is arguably the team’s best pure wide receiver.
Second round: WR Deebo Samuel, No. 36 overall, 2019
After whiffing on Dante Pettis in 2018, the 49ers went back to the wide receiver well the following year and found perhaps the best playmaker in the NFL. Samuel since entering the league has 3,230 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns, along with 782 rushing yards and 14 rushing scores. His 2021 campaign where he earned a First-Team All-Pro nod was historic as he posted 1,405 receiving yards, 365 rushing yards and 14 total touchdowns.
Honorable mention: OL Aaron Banks, No. 48 overall, 2021
It was a rocky start for Banks, who was a non-factor on offense in his first year. In Year 2 he grabbed the starting left guard job and played well enough to clear the very low bar set by Lynch and Shanahan’s other second-round picks.
Third round: LB Fred Warner, No. 70 overall, 2018
There’s a case to be made that Warner is the 49ers’ best draft pick, full stop. He’s become the best off-ball linebacker in the league and in the middle of the defense sets in motion so much of what makes them successful. No defense controls the middle of the field better than San Francisco’s, and that’s due mostly to the 2018 third-round pick out of BYU.
Honorable mention: CB Ahkello Witherspoon, No. 66 overall, 2017
It’d be interesting to see what Witherspoon’s 2019 looks like if he doesn’t suffer a foot injury early in the year. He had an up-and-down career with the 49ers, but when he was up he looked like an All-Pro. His inability to stay on the field due to injury or quality of play didn’t help the inconsistency that plagued him during his stint in the Bay Area.
Fourth round: P Mitch Wishnowsky, No. 110 overall, 2019
Wishnowsky has been extremely effective in helping the 49ers win the field position battle. He frequently pins teams inside the 20, and returners rarely find room to run after fielding his punts. The 49ers are bad at picking in the fourth round, so this is where we’re at.
Honorable mention: OL Spencer Burford, No. 134 overall, 2022
Burford lands here for a lot of the same reason Banks did. While he was the starter, he rotated during his rookie season with veteran OL Daniel Brunskill at right guard. Burford played well enough to earn the driver’s seat for the starting RG job in 2023.
Fifth round: TE George Kittle, No. 146 overall, 2017
This is another one in the running for Lynch and Shanahan’s best overall selection. Kittle has been outstanding and by Year 2 developed into the NFL’s best all-around tight end. While his role in the offense has been whittled down some as the team added playmakers around him, he’s still an integral part of the offense who’s averaged 60 catches, 770 yards and six touchdowns per season over the last three years. Kittle may eventually go down as the best TE in 49ers history.
Honorable mention: LB Dre Greenlaw, No. 148 overall, 2019
Greenlaw impressed enough as a rookie to earn the Sam linebacker job out of training camp. His role grew when Will LB Kwon Alexander went down with a pec injury, and from there the Arkansas alum took off. Greenlaw was a very good player his first three years, but last season was his best and his coverage in the middle of the field is another huge reason San Francisco fielded the No. 1 defense in the NFL. He would be the top LB and the best fifth-round pick for most other teams in the NFL.
Honorable mention: S Talanoa Hufanga, No. 180 overall, 2021
Hufanga also deserves to be in the discussion. His lack of playing time hasn’t allowed him to fully blossom just yet, but his playmaking ability shined last season as the 49ers’ starting strong safety. In his first year as a starter Hufanga earned a First-Team All-Pro nod and a trip to the Pro Bowl.
Sixth round: DL D.J. Jones, No. 198 overall, 2017
This is a tough one, but Jones is the pick for now. He was a really vital piece along the interior of the 49ers’ defensive line during his four years in red and gold. While he was known more for his run-stopping abilities, he also churned out 7.0 sacks and eight QB hits during his last three years with the club. Jones wound up parlaying his strong five years with the 49ers into a three-year, $30 million deal with the Broncos with $20 million guaranteed.
Honorable mention: RB Elijah Mitchell, No. 194 overall, 2021
Mitchell would likely be the winner here if he’d been healthier his first two seasons. He’s played in just 16 of 34 regular season games, including only five last year. His 4.9 yards per carry on 252 attempts are plenty to make him an honorable mention though, and he’ll be the runaway best sixth-round pick if he can stay healthy with that level of production over the next couple years.
Seventh round: QB Brock Purdy, No. 262 overall, 2022
It’s hard to do better with a seventh-round pick than the 49ers did with Purdy last year. Taking a QB that late is typically a flyer in hopes he might be a backup someday. Purdy stepped into a starting role, gave a boost to the 49ers’ offense with some of his off-script playmaking, and helped them reach the NFC championship game before suffering a torn UCL on the first drive of that contest. Whether Purdy is the team’s franchise QB doesn’t necessarily matter in terms of making him their best seventh-round pick. The fact they got that kind of production from the final pick in the draft in his rookie year is very impressive.
Honorable mention: WR Jauan Jennings, No. 217 overall, 2020
Jennings didn’t get to make an impact as a rookie after spending the season on the practice squad, but he’s been excellent the last two years. He’s one of the best blocking WRs in the NFL and a reliable chain-moving option for San Francisco’s QBs. In 32 games Jennings has 59 catches for 698 yards and six touchdowns. Of those 59 receptions, 35 have come on third down, and 32 of his 59 receptions have gone for either a first down or a touchdown.
