In hindsight, the San Francisco 49ers would have been wise to avoid trading a significant haul of draft capital to move up and select Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. While the team was searching for its franchise quarterback, it didn't find him until a year later, when it selected Brock Purdy with the final pick of the 2022 draft.
Bleacher Report's Matt Holder recently reviewed every team's biggest draft misstep over the last five years and suggested a better alternative for each. For the 49ers, the draft mistake was obvious.
"There isn't much of a debate here since Lance might be the biggest draft bust in 49ers' history," Holder wrote. "Not only did the organization use a high pick on him, but it traded three first-round picks and a third-rounder to get him. That comes out to one draft pick per start that the North Dakota State product had in San Francisco."
It's a staggering stat—and one that would likely cost most team decision-makers their jobs. Fortunately for general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, the emergence of Brock Purdy helped salvage what could have been a franchise-altering misfire. Purdy has since been recognized as one of the best draft-day values of the modern era, with NFL.com's Eric Edholm ranking him among the top five quarterback values of the millennium.
Suppose the 49ers had a chance to go back and redo their 2021 draft. In that case, Holder believes they should have stood pat at No. 12 and selected offensive tackle Rashawn Slater, who the Los Angeles Chargers originally picked at No. 13. Slater has already earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors during his NFL career.
"In this exercise, the 49ers get the benefit of knowing Lance, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones are not worth taking in the first round," Holder wrote. "So, we'll assume they'll stick at pick No. 12 in this scenario, meaning the new pick has to be at that spot or later.
"Micah Parsons (drafted 12th by the Dallas Cowboys) was also considered here, but San Francisco had taken Nick Bosa just two years prior. Meanwhile, the team could have used a right tackle, which Slater played during his first two years at Northwestern."
Currently, Colton McKivitz holds down the right tackle spot for the 49ers, a role that has been a frequent topic of fan debate. While McKivitz showed improvement in 2024, there's little doubt that Slater would represent a clear upgrade.
"Having the two-time Pro Bowler play opposite Trent Williams would have given San Francisco a nasty offensive line, and Slater could've been the heir apparent to Williams on the blind side," Holder concluded.