Best 49ers draft pick in the last 20 years?

Patrick Willis for sure. First round pick, but somehow he slipped down to us at #11. I know players like Gore and Bowman are third round steals, but getting possibly one of the greatest LBs in the history of the NFL at #11 is just mind blowing.

Bryant Young?

Originally posted by capone0:

Based on what? Frank was a 3rd round pick who has had an amazing career.

I would say Willis is one of our best picks but was expected to be great. Bowman was another great pick of ours in the latter rounds.

Bryant Young was another great pick albeit from an early 1st round pick.

I think some may argue TO was our best pick but not all his damage was done for the 9ers, in addition he was an obvious headcase.

Based on pure performance for the 9ers, draft round is irrelevant I would say:

Willis
Young
Gore
TO

If we base it on what round they were selected and value we got:

Gore
TO
Willis
Young

T.O. is probably the best draft pick regardless of round selected. If he wasn't such a d-bag, he'd easily be HoF-bound. He should be HoF-bound regardless, based on his numbers and the impact he had in the passing game for every team he played for.

After that, I'd say Gore. He made things happen with no help. He was all we had at one point and he was still able to get it done. Defenses literally zeroed in on Gore and nobody else because they didn't have to worry about anybody else.

If you're talking value, then yes Gore or Bowman.

It will probably be Kaep soon though.

Originally posted by Sjceruti:

If you're talking value, then yes Gore or Bowman.

It will probably be Kaep soon though.

If you're talking value, I'd still go with Owens.

And yes, it'll be Kaepernick soon.

Originally posted by WRATHman44:
Disagree w/T.O.: He was good here, but most of what he did in his career, he didn't do with us, and a draft pick should be evaluated on how much he does for the team that selected him.

Bowman was a great value, for sure, but I can't fathom how anyone would think he's better than Willis. Sure, Navorro has more tackles, but Willis has to take on FAR more OL blocks, as offenses adjust scheme to block him every week, AND he has more difficult coverage responsibilities (Belichick called him the best cover man in our entire defense). Arguing that Bowman is better than Willis, IMO, is the result of over-weighing statistics, and I like Bowman a lot.

I think Owens is a buffoonish clown, but we picked him in the third round, and he is certainly a top five WR of All-Time. He had his best years with us, and the most years with us.

Bowman in the third is amazing. Willis was almost a top ten pick. The question was about the best draft picks, not the best player. Bowman in the third round is a superior pick to his equal (or very closely matched) in the top of the first.

Originally posted by BrianGO:

Originally posted by WRATHman44:
Disagree w/T.O.: He was good here, but most of what he did in his career, he didn't do with us, and a draft pick should be evaluated on how much he does for the team that selected him.

Bowman was a great value, for sure, but I can't fathom how anyone would think he's better than Willis. Sure, Navorro has more tackles, but Willis has to take on FAR more OL blocks, as offenses adjust scheme to block him every week, AND he has more difficult coverage responsibilities (Belichick called him the best cover man in our entire defense). Arguing that Bowman is better than Willis, IMO, is the result of over-weighing statistics, and I like Bowman a lot.

I think Owens is a buffoonish clown, but we picked him in the third round, and he is certainly a top five WR of All-Time. He had his best years with us, and the most years with us.

Bowman in the third is amazing. Willis was almost a top ten pick. The question was about the best draft picks, not the best player. Bowman in the third round is a superior pick to his equal (or very closely matched) in the top of the first.

disregard my previous post. I see what you did there. My apologies.

Originally posted by paperplanemedia:
Andy Lee 6th round draft pick, 3x Pro-Bowler and 4x All-Pro!

Agreed.

in 1996 we got TO in round 3 i think. he turned out great, but after that we went so many years where we got basically nothing special out of our mid to late rounders. i remember around 2003 saying to myself, every 1st round pick should turn out to be pretty good in a couple of years so theres no need to pat yourselves on the back for those picks. i kept wondering when the next TO would be drafted by us, a mid rounder who turned out to be elite. well it turned out to be frank gore, he was a special pick and easily the best pick we have had in the past 20 years. those guys picked in round 1 like willis and davis, those great things they've done were expected.

Gires

Originally posted by krizay:
T.O. is right behind Jerry in ALOT of categories. We consider Jerry the GOAT. So if T.O. can put up arguably the 2nd best numbers. How can it not be T.O.? As good as everyone else mentioned has been. To this point they dont have T.O.'s resume.

I'd have to agree. Based on career stats TO has to be in the conversation. He was a 3rd rounder if memory serves. Still can't help thinking "What if". Seems like such a waste.

I'd say either TO or BY based on career stats. Projection I'd say Willis and Kaepernick.

I think Kap has "all time greats" potential. If he can withstand the stardom he could be next in a line of special 49 qb's.

-

It's gotta be Bowman or TO if your going on potential vs production. Tough call,if TO had won a ring it would be a no brainer,but he didn't

if its best player its gotta be willis. dude is a future hall of famer. all pro and pro bowl every year. dude is everywhere on the field, doesnt even cause problems and has been the backbone of this defense since he has started for us. gore and t.o. were awesome value picks but if were talking just best player we have taken the last 20 years its gotta be willis.

Originally posted by Montana1977:
It's gotta be Bowman or TO if your going on potential vs production. Tough call,if TO had won a ring it would be a no brainer,but he didn't

lol, THAT'S NOT HIS FAULT. It's a team game, dude. You're sounding like the media who are VERY ignorant. I guess that's how they measure a player's greatness, regardless of position, on how many rings a player has. (even though football is THE ULTIMATE TEAM SPORT)

I'm not trying to bash you but that statement makes me smh. Owens was the second most dominate WR during his time (moss) and Owens gave it his all on the field despite his antics...

If bowman wins a ring, it would be a team accomplishment, not just him. Try switching players in their respective era. Let TO play now and let Bowman play in the late 90's to early 2000's.