2026 Draft Grade

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:

Originally posted by Memphis9er:
It's easy to be a critic when you've never been successful, or even a failure, at the job yourself. Maybe if they sucked more often, like Seattle, they could draft higher every once in awhile they'd accumulate enough top of the draft talent to make critics happy. Considering how often they are drafting later in the draft, and how often they are competitive, the critics should be smarter with their criticism. They aren't drafting to please a bunch of idiot talking heads, they are drafting to win games and stay competitive. If they hadn't been so unlucky with injuries last year, they'd have been much more competitive. Even with the ridiculous amount of injuries that happened to superstar players, they still were in it until the very end of the year. I swear some folks don't understand how good they have it, lol.

Originally posted by Giedi:
Agree 💯%, it was insane the injuries they had last year. Bosa, Warner, Purdy's toe, Kittle's every bone in his body, Aiyuk going mentally insane...

It goes to show you how the 2025 draft was really good. Good enough that the backups and rookies stepped in for the injured and still make the playoffs. I just hope that kind of drafting continues. So far, just doing a casual eyeball on the 2026 draft, I think they hit it out of the park (on paper at least).

Ok. Fair enough. So lets look at the drafts since Shanny & Co. took over, shall we:

* = Doubt they make the 53.
** = Jury still out
Bold = Successful pick still on the team, or otherwise successful for another team on a real 2nd contract
Italicized = Rounds 1 - 5 busts/wasted pick

2017 - 1 still on the team.
1, pick 3: DL Solomon Thomas
1, pick 31: LB Reuben Foster
3, pick 66: CB Ahkello Witherspoon
3, pick 104: QB C.J. Beathard
4, pick 121: RB Joe Williams
5, pick 146: TE George Kittle
5, pick 177: WR Trent Taylor
6, pick 198: DL D.J. Jones
6, pick 202: LB/DL Pita Taumoepenu
7, pick 229: S Adrian Colbert

2018 – 1 still on the team
1, (9). Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
2, (59). Dante Pettis, WR, Washington
3, (70). Fred Warner, LB, BYU
3, (95). Tarvarius Moore, DB, Southern Mississippi
4, (128). Kentavius Street, DE, N.C. State
5, (142). D.J. Reed, CB, Kansas State
6, (184). Marcell Harris, S, Florida
7, (223). Jullian Taylor, DT, Temple
7, (240). Richie James, WR, Middle Tennessee State

2019 – 2 still on the team.
1 - Pick 2 - Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State
2 - Pick 36 - Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina
3 - Pick 67 - Jalen Hurd, WR, Baylor
4 - Pick 110- Mitch Wishnowsky, P, Utah
5 - Pick 148 - Dre Greenlaw- LB, Arkansas
6 - Pick 176 - Kaden Smith, TE Stanford
6 - Pick 183 - Justin Skule, OT, Vanderbilt
6 - Pick 198 - Tim Harris, CB, Virginia

2020 – 1 still on the team.
1 -14, DT, Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina
1 - 25, WR, Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State (will not be on the team)
5 - 153, OT, Colton McKivitz, West Virginia
6 - 190, TE, Charlie Woerner, Georgia
7 - 217, WR, Jauan Jennings, Tennessee

2021 – 0 still on the team
1, pick 3 - Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
2, pick 48 (from LV) - Aaron Banks, G, Notre Dame
3, pick 88 (from LAR) - Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State
3, pick 102 - Ambry Thomas, CB, Michigan
5, pick 155 - Jaylon Moore, OG, Western Michigan (Chiefs got fleeced)
5, pick 172 - Talanoa Huganga, S, USC
6, pick 194 - Elijah Mitchell, RB, Louisiana

2022 – 2 still on the team.
2, Pick 61: DE Drake Jackson
3, Pick 93: RB Tyrion Davis-Price
3, Pick 105: WR Danny Gray
4, Pick 134: OL Spencer Burford
5, Pick 172: CB Samuel Womack
6, Pick 187: OL Nick Zakelj
6, Pick 220: DT Kalia Davis
6, Pick 221: CB Tariq Castro-Fields
7, Pick 262: QB Brock Purdy

2023 – 3 still on the team.
3 (87), S Ji'Ayir Brown, Penn State
3 (99), K Jake Moody, Michigan
3 (101), TE Cameron Latu, Alabama
5 (155), CB Darrell Luter Jr., South Alabama
5 (173), EDGE Robert Beal Jr., Georgia
6 (216), LB Dee Winters, TCU
7 (247), TE Brayden Willis, Oklahoma
7 (253), WR Ronnie Bell, Michigan
7 (255), LB Jalen Graham, Purdue

2024 – 7 still on the team
1, 31st - WR Ricky Pearsall, Florida (leaning bust, and will be in competition with Kirk for #3 WR)
2, 64th - CB Renardo Green, Florida State (competition likely to push him out)
3, 86th - OL Dominick Puni, Kansas
4, 124th - S Malik Mustapha, Wake Forest
4, 129th - RB Isaac Guerendo, Louisville (on notice)
4, 135th - WR Jacob Cowing, Arizona (on notice)
6, 215th - OL Jarrett Kingston, USC
7, 251st - LB Tatum Bethune, FSU *

2025 – All on the team
1, 11 - Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
2, 43 - Alfred Collins, DT, Texas
3, 75 - Nick Martin, LB, Oklahoma State **
3, 100 - Upton Stout, CB, Western Kentucky
4, 113 - CJ West, DT, Indiana **
4, 138 - Jordan Watkins, WR, Ole Miss (leaning bust)
5, 147 - Jordan James, RB, Oregon *
5, 160 - Marques Sigle, S, Kansas State **
7, 227 - Kurtis Rourke, QB, Indiana
7, 249 - Connor Colby, G, Iowa *
7, 252 - Junior Bergen, WR, Montana *

2026 – Only one likely starter
2, 33 - De'Zhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss (a big reach, but will likely push Pearsall to #3 WR, has ALL the traits Shanny wants in WR's)
3, 70 - Romello Height, Edge, Texas Tech (big reach, offers nothing in the run game, but I get it)
3, 90 - Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana (an awful reach and likely won't see the field much)
4, 107 - Gracen Halton, DT, Oklahoma (great pick, will be a great rotational piece)
4, 127 - Carver Willis, OL, Washington (a bad reach, too light, will get pushed around)
5, 154 - Jaden Dugger, LB, Louisiana (like the pick, will push Bethune off the roster)
5, 179 - Enrique Cruz Jr., OT, Kansas (intrigued, should have went sooner)

• Total drafted players between 2017 & 2025: 76
• Current starters on the team from those drafts between 2017 & 2025: 14 (but 50% of those starters come from the 2024 & 2025 drafts)
• 1st round hit: 25%
• Total 1st - 5th busts/wasted picks: 20
• Players still on the team between 2017 & 2024: 17 (not including the 7 from the 2024 season & all 11 from 2025)
• Number of 3rd & 4th round RB since 2017: 6

I'm sorry, we have nearly 10 seasons of draft evidence to be able to safely say that whatever Shanny & Co. draft process is it needs to change or seriously tweaked. The 2021, 2022, and 2023 drafts were just awful draft performances for Shanny & Co. But for Brock Purdy I do think Shanny & Lynch gets fired. Now, the 2024 and 2025 drafts look to be Shanny & Co. better drafts, but that's pending on how the 2026 draft shakes out, but the 2026 looks to have only one potential starter with the rest looking to be role players. The 2026 draft could turn out eerily similar to the 2022 draft netting only one starter and the rest eventually off the team.

We have watched 3 drafts in which there's only one player remaining from that draft, and one draft with 0 players remaining on the roster from that draft. I don't think it's fair to imply that fans don't have a right to critique after THAT draft performance over the last 9 seasons.

I'm not calling for Shanny to be fired. He is the best offensive mind in the NFL and at worst a top 3 HC. Firing him would be foolish. What I am saying that we have enough draft performance to be able to definitively say that, while he is a top 3 HC and the top offensive mind in football, the draft and roster building isn't his lane and that his control of the roster needs to be curtailed. In fact, the evidence shows it's a huge blind spot for Shanny. And fans voicing that critique isn't us saying that we know more than him. Are we in the draft room? No! Do we know more about football than him? Absolutely not! But we do have 9 drafts, 9 rosters, and 2 eyes that have used for watching all those 9 seasons and drafts to be able to develop a logical opinion based off what we've witnessed from those said drafts. As life-long 49ers fans we have every right to do so.

Whenever one's performance is open for public consumption, public critique - good or bad - is fair game, warranted, and to be expected. And because that performance is open for public consumption neither critique, nor praise, require qualifications.

Draft is just one third of roster building. Trade and free agency are the other two thirds. Just looking at the draft, you are missing two thirds of the rest of the puzzle.

Originally posted by Giedi:

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:

Originally posted by Memphis9er:
It's easy to be a critic when you've never been successful, or even a failure, at the job yourself. Maybe if they sucked more often, like Seattle, they could draft higher every once in awhile they'd accumulate enough top of the draft talent to make critics happy. Considering how often they are drafting later in the draft, and how often they are competitive, the critics should be smarter with their criticism. They aren't drafting to please a bunch of idiot talking heads, they are drafting to win games and stay competitive. If they hadn't been so unlucky with injuries last year, they'd have been much more competitive. Even with the ridiculous amount of injuries that happened to superstar players, they still were in it until the very end of the year. I swear some folks don't understand how good they have it, lol.

Originally posted by Giedi:
Agree 💯%, it was insane the injuries they had last year. Bosa, Warner, Purdy's toe, Kittle's every bone in his body, Aiyuk going mentally insane...

It goes to show you how the 2025 draft was really good. Good enough that the backups and rookies stepped in for the injured and still make the playoffs. I just hope that kind of drafting continues. So far, just doing a casual eyeball on the 2026 draft, I think they hit it out of the park (on paper at least).

Ok. Fair enough. So lets look at the drafts since Shanny & Co. took over, shall we:

* = Doubt they make the 53.
** = Jury still out
Bold = Successful pick still on the team, or otherwise successful for another team on a real 2nd contract
Italicized = Rounds 1 - 5 busts/wasted pick

2017 - 1 still on the team.
1, pick 3: DL Solomon Thomas
1, pick 31: LB Reuben Foster
3, pick 66: CB Ahkello Witherspoon
3, pick 104: QB C.J. Beathard
4, pick 121: RB Joe Williams
5, pick 146: TE George Kittle
5, pick 177: WR Trent Taylor
6, pick 198: DL D.J. Jones
6, pick 202: LB/DL Pita Taumoepenu
7, pick 229: S Adrian Colbert

2018 – 1 still on the team
1, (9). Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
2, (59). Dante Pettis, WR, Washington
3, (70). Fred Warner, LB, BYU
3, (95). Tarvarius Moore, DB, Southern Mississippi
4, (128). Kentavius Street, DE, N.C. State
5, (142). D.J. Reed, CB, Kansas State
6, (184). Marcell Harris, S, Florida
7, (223). Jullian Taylor, DT, Temple
7, (240). Richie James, WR, Middle Tennessee State

2019 – 2 still on the team.
1 - Pick 2 - Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State
2 - Pick 36 - Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina
3 - Pick 67 - Jalen Hurd, WR, Baylor
4 - Pick 110- Mitch Wishnowsky, P, Utah
5 - Pick 148 - Dre Greenlaw- LB, Arkansas
6 - Pick 176 - Kaden Smith, TE Stanford
6 - Pick 183 - Justin Skule, OT, Vanderbilt
6 - Pick 198 - Tim Harris, CB, Virginia

2020 – 1 still on the team.
1 -14, DT, Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina
1 - 25, WR, Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State (will not be on the team)
5 - 153, OT, Colton McKivitz, West Virginia
6 - 190, TE, Charlie Woerner, Georgia
7 - 217, WR, Jauan Jennings, Tennessee

2021 – 0 still on the team
1, pick 3 - Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
2, pick 48 (from LV) - Aaron Banks, G, Notre Dame
3, pick 88 (from LAR) - Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State
3, pick 102 - Ambry Thomas, CB, Michigan
5, pick 155 - Jaylon Moore, OG, Western Michigan (Chiefs got fleeced)
5, pick 172 - Talanoa Huganga, S, USC
6, pick 194 - Elijah Mitchell, RB, Louisiana

2022 – 2 still on the team.
2, Pick 61: DE Drake Jackson
3, Pick 93: RB Tyrion Davis-Price
3, Pick 105: WR Danny Gray
4, Pick 134: OL Spencer Burford
5, Pick 172: CB Samuel Womack
6, Pick 187: OL Nick Zakelj
6, Pick 220: DT Kalia Davis
6, Pick 221: CB Tariq Castro-Fields
7, Pick 262: QB Brock Purdy

2023 – 3 still on the team.
3 (87), S Ji'Ayir Brown, Penn State
3 (99), K Jake Moody, Michigan
3 (101), TE Cameron Latu, Alabama
5 (155), CB Darrell Luter Jr., South Alabama
5 (173), EDGE Robert Beal Jr., Georgia
6 (216), LB Dee Winters, TCU
7 (247), TE Brayden Willis, Oklahoma
7 (253), WR Ronnie Bell, Michigan
7 (255), LB Jalen Graham, Purdue

2024 – 7 still on the team
1, 31st - WR Ricky Pearsall, Florida (leaning bust, and will be in competition with Kirk for #3 WR)
2, 64th - CB Renardo Green, Florida State (competition likely to push him out)
3, 86th - OL Dominick Puni, Kansas
4, 124th - S Malik Mustapha, Wake Forest
4, 129th - RB Isaac Guerendo, Louisville (on notice)
4, 135th - WR Jacob Cowing, Arizona (on notice)
6, 215th - OL Jarrett Kingston, USC
7, 251st - LB Tatum Bethune, FSU *

2025 – All on the team
1, 11 - Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
2, 43 - Alfred Collins, DT, Texas
3, 75 - Nick Martin, LB, Oklahoma State **
3, 100 - Upton Stout, CB, Western Kentucky
4, 113 - CJ West, DT, Indiana **
4, 138 - Jordan Watkins, WR, Ole Miss (leaning bust)
5, 147 - Jordan James, RB, Oregon *
5, 160 - Marques Sigle, S, Kansas State **
7, 227 - Kurtis Rourke, QB, Indiana
7, 249 - Connor Colby, G, Iowa *
7, 252 - Junior Bergen, WR, Montana *

2026 – Only one likely starter
2, 33 - De'Zhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss (a big reach, but will likely push Pearsall to #3 WR, has ALL the traits Shanny wants in WR's)
3, 70 - Romello Height, Edge, Texas Tech (big reach, offers nothing in the run game, but I get it)
3, 90 - Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana (an awful reach and likely won't see the field much)
4, 107 - Gracen Halton, DT, Oklahoma (great pick, will be a great rotational piece)
4, 127 - Carver Willis, OL, Washington (a bad reach, too light, will get pushed around)
5, 154 - Jaden Dugger, LB, Louisiana (like the pick, will push Bethune off the roster)
5, 179 - Enrique Cruz Jr., OT, Kansas (intrigued, should have went sooner)

• Total drafted players between 2017 & 2025: 76
• Current starters on the team from those drafts between 2017 & 2025: 14 (but 50% of those starters come from the 2024 & 2025 drafts)
• 1st round hit: 25%
• Total 1st - 5th busts/wasted picks: 20
• Players still on the team between 2017 & 2024: 17 (not including the 7 from the 2024 season & all 11 from 2025)
• Number of 3rd & 4th round RB since 2017: 6

I'm sorry, we have nearly 10 seasons of draft evidence to be able to safely say that whatever Shanny & Co. draft process is it needs to change or seriously tweaked. The 2021, 2022, and 2023 drafts were just awful draft performances for Shanny & Co. But for Brock Purdy I do think Shanny & Lynch gets fired. Now, the 2024 and 2025 drafts look to be Shanny & Co. better drafts, but that's pending on how the 2026 draft shakes out, but the 2026 looks to have only one potential starter with the rest looking to be role players. The 2026 draft could turn out eerily similar to the 2022 draft netting only one starter and the rest eventually off the team.

We have watched 3 drafts in which there's only one player remaining from that draft, and one draft with 0 players remaining on the roster from that draft. I don't think it's fair to imply that fans don't have a right to critique after THAT draft performance over the last 9 seasons.

I'm not calling for Shanny to be fired. He is the best offensive mind in the NFL and at worst a top 3 HC. Firing him would be foolish. What I am saying that we have enough draft performance to be able to definitively say that, while he is a top 3 HC and the top offensive mind in football, the draft and roster building isn't his lane and that his control of the roster needs to be curtailed. In fact, the evidence shows it's a huge blind spot for Shanny. And fans voicing that critique isn't us saying that we know more than him. Are we in the draft room? No! Do we know more about football than him? Absolutely not! But we do have 9 drafts, 9 rosters, and 2 eyes that have used for watching all those 9 seasons and drafts to be able to develop a logical opinion based off what we've witnessed from those said drafts. As life-long 49ers fans we have every right to do so.

Whenever one's performance is open for public consumption, public critique - good or bad - is fair game, warranted, and to be expected. And because that performance is open for public consumption neither critique, nor praise, require qualifications.

Draft is just one third of roster building. Trade and free agency are the other two thirds. Just looking at the draft, you are missing two thirds of the rest of the puzzle.

In addition to the other two phases, the scoring of some of the picks is off, as shows unrealistic expectations. Banks, Wish, Mitchell, and Winters were good picks considering that they had good performance, landed subsequent contracts or were traded for. Several others landed on other teams indicating they were at least interesting players.

This is a top 5 front office, coach, and management.

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:

Originally posted by 49ers81:
12 minutes or so of Kyle talking about the team's draft process. Agree or disagree, but don't come in here anymore and say you don't understand why the team made this selection or that selection.

I watched that whole video. Yeah, Shanny's roster building powers need to be curtailed. Shanny doing this interview tells me that he's hearing the criticism. But this explains a lot of bad drafts by Shanny. He said that he doesn't start studying highlights - HIGHLIGHTS!! - until February, and don't know who the Heisman is because he's so focused on NFL ball. And watches nothing else after the draft? Says if he doesn't like what he sees on the highlight tape he won't watch anything else on the player, and won't watch more highlight tape until next February. Wow! My experience with scouting at the high school and college lever demanded not just watching highlight tapes, but going to games, talking to coaches and teammates, etc. This process takes all year even at those levels, so I can just imagine the kind of efforts NFL scouts put in. It's way more involved that a few months of watching highlight tapes. The 49ers scouting department has to be THE most frustrated scouting department in the league. In a good way it confirms why I think they reached for Stribling and Height. But in a bad way it confirms why I thought they grossly reached for Black and Willis. This interview also confirms to me that the scouting department has very little say regarding the earlier picks, but also explains why this team has had relative success in the later rounds.

You're right @49ers81, we can no longer wonder why they made these selections. This interview makes it worse. It's an indictment about the 49ers talent evaluation and draft process, and the best evidence available that shows why Shanny should get out of the roster building and draft business.

If Shanny knows (and openly admits) that all he can spare is a few months of highlight tape watching on a player then he has no business with the final say on who gets drafted.

Well, if that was your takeaway from that interview then I don't know tell you. The highlights he watches are put together by the position coaches, which means they are all contributing to the process and looking at hundreds of potential picks every season. I'm not sure how you would expect Kyle to carve out time during the season to watch that much tape. The coaches who may actually be coaching the players they are evaluating are the ones who are doing the leg work in order to find players they like and then bringing the best of those prospects to Kyle's attention so he can evaluate them. Seems like a pretty inclusive process to me and not one where Kyle is just sitting around arbitrarily deciding who he wants to pick.

Originally posted by 49ers81:
Well, if that was your takeaway from that interview then I don't know tell you. The highlights he watches are put together by the position coaches, which means they are all contributing to the process and looking at hundreds of potential picks every season. I'm not sure how you would expect Kyle to carve out time during the season to watch that much tape. The coaches who may actually be coaching the players they are evaluating are the ones who are doing the leg work in order to find players they like and then bringing the best of those prospects to Kyle's attention so he can evaluate them. Seems like a pretty inclusive process to me and not one where Kyle is just sitting around arbitrarily deciding who he wants to pick.

exactly seems very collaborative as opposed to 1-2 people making all the decisions

Originally posted by Giedi:
Draft is just one third of roster building. Trade and free agency are the other two thirds. Just looking at the draft, you are missing two thirds of the rest of the puzzle.

Big FACTS!!

However, that 1/3 has been so horrendous that scrutiny is warranted. And just because scrutiny is voiced don't mean we are "missing" the other 2/3 of the puzzle. As it stands that horrendous 1/3 is having an outsized effect on the total puzzle.

Originally posted by 49ers81:
Well, if that was your takeaway from that interview then I don't know tell you. The highlights he watches are put together by the position coaches, which means they are all contributing to the process and looking at hundreds of potential picks every season. I'm not sure how you would expect Kyle to carve out time during the season to watch that much tape. The coaches who may actually be coaching the players they are evaluating are the ones who are doing the leg work in order to find players they like and then bringing the best of those prospects to Kyle's attention so he can evaluate them. Seems like a pretty inclusive process to me and not one where Kyle is just sitting around arbitrarily deciding who he wants to pick.

You know, you're actually making my point. This take would be on point if Shanny wasn't given power to 1.) basically hire his own GM (who really isn't a GM in the truest sense), and 2.) given final say of the roster. Fans like me long suspected that Shanny's focus on coaching didn't lend him the requisite time to be in the proper position to be making final decisions when it comes to the draft and roster building, and that coaches are allowed to pick their favorites (which explains a lot regarding these failed 3rd/4th round RB selections). Shanny's own words in that Rich Eisen interview confirmed those suspicions. So when you say:

I'm not sure how you would expect Kyle to carve out time during the season to watch that much tape.

. . . you really should be asking: well if that the case then how on earth can Shanny fix himself to demand final say in the draft and roster building? Since Shanny demanded to have that power position it dictated that he put more effort into scouting than 2 months of watching highlight tape before he makes his final decision on drafting players. He said himself that if he didn't like what he saw in the highlights (highlights presumably put together by the scouts after at least a whole year of flying all over the country to watching games of prospects, interviewing coaches and teammates and even family members, etc.) he didn't watch anymore of the highlights on a player. To be clear, I in no way expect Shanny to be able to focus on coaching AND have the time to put in the needed work to be able to build a roster, work a draft, and be the final say on who gets drafted. Hence, this is why I believe it was a mistake for him to demand it (or for Jed to give it) in the first place. But again, Shanny demanded this power, so scrutiny of the power exercised is fair game. IMHO, that Rich Eisen interview was a pretty damning exposé. He basically admitted that he don't have the requisite time needed to make informed decisions when it comes to the draft and roster building yet making them anyway. Even worse, based off what Shanny said in the interview, and the draft selections since 2017, it's crystal clear that the "contributing" is really the coaches having huge input on who is drafted in the early rounds over the scouts, while position coaches are allowed to prioritize their draft crushes. The scouting department don't seem to be having much of an impact until the later rounds and rookie free agents. This is how we get draft boards that deviate so drastically far from the NFL consensus and how we have whole draft classes wasted.

Originally posted by ritz126:
exactly seems very collaborative as opposed to 1-2 people making all the decisions

Yeah, "collaborative" when it comes to the coaches with their draft crushes and Shanny with final approval. And just how has that unconventional "collaborative" effort been turning out for our draft results?

Shanny needs to take a page out of Andy Reid's book and trust his GM and scouting department to draft and build the roster. It took Andy Reid being fired to learn that lesson. I'm begging for Shanny to NOT learn that lesson that way. I don't want Shanny applying that lesson learned on another team and win the SB. That's not me saying that Shanny shouldn't be consulted or shouldn't have a voice in the process. Of course he should. But he should not be having final say in this area, and definitely the position coaches shouldn't have any say at all about who's drafted, no matter how well respected they are (I'm looking at you Robert Turner and Chris Foerster). I think we can say with confidence that THAT "collaborative" approach has failed.

If we count Osa in the 3rd and White in the 6th or 7th (sorry I forgot) our grade should be at least a B

Originally posted by elguapo:
If we count Osa in the 3rd and White in the 6th or 7th (sorry I forgot) our grade should be at least a B

Shoot, good point!! I agree. I honestly love the Stribling, Height and Halton picks. Seeing as the 49ers and NFL don't hit on every pick, I hope they hit on those three at least.

Originally posted by elguapo:
If we count Osa in the 3rd and White in the 6th or 7th (sorry I forgot) our grade should be at least a B

Given Shanny & Co. draft history with the 49ers I'd say a B grade with this draft class is rather rich and optimistic. Given that this draft class tracks with the previous draft classes I have to give it an F+. Osa and Keion White were great pickups (and veteran FA pickups is where I think Lynch thrives). But I don't think that FA vet pickups should be included in draft grades, and even if it could those two pickups don't make a bad draft into a good draft, IMHO.

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:
Big FACTS!!

However, that 1/3 has been so horrendous that scrutiny is warranted. And just because scrutiny is voiced don't mean we are "missing" the other 2/3 of the puzzle. As it stands that horrendous 1/3 is having an outsized effect on the total puzzle.

You know, you're actually making my point. This take would be on point if Shanny wasn't given power to 1.) basically hire his own GM (who really isn't a GM in the truest sense), and 2.) given final say of the roster. Fans like me long suspected that Shanny's focus on coaching didn't lend him the requisite time to be in the proper position to be making final decisions when it comes to the draft and roster building, and that coaches are allowed to pick their favorites (which explains a lot regarding these failed 3rd/4th round RB selections). Shanny's own words in that Rich Eisen interview confirmed those suspicions. So when you say:

I'm not sure how you would expect Kyle to carve out time during the season to watch that much tape.

. . . you really should be asking: well if that the case then how on earth can Shanny fix himself to demand final say in the draft and roster building? Since Shanny demanded to have that power position it dictated that he put more effort into scouting than 2 months of watching highlight tape before he makes his final decision on drafting players. He said himself that if he didn't like what he saw in the highlights (highlights presumably put together by the scouts after at least a whole year of flying all over the country to watching games of prospects, interviewing coaches and teammates and even family members, etc.) he didn't watch anymore of the highlights on a player. To be clear, I in no way expect Shanny to be able to focus on coaching AND have the time to put in the needed work to be able to build a roster, work a draft, and be the final say on who gets drafted. Hence, this is why I believe it was a mistake for him to demand it (or for Jed to give it) in the first place. But again, Shanny demanded this power, so scrutiny of the power exercised is fair game. IMHO, that Rich Eisen interview was a pretty damning exposé. He basically admitted that he don't have the requisite time needed to make informed decisions when it comes to the draft and roster building yet making them anyway. Even worse, based off what Shanny said in the interview, and the draft selections since 2017, it's crystal clear that the "contributing" is really the coaches having huge input on who is drafted in the early rounds over the scouts, while position coaches are allowed to prioritize their draft crushes. The scouting department don't seem to be having much of an impact until the later rounds and rookie free agents. This is how we get draft boards that deviate so drastically far from the NFL consensus and how we have whole draft classes wasted.

Yeah, "collaborative" when it comes to the coaches with their draft crushes and Shanny with final approval. And just how has that unconventional "collaborative" effort been turning out for our draft results?

Shanny needs to take a page out of Andy Reid's book and trust his GM and scouting department to draft and build the roster. It took Andy Reid being fired to learn that lesson. I'm begging for Shanny to NOT learn that lesson that way. I don't want Shanny applying that lesson learned on another team and win the SB. That's not me saying that Shanny shouldn't be consulted or shouldn't have a voice in the process. Of course he should. But he should not be having final say in this area, and definitely the position coaches shouldn't have any say at all about who's drafted, no matter how well respected they are (I'm looking at you Robert Turner and Chris Foerster). I think we can say with confidence that THAT "collaborative" approach has failed.

Well done and nicely put. Thanks!

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:
Big FACTS!!

However, that 1/3 has been so horrendous that scrutiny is warranted. And just because scrutiny is voiced don't mean we are "missing" the other 2/3 of the puzzle. As it stands that horrendous 1/3 is having an outsized effect on the total puzzle.

You know, you're actually making my point. This take would be on point if Shanny wasn't given power to 1.) basically hire his own GM (who really isn't a GM in the truest sense), and 2.) given final say of the roster. Fans like me long suspected that Shanny's focus on coaching didn't lend him the requisite time to be in the proper position to be making final decisions when it comes to the draft and roster building, and that coaches are allowed to pick their favorites (which explains a lot regarding these failed 3rd/4th round RB selections). Shanny's own words in that Rich Eisen interview confirmed those suspicions. So when you say:

I'm not sure how you would expect Kyle to carve out time during the season to watch that much tape.

. . . you really should be asking: well if that the case then how on earth can Shanny fix himself to demand final say in the draft and roster building? Since Shanny demanded to have that power position it dictated that he put more effort into scouting than 2 months of watching highlight tape before he makes his final decision on drafting players. He said himself that if he didn't like what he saw in the highlights (highlights presumably put together by the scouts after at least a whole year of flying all over the country to watching games of prospects, interviewing coaches and teammates and even family members, etc.) he didn't watch anymore of the highlights on a player. To be clear, I in no way expect Shanny to be able to focus on coaching AND have the time to put in the needed work to be able to build a roster, work a draft, and be the final say on who gets drafted. Hence, this is why I believe it was a mistake for him to demand it (or for Jed to give it) in the first place. But again, Shanny demanded this power, so scrutiny of the power exercised is fair game. IMHO, that Rich Eisen interview was a pretty damning exposé. He basically admitted that he don't have the requisite time needed to make informed decisions when it comes to the draft and roster building yet making them anyway. Even worse, based off what Shanny said in the interview, and the draft selections since 2017, it's crystal clear that the "contributing" is really the coaches having huge input on who is drafted in the early rounds over the scouts, while position coaches are allowed to prioritize their draft crushes. The scouting department don't seem to be having much of an impact until the later rounds and rookie free agents. This is how we get draft boards that deviate so drastically far from the NFL consensus and how we have whole draft classes wasted.

Yeah, "collaborative" when it comes to the coaches with their draft crushes and Shanny with final approval. And just how has that unconventional "collaborative" effort been turning out for our draft results?

Shanny needs to take a page out of Andy Reid's book and trust his GM and scouting department to draft and build the roster. It took Andy Reid being fired to learn that lesson. I'm begging for Shanny to NOT learn that lesson that way. I don't want Shanny applying that lesson learned on another team and win the SB. That's not me saying that Shanny shouldn't be consulted or shouldn't have a voice in the process. Of course he should. But he should not be having final say in this area, and definitely the position coaches shouldn't have any say at all about who's drafted, no matter how well respected they are (I'm looking at you Robert Turner and Chris Foerster). I think we can say with confidence that THAT "collaborative" approach has failed.

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:

Originally posted by elguapo:
If we count Osa in the 3rd and White in the 6th or 7th (sorry I forgot) our grade should be at least a B

Given Shanny & Co. draft history with the 49ers I'd say a B grade with this draft class is rather rich and optimistic. Given that this draft class tracks with the previous draft classes I have to give it an F+. Osa and Keion White were great pickups (and veteran FA pickups is where I think Lynch thrives). But I don't think that FA vet pickups should be included in draft grades, and even if it could those two pickups don't make a bad draft into a good draft, IMHO.

Agreed; it shouldn't be included in draft grades because they weren't drafted. Off-season grade…yes

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:
Big FACTS!!

However, that 1/3 has been so horrendous that scrutiny is warranted. And just because scrutiny is voiced don't mean we are "missing" the other 2/3 of the puzzle. As it stands that horrendous 1/3 is having an outsized effect on the total puzzle.

You know, you're actually making my point. This take would be on point if Shanny wasn't given power to 1.) basically hire his own GM (who really isn't a GM in the truest sense), and 2.) given final say of the roster. Fans like me long suspected that Shanny's focus on coaching didn't lend him the requisite time to be in the proper position to be making final decisions when it comes to the draft and roster building, and that coaches are allowed to pick their favorites (which explains a lot regarding these failed 3rd/4th round RB selections). Shanny's own words in that Rich Eisen interview confirmed those suspicions. So when you say:

I'm not sure how you would expect Kyle to carve out time during the season to watch that much tape.

. . . you really should be asking: well if that the case then how on earth can Shanny fix himself to demand final say in the draft and roster building? Since Shanny demanded to have that power position it dictated that he put more effort into scouting than 2 months of watching highlight tape before he makes his final decision on drafting players. He said himself that if he didn't like what he saw in the highlights (highlights presumably put together by the scouts after at least a whole year of flying all over the country to watching games of prospects, interviewing coaches and teammates and even family members, etc.) he didn't watch anymore of the highlights on a player. To be clear, I in no way expect Shanny to be able to focus on coaching AND have the time to put in the needed work to be able to build a roster, work a draft, and be the final say on who gets drafted. Hence, this is why I believe it was a mistake for him to demand it (or for Jed to give it) in the first place. But again, Shanny demanded this power, so scrutiny of the power exercised is fair game. IMHO, that Rich Eisen interview was a pretty damning exposé. He basically admitted that he don't have the requisite time needed to make informed decisions when it comes to the draft and roster building yet making them anyway. Even worse, based off what Shanny said in the interview, and the draft selections since 2017, it's crystal clear that the "contributing" is really the coaches having huge input on who is drafted in the early rounds over the scouts, while position coaches are allowed to prioritize their draft crushes. The scouting department don't seem to be having much of an impact until the later rounds and rookie free agents. This is how we get draft boards that deviate so drastically far from the NFL consensus and how we have whole draft classes wasted.

Yeah, "collaborative" when it comes to the coaches with their draft crushes and Shanny with final approval. And just how has that unconventional "collaborative" effort been turning out for our draft results?

Shanny needs to take a page out of Andy Reid's book and trust his GM and scouting department to draft and build the roster. It took Andy Reid being fired to learn that lesson. I'm begging for Shanny to NOT learn that lesson that way. I don't want Shanny applying that lesson learned on another team and win the SB. That's not me saying that Shanny shouldn't be consulted or shouldn't have a voice in the process. Of course he should. But he should not be having final say in this area, and definitely the position coaches shouldn't have any say at all about who's drafted, no matter how well respected they are (I'm looking at you Robert Turner and Chris Foerster). I think we can say with confidence that THAT "collaborative" approach has failed.

Your response is built on all of the assumptions about how the 49ers' draft process works that you've already convinced yourself are true and doesn't actually contain anything resembling an actual argument. Lynch has said that he and the scouts work all year long on evaluating players. The position coaches evaluate players, and Kyle apparently evaluates players based on the recommendations of all of those other people. So, like I said if that that was your only response to watching that clip, I don't know what to tell you. Four paragraphs of you citing your own "authority" on the matter doesn't really change anything. Go Niners!

Originally posted by 49ers81:
Your response is built on all of the assumptions about how the 49ers' draft process works that you've already convinced yourself are true and doesn't actually contain anything resembling an actual argument. Lynch has said that he and the scouts work all year long on evaluating players. The position coaches evaluate players, and Kyle apparently evaluates players based on the recommendations of all of those other people. So, like I said if that that was your only response to watching that clip, I don't know what to tell you. Four paragraphs of you citing your own "authority" on the matter doesn't really change anything. Go Niners!

Wrong! I had my suspicions about the draft process; this is true. However, once Shanny interviewed and confirmed those suspicions out of his own mouth those suspicions became facts, not assumptions. So I wasn't citing my own authority. I cited every draft since 2017 buttressed by Shanny's own words.

As I stated before, Shanny is clearly hearing these draft criticisms, which is why he did the interview. I'm happy to be corrected on this but I don't think Shanny ever answered to the national media regarding his draft process. Please correct me if I'm wrong. We appreciate the honesty, but he confirmed a lot of 49ers fans assumptions and suspicions about how he approaches the draft, and he's rightfully getting killed for it.

When our draft board routinely drastically deviates from the NFL evaluation consciences, coupled by routinely bad drafts littered with reaches and misses, I'm sorry bro, we have questions. Just saying

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:

Originally posted by Giedi:
Draft is just one third of roster building. Trade and free agency are the other two thirds. Just looking at the draft, you are missing two thirds of the rest of the puzzle.

Big FACTS!!

However, that 1/3 has been so horrendous that scrutiny is warranted. And just because scrutiny is voiced don't mean we are "missing" the other 2/3 of the puzzle. As it stands that horrendous 1/3 is having an outsized effect on the total puzzle.

Originally posted by 49ers81:
Well, if that was your takeaway from that interview then I don't know tell you. The highlights he watches are put together by the position coaches, which means they are all contributing to the process and looking at hundreds of potential picks every season. I'm not sure how you would expect Kyle to carve out time during the season to watch that much tape. The coaches who may actually be coaching the players they are evaluating are the ones who are doing the leg work in order to find players they like and then bringing the best of those prospects to Kyle's attention so he can evaluate them. Seems like a pretty inclusive process to me and not one where Kyle is just sitting around arbitrarily deciding who he wants to pick.

You know, you're actually making my point. This take would be on point if Shanny wasn't given power to 1.) basically hire his own GM (who really isn't a GM in the truest sense), and 2.) given final say of the roster. Fans like me long suspected that Shanny's focus on coaching didn't lend him the requisite time to be in the proper position to be making final decisions when it comes to the draft and roster building, and that coaches are allowed to pick their favorites (which explains a lot regarding these failed 3rd/4th round RB selections). Shanny's own words in that Rich Eisen interview confirmed those suspicions. So when you say:

I'm not sure how you would expect Kyle to carve out time during the season to watch that much tape.

. . . you really should be asking: well if that the case then how on earth can Shanny fix himself to demand final say in the draft and roster building? Since Shanny demanded to have that power position it dictated that he put more effort into scouting than 2 months of watching highlight tape before he makes his final decision on drafting players. He said himself that if he didn't like what he saw in the highlights (highlights presumably put together by the scouts after at least a whole year of flying all over the country to watching games of prospects, interviewing coaches and teammates and even family members, etc.) he didn't watch anymore of the highlights on a player. To be clear, I in no way expect Shanny to be able to focus on coaching AND have the time to put in the needed work to be able to build a roster, work a draft, and be the final say on who gets drafted. Hence, this is why I believe it was a mistake for him to demand it (or for Jed to give it) in the first place. But again, Shanny demanded this power, so scrutiny of the power exercised is fair game. IMHO, that Rich Eisen interview was a pretty damning exposé. He basically admitted that he don't have the requisite time needed to make informed decisions when it comes to the draft and roster building yet making them anyway. Even worse, based off what Shanny said in the interview, and the draft selections since 2017, it's crystal clear that the "contributing" is really the coaches having huge input on who is drafted in the early rounds over the scouts, while position coaches are allowed to prioritize their draft crushes. The scouting department don't seem to be having much of an impact until the later rounds and rookie free agents. This is how we get draft boards that deviate so drastically far from the NFL consensus and how we have whole draft classes wasted.

Originally posted by ritz126:
exactly seems very collaborative as opposed to 1-2 people making all the decisions

Yeah, "collaborative" when it comes to the coaches with their draft crushes and Shanny with final approval. And just how has that unconventional "collaborative" effort been turning out for our draft results?

Shanny needs to take a page out of Andy Reid's book and trust his GM and scouting department to draft and build the roster. It took Andy Reid being fired to learn that lesson. I'm begging for Shanny to NOT learn that lesson that way. I don't want Shanny applying that lesson learned on another team and win the SB. That's not me saying that Shanny shouldn't be consulted or shouldn't have a voice in the process. Of course he should. But he should not be having final say in this area, and definitely the position coaches shouldn't have any say at all about who's drafted, no matter how well respected they are (I'm looking at you Robert Turner and Chris Foerster). I think we can say with confidence that THAT "collaborative" approach has failed.

I took a casual gander at the KC draft and the 49ers draft. One point I want to bring out is that a lot of the Starters that defeated the 49ers in 2019 - several key contributors were drafted pre-ShanaLYnch era. So In a sense how can you take *a page* from Fat Andy's book when he has more *pages* than yours? Secondly I don't get the idea that Shanahan doesn't listen to his scouts. He does listen to his scouts and everybody else.

While the post-draft portion of the offseason offers a slower pace, Shanahan described the months leading into the draft as one of the most demanding stretches of the year. Unlike the scouting department, which evaluates prospects year-round, Shanahan's personal draft process begins after the NFL season concludes. To manage the volume of prospects, Shanahan relies on collaboration throughout the coaching staff.
"We give all the position coaches a responsibility to make highlight tapes on everybody," Shanahan said. "I tell them they've got to watch a lot of game tape to make those highlight tapes. Then I study their highlight tapes so I can study 200 people."
The process, Shanahan explained, helps him efficiently narrow a large pool of players while trusting the work done by position coaches and scouts.
https://www.49ers.com/news/shanahan-details-why-the-49ers-trusted-their-board-in-2026-nfl-draft

.

Originally posted by Kolohe:

Originally posted by elguapo:
If we count Osa in the 3rd and White in the 6th or 7th (sorry I forgot) our grade should be at least a B

Shoot, good point!! I agree. I honestly love the Stribling, Height and Halton picks. Seeing as the 49ers and NFL don't hit on every pick, I hope they hit on those three at least.

I agree those three picks were great and I really love the tackles Athleticism with their last pic

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:
Given Shanny & Co. draft history with the 49ers I'd say a B grade with this draft class is rather rich and optimistic. Given that this draft class tracks with the previous draft classes I have to give it an F+. Osa and Keion White were great pickups (and veteran FA pickups is where I think Lynch thrives). But I don't think that FA vet pickups should be included in draft grades, and even if it could those two pickups don't make a bad draft into a good draft, IMHO.

I concur! Our offense is going to be top five like always even with injuries and our defense will be top 10 bc now we have a great depth and we can't possibly lose two all pros in the same year again, right?