A look back at the 49ers drafts: 2018

Now we're talking

Earlier, I posted a recap of the first draft of the current 49ers regime, 2017. It was a hit-and-miss draft, but certainly not what you would want with so much draft capital. Did they learn their lesson? Let’s dive in and check it out. First, here’s the players they drafted:

I was not thrilled at the time with the pick of McGlinchey. The most glaring need for the team was a pass rusher, despite having drafted DE in the first round for four straight years (and getting some quality players, just not pass rushers). But McGlinchey turned out to be a rock solid, if unspectacular, starting tackle. Against the run, he’s literally as good as anyone else - but he struggles in pass blocking, which is fairly important. He’ll be back next season after landing on injured reserve, but whether he gets an extension after this remains an open question. Random fact - his first cousin is Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan. The other random thing about McGlinchey is that he looks exactly like what you’d think a starting offensive linemen would look like in 1965.

Next up is Dante Pettis, who I think everyone immediately would consider a bust. And certainly, he was traded from the team in 2020, and has barely made a dent in the New York Giants receiver corps. But it’s important to look back at his rookie season. He played 12 games, and caught 27 passes for 467 yards (17.3 yards/reception), scoring 5 TDs. In the offseason, he was considered a legit building block for the future. His elusiveness and bend was something you could see coach Kyle Shanahan drooling over, and the future was bright. Then, he apparently showed up for training camp way out of shape, entered the doghouse and never got out. There was a lot of talk about how much Pettis really cared about football, and how tough he was. I don’t know the answers to that, but it suggests that the promise he showed was real, but fleeting.

Round 3 was a big hit for the 49ers, drafting Fred Warner at LB who made the Pro Bowl and was named to the 1st Team All Pro in 2020, as well as Tarvarius Moore, who provides a ton of safety depth and could eventually find a starting role there. Unfortunately, Moore missed the 2021 season with a torn Achilles in the offseason.

It’s also worth noting that Warner was prioritized because of the debacle with Reuben Foster from the year prior. That matters in this evaluation.

Kentavius Street in the fourth round made some 49er fans wonder if somehow Trent Baalke was still in the draft room, as he was rehabbing from a torn ACL. While he’s never really shown that he was worth the pick, he provides strong depth at defensive line. D.J. Reed never found a role at nickel cornerback, due to K’Waun Williams presence and for whatever reason couldn’t make it at outside CB - until he became a Seahawk. Marcell Harris fills that SS/LB role well, hits very hard and while you likely don’t want him starting he’s a very solid rotational player in the secondary. Richie James played for three years and had an occasional breakout game, as well as contributing a lot on special teams. He’s now on the practice squad, and a free agent at the end of the season who isn’t likely to be prioritized. Jullian Taylor was the only complete washout here, which is a risk you can take in the seventh round.

So, let’s look a bit closer:

That’s five guys of nine who are on the team after three full seasons, with two as starters and another in Moore who is a strong sub. Again, this isn’t great. But depth is important and all of the non-starters are real contributors and have helped this team get where it is.

I’d give this draft a B- because Warner is so good and McGlinchey has been about as good as we could have expected. I’m still giving partial credit because whatever the team saw in Pettis, he showed his rookie season before things changed on a dime. This is improvement, even if it’s not good enough.