The 49ers haven’t always knocked it out of the park in the NFL Draft.
In a sport and league with so many variables affecting a player’s performance and development, there is no exact science when it comes to determining the best prospects in any particular class.
But San Francisco has found a few diamonds in the rough over the years, as Bleacher Report’s Marcus Mosher writes.
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He designated linebacker NaVorro Bowman as the No. 7 all-time steal in the NFL Draft for the 49ers.
"However, Bowman had quite the NFL career, which lasted until 2017, despite falling into the latter stages of the third round. He went on to make four All-Pro teams and three Pro Bowls. While he dealt with injuries in the middle of his career, Bowman remained one of the league's most consistent linebackers whenever he was on the field—leading the league in tackles in 2015 and racking up triple-digit stops five times in six full seasons."
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Also checking in as an honorable mention on the list was 49ers tight end George Kittle.
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Bowman was selected No. 91 overall in the 2010 NFL Draft, with seven linebackers coming off the board before the Penn State product.
General manager Trent Baalke had traded back earlier in the third round, making a deal with the then-San Diego Chargers to pick up a few extra later-round selections.
All Bowman proceeded to do was accumulate 671 tackles while standing alongside Patrick Willis as the heart of the NFL’s most dominant defense during the first half of the 2010s.
He also forever resides in Niners' lore as the final player to score a touchdown at Candlestick Park, running this interception back on Monday Night Football to seal a win in the final game at the historic stadium.
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Kittle likely finds himself as an honorable mention on this list only because his career is young, having been drafted in the fifth round (No. 146) in the 2017 NFL Draft.
But in just three seasons with San Francisco, Kittle has ascended to the elite rung of NFL tight ends, earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2019 while helping lead the Niners to Super Bowl LIV.
He’ll definitely be higher on these lists by the time his career ends, as eight tight ends came off the board before the former Iowa Hawkeye in this draft.
It’s by no means a 100 percent success rate, but no reasonable person can tell you the 49ers didn’t knock it out of the park by nabbing Bowman and Kittle where they did.