Some issues facing 49ers began with 2021 draft moves
The 49ers walked out of Sunday night’s Week 2 loss to the Packers with spotlights shining on a number of weaknesses they’ll need to shore up if they’re going to put themselves in the Super Bowl conversation. To figure out the source of some of their problems we need to rewind the clock to the 2021 NFL draft where a slew of decisions have rendered this year’s draft class relatively ineffective.
San Francisco made three picks in the top 100 (all offensive players) and through three games they’ve played a combined 48 offensive snaps. Their first five selections have managed to get on the field for just 47 snaps, including two who haven’t played at all and another who was a healthy scratch in Weeks 2 and 3. That’s not good for a club with depth issues at multiple spots.
This is not to say the draft was a failure. Making that declaration after three weeks would be silly. By 2023 this might be a terrific class for the 49ers. However, it’s worth taking a look at some of their maneuvers and selections through the lens of how those decisions could’ve helped San Francisco going into Week 4 of the 2021 campaign.
Let’s take a look back at some of the 49ers’ moves and connect them to the present issues standing between them and getting their sixth Lombardi Trophy this season:
Trade up for Trey Lance
(AP Photo/Lon Horwedel)
This move is fine for now. They sacrificed a couple future first-round picks to get their quarterback of the future in the building. Lance could probably stand to play more than he does, but in seven snaps he's thrown one touchdown and ran for another. The future under center is still bright for San Francisco even if he spends this season in a mostly developmental role. On the other hand, in the scope of the 2021 season, adding a quarterback who's role is minimal at best was not extremely helpful.
Trade back in Round 2
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This is where the wheels fall off. It was clear going into the offseason the 49ers needed help at cornerback. They re-signed Jason Verrett, Emmanuel Moseley and K'Waun Williams. That's a fine trio, but injury questions marks hung over the entire group. Grabbing another corner with a premium draft pick would've made a lot of sense. Florida State's Asante Samuel Jr. was on the board when San Francisco's No. 43 pick came around. They opted not to go with the star cornerback and traded back instead. Samuel went four picks later. He has two interceptions through three weeks.
Drafted OL Aaron Banks
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Banks was the 49ers' pick at No. 47, and it was a questionable decision on draft night given the concerns over whether Banks could fit head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense. A move back to pick an interior offensive lineman over a position of greater need only works if that interior OL is a Day 1 starter and perennial Pro Bowler. Banks couldn't work his way into the competition for the starting right guard spot before a shoulder injury in the preseason opener sidelined him for the final two preseason games. He's been a healthy scratch in each of the first three games while right guard Daniel Brunskill has allowed seven pressures in three games.
Trading up for RB Trey Sermon
(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
The 49ers traded pick Nos. 117 and 121 to the Rams to move up to No. 88 where they grabbed Sermon from Ohio State. It's the earliest they've drafted a running back since Shanahan took over in 2017. After finding success with undrafted running backs in the previous few seasons, a trade up into the top 90 for a running back put the pressure on for Sermon to be excellent right away. He was a healthy scratch in Week 1, earned one carry in Week 2, and had just 31 yards on 10 carries in his first real workload in Week 3. Now they face a running back depth issue and their third-round pick isn't on track to solve it. This was the kind of move that needed to work and early returns are not positive.
CB Ambry Thomas at No. 102
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The 49ers used the No. 102 overall pick to select Thomas out of the University of Michigan. He didn't play in 2020 and was always likely to be a bit of a project as he knocked rust off and got adjusted to the pro game. The problem is with the 49ers' depth issue at cornerback, Thomas became a player they needed to lean on early and he was not ready to be the answer to their problem. Thomas may be fine down the line, but he doesn't appear ready to help the 49ers in 2021. Not having the foresight to reach for a more NFL-ready CB earlier in the draft is a major reason San Francisco's is struggling to piece together a secondary.
Silver linings
(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
It isn't all bad news for the 49ers. While their first five picks have mostly scuffled, fifth-round selection Deommodore Lenoir looks like a bonafide NFL player despite playing mostly outside after getting drafted to play in the slot. Pro Football Focus has him down for nine catches allowed on 18 targets for 161 yards and one touchdown. Lenoir's fellow fifth-round pick, offensive lineman Jaylon Moore, is one of the first five picks that hasn't played yet, but he landed the swing tackle job after playing left tackle throughout camp. The expectation was that he'd move inside as a pro, but he never made it there thanks to his play on the edge. Their third Round 5 choice, safety Talanoa Hufanga, isn't playing much on defense, but he's carved out a sizable special teams role. Sixth-round pick Elijah Mitchell had a monster debut against the Lions with 104 yards and a touchdown, but he suffered a shoulder injury in Week 2 and missed Week 3. While those late-round finds are nice, they haven't yet solved the 49ers' biggest issues. It'll be intriguing to see throughout the year though the type of impact Mitchell can have if he gets healthy. Lenoir might wind up grabbing a starting cornerback job as well. That doesn't absolve the earlier mistakes in the 2021 draft though and their influence on the 49ers' issues going into Week 4.
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