The 49ers were about as far away from a Super Bowl as possible when general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan arrived in 2017. They played in the Super Bowl three years later.
While Shanahan’s coaching played a role in the team’s turnaround, the front office’s ability to restock the roster with quality talent was the biggest reason San Francisco was in Super Bowl LIV.
Despite whiffing on a pair of first-round picks in 2017, the 49ers recovered thanks to some savvy drafting outside of the first round by Lynch and the front office.
Here are the five biggest draft steals by the 49ers since Lycnh took over in 2017:
WR Deebo Samuel | 2019 | Round 2, Pick 36
Early second-round picks aren’t typically considered ‘steals,’ but given Samuel’s production compared to the receivers taken ahead of him in 2019, it’s a fair label. Marquise Brown went No. 25 overall to the Ravens, and N’Keal Harry went No. 32 overall to the Patriots. Those two combined for 58 catches, 689 yards and nine touchdowns. Samuel alone had 57 catches, 802 yards and three touchdowns in the air. He tacked on another 159 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Samuel didn’t have the best year for a receiver in the 2019 draft class, but his slide to 36 was pretty lucky for the 49ers.
LB Fred Warner | 2018 | Round 3, Pick 70
There were some boxes Warner didn’t check coming out of BYU. He was a little undersized, and he had some issues with missed tackles. Warner quickly earned the starting middle linebacker job, along with the green dot on his helmet which indicates he’s the one with the radio to relay play calls in from defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Warner hasn’t missed a game since joining the 49ers two seasons ago, and his coverage ability in the middle of the field makes him one of the most valuable members of San Francisco’s defense.
TE George Kittle | 2017 | Round 5, Pick 146
The 49ers didn’t have Kittle on their radar until his athleticism jumped off the screen while the team was evaluating Iowa quarterback CJ Beathard. Kittle’s slide in the draft likely had to do with his light production in college. In four years with the Hawkeyes, Kittle had 48 catches for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns. In three years with the 49ers, Kittle has 216 catches for 2,945 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s a top-10 pick if the league did a re-draft of the 2017 class. Scooping a player like that in Round 5 is how teams go from 2-14 to the Super Bowl in three seasons.
LB Dre Greenlaw | 2019 | Round 5, Pick 148
There wasn’t a roster spot carved out for Greenlaw when the 49ers selected him 148th overall in last year’s draft. The club drafted Warner previous year and signed Kwon Alexander to a massive contract before the draft. Greenlaw managed to not only grab the starting Sam linebacker spot, he filled in at Will when Alexander went down with a torn pectoral in Week 9 last season. Greenlaw wound up grading out as the second-best linebacker on the team per Pro Football Focus, and he was by far their best tackler at the position. His goal-line stop against the Seahawks to seal a Week 17 win and the NFC West crown was perhaps the biggest play of the season for San Francisco. Not bad for a Day 3 pick.
DL DJ Jones | 2017 | Round 6, Pick 198
Jones hasn’t truly gotten a chance to shine yet, but finding a starting-caliber player in Round 6 is always going to count as a steal in an unpredictable process like the draft. Jones played in 19 games with four starts over his first two seasons, then last year started all 11 games he played before hurting his ankle and missing the team’s last three contests. Jones figures heavily into the defensive line outlook for the 2020 campaign after the 49ers traded defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Colts. Jones should retain his starting job and play a significant role in the rotation. That kind of player is a great find late on Day 3.
