The 49ers made a significant gamble in the 2020 draft when they maneuvered to wind up with just five selections. Their moves left them with a pair of first-round picks, then single selections in each of the final three rounds.
Because of the limited number of players from this year’s class, each one’s role is easy to envision. We’ve already gone through and speculated as to what that role might be, but now we’ve looked at the class and ranked the picks in order of potential impact in their rookie year.
5. TE Charlie Woerner
Even if Woerner lands the TE2 job and beats out Ross Dwelley it’s going to be difficult for him to have a massive impact on the team. He is a very good run blocker though who should act as a difference-maker when he is in the game. The problem for his impact is that even if he mirrors Dwelley’s playing time from last year, he’ll only be in on about a quarter of the offensive snaps.
4. WR Jauan Jennings
Jennings is probably the least likely of the draft picks to make the club. He’s a receiver who isn’t fast, and will probably be limited to slot work. However, he’s a monster after the catch and battles hard to make tough, contested catches. If he makes the club, his largest effect will probably come as a special teams player, but a big target for Jimmy Garoppolo could be helpful, too.
3. OL Colton McKivitz
McKivitz could wind up being the least impactful of the draft picks if he makes the club as a reserve offensive lineman. That just puts him in a spot where he may not see the field. On the other hand, he may switch from tackle to the interior and start at right guard where he could have a direct effect on the offense on a snap-to-snap basis. The 49ers’ interior offensive line got chewed up a little last season. McKivitz could be a big-time player as a rookie if he steps in and helps remedy that.
2. DL Javon Kinlaw
The case can be made that Kinlaw will have the biggest impact as a rookie since his position has probably the easiest transition of the group. He’ll also lineup alongside a slew of excellent defensive linemen. If he can study quick and refine his pass rush from the inside, Kinlaw shouldn’t be a huge drop off from Buckner. It may take awhile for him to reach that potential though, so the first-year impact may suffer a little.
1. WR Brandon Aiyuk
It’ll take a few weeks for Aiyuk to be fully up to speed in the offense, but head coach Kyle Shanahan clearly has a plan for him. It’s why the team mortgaged the middle of their draft to trade up to take him with the 25th overall pick. Aiyuk is an after-the-catch savant who led college football at 9.9 yards after the catch a season ago. He can take slants, screens and jet sweeps and turn them into big plays the same way we saw Deebo Samuel do in the early going next season. As Aiyuk gets more familiar with the offense, his role will expand and it could have a similar impact to Emmanuel Sanders’ arrival in the middle of last season.
