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    San Francisco’s Biggest Draft Busts of the Last Few Years

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    By Ben Wiley,Last Word On Sports

    Copyright yardbarker

    San Francisco’s Biggest Draft Busts of the Last Few Years

    Moody’s NFL struggles

    Most NFL teams wait to draft even the best college kickers until the sixth or seventh round—if at all. The 49ers made Moody only the second kicker since 2016 selected within the first 100 picks. Given the team’s other needs, fans and experts questioned the pick, which now looks like a costly gamble. Moody’s inconsistency led the team to end the experiment two days after their first game this season. He finished his 49ers career with 46 field goals made out of 62 attempts, a 74.2 percent success rate on field goals, which simply is not good enough for a team trying to win the Super Bowl. The 49ers have since signed another kicker and are unlikely to draft one as high in the draft in the near future.

    2) Trey Lance, Quarterback

    The 2021 draft is not one that the 49ers will look back on fondly. That year, General Manager John Lynch traded with the Miami Dolphins to move up from the No. 12 pick to the No. 3 pick, which he used to select Lance out of North Dakota State University.

    Lance starred in college, leading North Dakota State to FCS titles in 2018 and 2019. However, the step up in competition and a string of injuries derailed his development. He is now serving as the Los Angeles Chargers’ backup quarterback. The 49ers must feel incredibly lucky that quarterback Brock Purdy, the final NFL Draft pick in 2022, panned out.

    3) Javon Kinlaw, Defensive Tackle

    Kinlaw, the 49ers’ 2020 first-round pick out of South Carolina, failed to live up to expectations after the team selected him No. 14 overall. Persistent knee injuries kept him from earning consistent playing time or establishing himself as a core piece of the team’s future.

    In four seasons with San Francisco, Kinlaw accumulated 70 tackles and returned one interception for a touchdown. Having signed with the Washington Commanders in free agency this past offseason, Kinlaw hopes to shed the bust label on his new team.

    The 49ers have drafted and developed enough stars to stay in the Super Bowl hunt, but these draft busts at premium positions have slowed their ability to build a consistent contender. With their championship window still open, nailing future drafts will be critical.

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