History hasn’t been kind to the 49ers when they pick No. 31 overall in the draft, which is where they’re slated to pick in April.
San Francisco has taken two players ever with the 31st overall pick, and both were off the roster before the completion of their second season. In 2004 they took Oklahoma State wide receiver Rashaun Woods, and in 2017 they traded up to No. 31 to take Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster.
Woods played 14 games in his only season with the 49ers. He caught seven of his 23 targets for 160 yards and a touchdown. Woods spent his second season on Injured Reserve before getting traded to the Chargers prior to the 2006 season.
Foster’s circumstances were different than Woods’. He played and started 16 games across two seasons for San Francisco with decent success. He posted 101 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and a pair of pass breakups, but a run-in with Alabama police for marijuana possession, a gun charge in California and multiple domestic violence allegations (including one at the team hotel in Tampa Bay before a 2018 contest that led to his release) were enough for the 49ers to part ways with the former first-round pick.
There’s a good chance San Francisco doesn’t use the 31st pick though considering their lack of draft capital between Rounds 2 and 4, where they hold zero selections.
The silver lining is their recent success when trading out of the No. 31 overall slot. They sent that pick to Dallas in the 2013 draft to slide up to No. 18 and take safety Eric Reid. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and started 69 of 70 games across five seasons in San Francisco.
Ultimately past drafts won’t play a role in the 49ers’ 2020 selections, but this is a good chance for them to reverse the organization’s fortunes at that particular draft slot. Hitting on their first pick, or getting quality capital back in a trade, could be the difference in whether the 49ers are able to sustain their run as Super Bowl contenders.