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.