Part of the reason the 49ers have managed to find so much success under head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch is their penchant for identifying quality players late in the draft. It’s no surprise that a trio of 49ers landed on ESPN’s list of the 50-biggest draft steals of the last decade. It’s an even smaller surprise that none of them are from the pre-ShanaLynch era.
Finding top talent in the early portion of the draft is essential. Nick Bosa is not on the list because he went No. 2 overall, and the list excludes first-rounders. Even a late Day 1 pick like Brandon Aiyuk, who might feel like a steal, isn’t on the list.
Grabbing quality players late is how the 49ers have managed to build a regular contender in the NFC though. A high-priced roster with tons of top-end talent requires cost-controlled draft picks to fill out the rest of the team. When those picks turn into stars early on, it changes the entire complexion of where a team lands on the NFL hierarchy.
This list also won’t include the 2023 draft. If the 49ers can manage to find a player this year who winds up on a biggest draft steals list down the line though, they’ll be in a great position to extend their Super Bowl window.
Let’s take a look at which three 49ers draft picks were among the biggest steals of the last decade: