The 49ers have built a juggernaut in part by discarding their top draft capital in trades. Their 2021 acquisition of quarterback Trey Lance cost them a 2023 first-round selection, and they parted ways with their own 2023 second, third and fourth-round choices to pull running back Christian McCaffrey away from the Carolina Panthers ahead of last season’s trade deadline.
Now they’re left with their third-round compensatory picks to kick off their 2023 draft, which sets their starting line at the No. 99 pick. Holding three of the final four picks in the third round isn’t the worst place for a team to be, but the draft is going to be particularly important for the 49ers in the next couple of years.
San Francisco can keep its roster loaded with high-priced, top-end talent like Trent Williams, Fred Warner and George Kittle because they’ve hit on some draft picks who produce well above their rookie contracts. This means they’ll need to find a couple of high-quality starters over the next draft or two to help restock the cupboard when to account for exiting free agents who will be priced out of the 49ers’ range.
They have 11 picks this year, so they have some ability to move around the board and target players they think can start for them. However, finding that player at one of their first three selections isn’t going to be easy. Only nine total players drafted between No. 99 and No. 102 since the AFL-NFL merger have made the Pro Bowl. While the 49ers have had some success later in the draft, finding a high-quality player in the third round – something they’ve not been able to do outside of the Warner selection in 2018 – would be a nice way to start an important couple of drafts for general manager John Lynch and the front office.
Here are the nine players who’ve made Pro Bowls out of the slots the 49ers hold at the end of Round 3: