The 49ers’ 2021 rookie class hasn’t contributed much as the team scuffled through the first half of its season. A 3-5 record falls well short of the expectations San Francisco had entering the year, but not a lot of the slow start can be attributed to anything this year’s draft class is doing on the field.
Part of the reason that group hasn’t contributed much to losing is because most of them haven’t been on the field enough to make an impact in any facet.
Of the 49ers’ eight draft picks – only one is a regular starter, and none of their first six selections see the field with any regularity. Because of the sporadic or minimal playing time, it’s hard to grade the picks through the first eight games.
We went through and issued grades less as a referendum on the player, and more as a way to assess how head coach Kyle Shanahan and the front office did in getting its roster ready to compete for a Super Bowl this year. That was their stated goal. It’s the reason Jimmy Garoppolo has been the starting quarterback since Week 1, and it’s the reason the lack of production from their rookie class has been so minimal.
Here are their grades based on what we know through eight games: