20-16
20. LB Reuben Foster | 2017 | Pick 31
Foster looked the part of a foundational piece of the 49ers’ linebacking corps as a rookie despite battling injuries and playing just 10 games. He posted 72 tackles that season and had all the makings of a perennial Pro Bowler. Repeated off-field issues, including domestic violence, forced the 49ers to release Foster 10 weeks into his second season. He played 16 games with 101 tackles in two years.
19. DL Solomon Thomas | 2017 | Pick 3
Lack of a steady positional fit has hampered the No. 3 overall pick in his career. He’s managed to carve out a role in the 49ers’ defensive line rotation, but his 6.0 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in 46 games reflects his relative ineffectiveness compared to what a team wants from a top-three pick.
18. DL Manny Lawson | 2006 | Pick 22
Lawson’s draft stock was boosted by a terrific college career playing alongside the 2006 No. 1 overall pick, Mario Williams. He wound up posting 14.5 sacks, 27 tackles for loss, two interceptions and 14 pass breakups in five years with the 49ers. Lawson was an okay player, but like Thomas, fairly disappointing considering where he was drafted.
17. DB Jimmie Ward | 2014 | Pick 30
Had Ward’s entire career been like his 2019 season, he’d be much higher on this list. He was stellar in 13 games during the 2019 campaign, but it was just the second time in his six-year career that he’d played more than 11 games. It was also the first time he’d gotten to stick at his natural free safety spot. Ward has a chance to climb higher on this list, but injuries and positional switches have kept him from really thriving.
16. OL Anthony Davis | 2010 | Pick 11
Davis was part of a very good 49ers’ offensive line that paved the way for their offense on three consecutive trips to the NFC championship game. He and right guard Alex Boone were a nasty pair on the right side of the offensive line that set the tone for the entire group. Davis never made the Pro Bowl and had his fifth year cut short by a concussion. He retired after one game in his sixth season.