Niners Nation
The 49ers have seen some great late-round value over the past few years.
The San Francisco 49ers have seen their fair share of draft successes during the Kyle Shanahan era, as they’ve looked to build their team via the draft, capitalizing both on early-round value and late-round selections as well.
Now, not every draft pick has been successful, with some being major misses, but there have been a number of quality selections as well, with value being found in the later rounds in addition to the top rounds.
This year, the 49ers are in a prime position to add some top-tier talent to their roster, as they hold the No. 11 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, while having almost every single one of their picks heading into the offseason.
So, with the draft being as prevalent as it is, I thought it’d be a fun exercise to revisit the last five drafts and identify the top value selections since 2020 for the 49ers. Because they’ve played in just one season, I did not include any of the rookies, although a couple of them could very well be on this list next year.
Let’s get into it.
The 49ers struck paydirt in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft when they took Talanoa Hufanga, who seemed like he’d go much earlier before poor testing hurt him at the NFL Combine.
Nonetheless, he made waves as a third safety for the 49ers in his rookie season before elevating to a full-time starting role in 2022, where he was named an All-Pro after accumulating 97 tackles, nine pass breakups, four interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
A breakout star on the defense, Hufanga dealt with injuries in both 2023 and 2024, as he suffered a torn ACL that ended his third year before a variety of issues plagued his fourth, and possibly final, season with the 49ers.
Inconsistencies and injuries hurt the backend of his time with San Francisco, but an All-Pro selection is certainly noteworthy for a sixth-round pick.
Edging right past Hufanga is star receiver Brandon Aiyuk, whom the 49ers traded up to grab in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Aiyuk’s career has taken a few interesting turns. He caught 60 passes for 748 yards and five touchdowns over 12 games in his rookie year, which seemed to put him on the fast track to be San Francisco’s next star wide receiver.
But, struggles to begin his second year had Aiyuk’s production slow down before he ultimately ended up with 56 catches for 826 yards and five touchdowns, this time over 17 games.
Aiyuk’s breakout finally came in his third year, when he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time, catching 78 passes for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns, leading the 49ers in 2022.
He took a major step forward turning into an All-Pro in his fourth season, catching 75 passes for 1,342 yards...
