The San Francisco 49ers have had their ups and downs throughout the past half-century, from Super Bowls in the '80s and '90s to devastating playoff losses or stretches without postseason football.
The NFL draft has presented the same sort of ups and downs for the franchise over that time. But, luckily, San Francisco has avoided some serious pitfalls that could tank teams' futures.
USA Today's Nate Davis went through the past 50 drafts to find the biggest busts in NFL history — players and deals that were either way too expensive or didn't pan out, or both. Only two 49ers players landed on the list, though: Trey Lance and Solomon Thomas.
No. 4: QB Trey Lance, 3rd overall in 2021
No. 39: DL Solomon Thomas, 3rd overall in 2017
These two moves present very different issues that plague every team. For Lance, the 49ers traded a massive haul to move up in the hopes of adding a franchise quarterback. Injuries and poor play got in the way of that, though, and the non-quarterback players drafted around him turned into stars. As for Thomas, the 49ers got back some solid draft capital but couldn't turn it into anything, as Thomas was a bit of a flop in San Francisco.
It's ironic, too, that both busts came in the same John Lynch-Kyle Shanahan era, one that saw consistent playoff success from the 49ers. That only proves that even when you make draft mistakes, good coaching and roster moves across the board can save a team.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Which 49ers players made this draft bust list from the past 50 years?
