2022 NFL Draft: Grading Every Team’s 2022 NFL Draft Haul
By Hunter Haas
49ers (9 picks):
2:61 – Drake Jackson, EDGE, USC
3:29 – Tyrion Davis-Price, RB, LSU
3:41 – Danny Gray, WR, SMU
4:29 – Spencer Burford, OL, UTSA
5:29 – Samuel Womack, CB, Toledo
6:08 – Nick Zakelj, OL, Fordham
6:42 – Kalia Davis, DL, UCF
6:43 – Tariq Castro-Fields, CB, Penn State
7:41 – Brock Purdy, QB, Iowa State
The San Francisco 49ers mortgaged a couple years worth of first-round picks to guarantee they’d land quarterback Trey Lance in the 2021 NFL Draft. After Jimmy Garappolo led the team to an appearance in the NFC Championship game, all signs point to Lance taking over the reins at the most important position in football.
It’s been an up-and-down offseason for the Niners, as they lost Mike McDaniel to the Miami Dolphins. After that, rumors started swirling about Deebo Samuel and his displeasure with the organization. This led many to believe that a trade was destined to happen leading into 2022 NFL Draft weekend, but alas this was not the case. Jon Lynch stood firm in his stance that he was not trading Deebo for pennies on the dollar.
They instead shifted their focus to the picks that they still had at their disposal. Depending on who you ask, Drake Jackson is regarded as a first-round talent. While I’m not in agreement with that, it’s impossible to deny how great of a value they got on Jackson. With Nick Bosa wreaking havoc on one side, Jackson will have the freedom to clean up a lot of plays.
Danny Gray is one of the fastest players in the draft, and I look forward to seeing what Kyle Shanahan cooks up for the former SMU wide receiver. Tariq Castro-Fields is easily my favorite pick of theirs from day three, as I can see him working his way to a starting role down the line. There are far too many picks that I didn’t like to give them too high of a grade though.
Grade: D+