49ers look to avoid first-round busts

By Brad Wilbricht  |   Wednesday, April 22, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

San Francisco 49ers
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The San Francisco 49ers will soon be on the clock with the 10th overall pick in this weekend's NFL draft, and they will attempt to end an unfortunate trend of hapless first-round choices. With uncertainty swirling around who will be selected this weekend, the 49er faithful are crossing their fingers that things pan out better than the past.

While San Francisco struck gold by picking linebacker Patrick Willis in the 2007 draft, recent first-round selections such as Alex Smith and Vernon Davis haven’t panned out so far. Both players have plenty of time to reverse their current fortunes, but there will be several hurdles along the way.

While the jury is still out on offensive tackle Joe Staley and defensive tackle Kentwan Balmer, the 49ers haven’t had a successful top draft pick -- other than Willis -- dating back to 2000, when they selected linebacker Julian Peterson. Peterson’s stay in the Bay Area was relatively short-lived, but his contributions were far greater than any other player during that time span.

The likes of Manny Lawson, Rashaun Woods, Kwame Harris, Mike Rumph and Andre Carter were selected after Peterson; none have managed to make any kind of substantial impact. Prior to Peterson, the failed first-round theme began with picks like Reggie McGrew, R.W. McQuarters and Jim Druckenmiller.

Given its lack of success early in the draft, San Francisco's demise has been about more than just the departures of all-time greats like Steve Young, Jerry Rice and a host of other players who made San Francisco one of the top franchises of the 1990s. The main culprit of the team’s downfall has been the inability to secure new talent through the top end of the draft.

With a new front office and head coach in place, the 49ers will look to turn the tide of draft blunders and continue to build for the future in San Francisco. After a strong showing in the second half of last season, optimism is at its highest point in years. However, those positive thoughts can quickly come to a halt if the 49ers’ first-round struggles continue this weekend.
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About Brad Wilbricht

Brad Wilbricht covers numerous sporting events including the NFL, NFL Draft and college football. His analysis is simulcast through several media outlets across the country. Additionally, Brad is a regular guest on a variety of talk radio shows and can be frequently heard on the airwaves. To ...
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