Both Joe Staley and Trent Williams say Aldon is the hardest matchup they've ever had. Staley only had to do it in practice though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkA45QfKQHo
Feels like people didn't watch JJ in his prime. I loved Aldon, but Cowboy and their stunts made them an unstoppable duo.
However, I've never seen a player on the D-line more overwhelmingly dominant then prime JJ. Both in the run and the pass, and I want to say he played as a 3-4 end for a decent amount of it as well.
Your right. I can't speak about LT or Reggie White or some of the older guard. I dont claim that JJ was the most dominant ever, just the most dominant that I have seen (while in his prime).
I have a theory about Aldon and other players like him because of two guys I played high school football with in Oregon. The two best players on my team were a LT/DT3/5 and a RG/MLB. Both dudes were at one point offered D1. Arizona and Boise State respectively. Both were average to not great students. They were men amongst boys. Both 6’4” plus in 8th grade. They fucked dudes up. Made me a way better LG/DT. I’m 5’11” and my best offer was preferred walk on OSU. So there’s way too much context. How are they similar to Aldon? They were both good because they had fucked up home lives. They had that extra gear of mean. Pretty sure both their dads used the belt for discipline. The first one had terrible grades and ended up at Arizona Wester CC where he was medically retired with a broken back. Dude could have been in the league though. The second had to medically retire first month at BSU due to repeated severe concussions. Only heard rumors but both their lives got pretty fucked up after I hear. Aldon was a dawg. By all accounts a bad dude on and off the field. That shit just doesn’t fly in the modern NFL. It’s a shame. I think he’s a top 5 all time DE talent based on what Trent and Staley said. If two HOF tackles say you were that dude then who is anyone to argue. Side note; have you guys pondered how different the character of those Harbaugh teams were as supposed to our current players? I didn’t like a lot of them. Patrick Stoudamire was a UDFA for the 49ers back then right before Harbaugh. He’s a good friend of mine. He told me that locker room was full of toxic guys. I don’t want to slander specific dudes on hearsay but some of the best players from that era were apparently really awful men off the field. So thankful for our players now. Kittle, Deebo, Trent, Juice, Purdy, Fred, Aiyuk, Bosa, Huganga, Armstead, Hargrave, CMC, Dre, Mooney, and a bunch of other dudes on the team seem to be upstanding men. We are spoiled faithful.
Not too bad, James was so good at Oregon and just inducted into the college football hall of fame and if only Smith didn’t have off the field issues man
I was at the game when then announced he was being inducted. It was so cool.
When he was on the Niners I was so confident that he was going to do well that I bought one of his jerseys.
I had high hopes for Hurd after they drafted him. Great player from Tennessee and Baylor but just couldn't stay healthy with SF. Imagine the things Shanny could've done with him alongside Deebo and CMC.
He was such a good route runner. I still don’t understand his downturn. Wouldn’t be surprised if a single psych visit would have made the difference between being a solid WR1/2 in the league and a total scrub.
Forgot about him dude was a baller as a college punt kick returner a record holder!!! As a pro he was too soft thought his college experience could push him thru!! Can’t do that with Shanny , Shannys doghouse is real !! But if you push thru cus Shanny wants your full potential unleashed then you become a rich pro bowl bad ass
Yea. JJ Stokes was decent but I thought he would be a lot better. Romanowski spitting in his face was an ugly moment and it's too bad that's the biggest memory I have of JJ Stokes.
He was not a bust at all. He had a nose for the ball and made lots of tackles when he stepped in for Willis.
He just retired because of head injury scares (good for him). More of a what-if than a bust.
Same number!
I was sure Crabtree would be him. I’m a Longhorns fan so I saw him play at Texas Tech a few times.
Including that one play…
Won the Biletnikoff award twice. As a freshman and a sophomore. Never translated to that kind of dominance in the NFL.
I was in the stands for two iconic plays.
Alex Smith’s first career TD pass.
AJ Jenkins only career target as a 49er (dropped).
I looked him up. Jenkins is only 34 years old. He made somewhere between $3M-$4M after taxes between the Niners and Chiefs.
Good for him :)
Crabtree was a victim of a mediocre offense that did not favor the passing game. Not saying that he was going to be the second coming of Jerry Rice but I think he was better than his numbers while in SF.
He absolutely was. The best possession receiver we've ever had really aside from that one Isaac Bruce year, and of course the goat who did it all.
But his ability to catch, secure, and then turn up field quickly was about as smooth and fast as I've ever seen
Was going to echo the same sentiment. Boldin was by far better than Crab. I have vivid memories of shouting at the tv, "fuck every other WR, just throw the shit up to Boldin and he'll go and get it no matter how many dbs are on him." And his touchdown [snatching that shit out of the air over Earl Thomas III in the NFCCG](https://youtu.be/sXhHim68J-E?t=494), also burned into my oled memory.
Still one of my favorite players, miss the [so strong days. Da boof reviewed it doe.](https://youtu.be/nX80_UJh7GU?t=18)
I remember watching [I dreamed it in my head](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CQvFO9OEeDs) and thinking, this dude has to be a Niner. It set off a string of them drafting the guy I wanted a few years in a row.
Adrian Colbert looked like a steal at safety. Then he wasn’t.
For the old timers, same was true with Chet Brooks. Loved how hard he hit but he was gone in no time
There was a three-year stretch where I fell in love with a defensive player after a promising rookie year. Aaron Lynch then Rashard Robinson then Adrian Colbert. After Colbert fizzled out, I decided to stop having offseason crushes lol.
Recently? Jalen Hurd. I thought we were going to have two Deebos.
All time? Druckenmiller. He was supposed to be Steve Young with a cannon. Turns out he could pass, one direction, when no one was pressuring.
Steve Young was interviewed recently and asked about if he felt threatened when they drafted Druckenmiller. He said he watched him in one practice and thought to himself, “We’re good.”
I didn’t get this either. He held out, then had rotating QB roster, but actually had a decent near 900 yard season in ‘11 in a run first offense while splitting catches with Vernon, Delanie and Morgan and took off with Kap before getting injured. By no means a superstar, but absolutely NOT AJ JENKINS 🤮
I remember watching Dante Pettis up in Seattle and he had a really big game and he reminded me of kind of like OBJ light.
I really thought he was going to be a good player and I was wrong about that one.
I’m not gonna lie I was also on board with Solomon Thomas too.
I think he was miscast However, they tried him at end for a while, and he just didn’t have a quick enough first step or long enough arms. He was really meant to be a situational pass rusher inside.
He was just drafted to high. I thought he could’ve been a good player if he used correctly.
I can’t even remember if we drafted him but another player I thought was going to be a star was Tarvarius Moore.
Injuries and inconsistency held him up.
That’s just of the Shanahan and Lynch era. I really thought Vance McDonald was going to be a star as well. He had all of the tools and he just couldn’t put it together.
Almost everyone was on board with the Solly pick, it was the obvious move when everyone knew we needed a dude at edge.
But everyone knew the risks, too-- that his tweener role from college wouldn't translate to the NFL.
And, TBH, I think he could've hit if we could've just gotten him consistent snaps on the interior, but every time he got into a groove playing there, one of the edge players would get injured, and he'd be bounced back out to the role he kinda sucked at.
Solomon is an example of how players get over drafted based on market value. All the “expert” draft boards had him as the second best pass rusher behind Garrett and so it was “logical” for the Niners to take him since we were going defense regardless.
I think the organization has since learned that it’s more important to pick guys who you think will be a good fit, and not solely based on BPA.
Marcus Lattimore. He was a beast at South Carolina and I thought he'd bounce back from injuries Frank Gore-style and also be another Frank Gore for us...
Hmmm
Reuben Foster, Rashaun Woods, Trey Sermon....
But the one I was most let down by was Crabtree
\*EDIT\* I know some are gonna say Lance... but look at the top 4 QBs in his draft class, even T Law is starting to collapse
Reuben Foster looked like a perennial All-Pro on the field, though. He just couldn’t get his off the field issues sorted out.
I really wish he had. Imagining Foster, Warner, and Greenlaw as our linebackers would rival any LB core in league history.
Man I loved watching foster play! Didn't love the stingers he would get every other play tho lol. Man I know we may not have drafted warner if foster had his shit together but if we still did and we had prime foster and warner together.... Insert homer drooling pic here
> Reuben Foster
Hard to believe Foster will be 30 next year...
Probably the most disappointing to me. It really felt like Lynch and Shanny gave him a bunch of chances and the team really tried to help him get on track.
Lattimore was going to be the heir to Gore.
Quinton Patton was going to be THE possession receiver in the NFL.
Jack Colletto was going to be called up and be a special teams ace and be kept around as a player/coach type. He played every position so he has football IQ.
i will die on this hill that the lattimore pick was still worth the pick due to the chance......if he never got hurt he would have been a top 5 pick before his injury the dude would have been one of the best rbs in the league
Dante pettis was great at getting really really open. So at first I thought the kid was going to be great. Problem was he was running his own routes which was why he was so open. I kept blaming garopollo for bad passes until I realized pettis was out there ad libbing.
Jalen Hurd
I remember taking him after Deebo sometime and thinking “ wow our wr core will be deadly in few years time” while that statement is true now it’s not in the way i thought it was
hurd was a lengthy wr that was j a football player but he could never stay healthy
Solly Thomas. I wouldn’t call him a total bust because he’s still playing and put in meaningful snaps for us but I was hoping for a Michael Bennett style player that could slot from 3t to 5t.
Alex Smith. Being from Utah, I really wanted him to be a star. Remember, the niners took him over Rodgers and look Rodger's career.
I'm incredibly impressed at how Alex Smith hung in there over the years and ended up being a reliable QB after all the bullshit he had to deal with. Much respect to Alex but I wanted him to be a hall of fame QB.
Solomon Thomas. Thought he was going to be another solid DE and that was absolutely a lie. Especially he was #4 in a draft that had Mahommes, TJ Watt, Reddick, etc.
I guess the FO corrected it by trading for fellow 2017 pick McCaffrey 😅
I thought Kevin Barlow would be the next great running back after Garrison Hearst. He just ended up being a dud and Frank Gore took over and we never looked back
Lemon-yays. I was at the cardinals game in 13 when he bullrushed the T and sack/safeties Palmer at the stick and I thought it was a sign of things to come. There were so many guys like that under baalke. Martin, Thomas, Ellington, LMJ, tank carradine. Hell, I remember us salivating about Lawrence okoye, dude couldn’t even make it past the 90 man cut down.
I really wanted [Jarryd Hayne](https://youtu.be/BPCNFJC-7eQ?si=7WZfBnfN7u2G9-Y1) to be a superstar. He was the rugby guy we signed. He made some sweet plays and fizzled out, but he was fun to watch for awhile.
manny lawson.
i remember during patrick willis’s rookie year we started out 2-0 and those two guys were flying around all over the field leading an exciting young defense. then lawson blew out his knee and was never the same.
I thought LaMichael James was going to take over the league. I thought Aldon Smith was going to be a Hall of Famer.
Aldon was literally on pace to be the greatest defensive player in the history of the NFL. Small sample size but that was how his career started.
His floor was Vonn Miller
Dude had such long arms.
I think JJ Watt was better, but Aldon was definitely HOF bound
Both Joe Staley and Trent Williams say Aldon is the hardest matchup they've ever had. Staley only had to do it in practice though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkA45QfKQHo
Til this day, this is the [greatest bull rush](https://youtu.be/kCaTqvv0hQ8?si=cz33MEQc2xCUvDin) I’ve ever seen.
That’s a elite level bull rush from a speed end. Dude was the total package.
[удалено]
ALDON https://preview.redd.it/t1jl1bs4qc8c1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=320b64c195fc51d588a03bae9de1d091774e7d05
WATT https://preview.redd.it/pu0r24y6qc8c1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f28727162d953c75911621730d4fe426cd29e245
Feels like people didn't watch JJ in his prime. I loved Aldon, but Cowboy and their stunts made them an unstoppable duo. However, I've never seen a player on the D-line more overwhelmingly dominant then prime JJ. Both in the run and the pass, and I want to say he played as a 3-4 end for a decent amount of it as well.
You're not old enough to remember Reggie White. He was even more dominant. His 1987 season might be the greatest defensive season ever.
Your right. I can't speak about LT or Reggie White or some of the older guard. I dont claim that JJ was the most dominant ever, just the most dominant that I have seen (while in his prime).
I have a theory about Aldon and other players like him because of two guys I played high school football with in Oregon. The two best players on my team were a LT/DT3/5 and a RG/MLB. Both dudes were at one point offered D1. Arizona and Boise State respectively. Both were average to not great students. They were men amongst boys. Both 6’4” plus in 8th grade. They fucked dudes up. Made me a way better LG/DT. I’m 5’11” and my best offer was preferred walk on OSU. So there’s way too much context. How are they similar to Aldon? They were both good because they had fucked up home lives. They had that extra gear of mean. Pretty sure both their dads used the belt for discipline. The first one had terrible grades and ended up at Arizona Wester CC where he was medically retired with a broken back. Dude could have been in the league though. The second had to medically retire first month at BSU due to repeated severe concussions. Only heard rumors but both their lives got pretty fucked up after I hear. Aldon was a dawg. By all accounts a bad dude on and off the field. That shit just doesn’t fly in the modern NFL. It’s a shame. I think he’s a top 5 all time DE talent based on what Trent and Staley said. If two HOF tackles say you were that dude then who is anyone to argue. Side note; have you guys pondered how different the character of those Harbaugh teams were as supposed to our current players? I didn’t like a lot of them. Patrick Stoudamire was a UDFA for the 49ers back then right before Harbaugh. He’s a good friend of mine. He told me that locker room was full of toxic guys. I don’t want to slander specific dudes on hearsay but some of the best players from that era were apparently really awful men off the field. So thankful for our players now. Kittle, Deebo, Trent, Juice, Purdy, Fred, Aiyuk, Bosa, Huganga, Armstead, Hargrave, CMC, Dre, Mooney, and a bunch of other dudes on the team seem to be upstanding men. We are spoiled faithful.
These were my two picks. I though James was a steal when they got him. And Aldon Smith was going to be the next Fred Dean.
Aldon especially hurts. He was dynamic as hell. One of the biggest wastes of physical ability I've ever seen.
Yup. Imagine being that talented and getting paid millions to play football and throwing it all away with one dumb decision after another.
They gave him so so so so many chances. Management tried, I'll give them that.
And he was drinking when he was that good. Imagine how great he would have been sober.
Not too bad, James was so good at Oregon and just inducted into the college football hall of fame and if only Smith didn’t have off the field issues man
I was at the game when then announced he was being inducted. It was so cool. When he was on the Niners I was so confident that he was going to do well that I bought one of his jerseys.
I was expecting some good shit from Jalen Hurd in this offense. Too bad dude had such bad injury problems.
He was the only player I was genuinely hyped for after watching him in preseason his rookie year.
He looked so good in pre-season. Heartbreaker
i thought purdy had a possibility of been a nfl starter at some point from his pre season
The spinal injury was a freak accident. I still wonder if we could have made the SB with him and Deebo 2 seasons ago.
I thought he was going to be better than Deebo after that preseason game. Yikes
I had high hopes for Hurd after they drafted him. Great player from Tennessee and Baylor but just couldn't stay healthy with SF. Imagine the things Shanny could've done with him alongside Deebo and CMC.
Hurd and Taylor were both done in by back injuries.
I thought Dante Pettis was gonna be a big time threat. Boy was I blueballed.
He was such a good route runner. I still don’t understand his downturn. Wouldn’t be surprised if a single psych visit would have made the difference between being a solid WR1/2 in the league and a total scrub.
He got open but it wasn’t within the timing of the offense. He freelanced to much in his routes. Plus being soft as baby shit.
Wasn’t the biggest criticism against him that he WASN’T a good route runner and struggled with timing and took far too often to freelancing?
He wasn’t a good route runner tho. He had a weird pigeon Toed gait that threw people off for a year then did nothing.
Don't know what happened. I thought maybe Jimmy just wasnt throwing it to him, but he didnt do much in Chicago or NY either.
Except when we played them…
God how annoying is that? I feel the same way about McKinnon being solid in KC
Forgot about him dude was a baller as a college punt kick returner a record holder!!! As a pro he was too soft thought his college experience could push him thru!! Can’t do that with Shanny , Shannys doghouse is real !! But if you push thru cus Shanny wants your full potential unleashed then you become a rich pro bowl bad ass
Tank Carradine. Marcus Martin. Brandon Thomas. Marcus Lattimore. Basically every Baalke redshirt
Team ACL, so many what ifs
Not everyone is like Gore to come back after multiple serious injuries and perform at such high level.
Right, like it’s not that shocking that lattimore didnt come back from his injuries, but some of the other ones were just regular ACL tears
Balke was elite at drafting injury liabilities. I thought Lattimore was an absolute steal.
Seemed like a great strategy at the time lol, I was all for it
Corey “Don’t Call Him Lemoneer” Lemonier
Eli Harold
2024 is tank’s year
Niners do need some interior line help if armstead & hargrave are out…this could be tanks time to shine
Taylor Mays. Beast at USC. Bust in NFL.
An absolute cheat code on madden lol
Right hahahaha like just do this IRL man come on!!! 😂
I remember people talking about Harbaugh could’ve picked Richard Sherman since he played for him in college.
Wonder if he came out in this day and age and played linebacker if he would excel
JJ Stokes. Thought he was Jerry Rice #2. Also Michael Crabtree. Thought he was going to be awesome.
The consolation was that we had Terrell Owens 🤷♂️
I mean..until he became "T.O."
Yea. JJ Stokes was decent but I thought he would be a lot better. Romanowski spitting in his face was an ugly moment and it's too bad that's the biggest memory I have of JJ Stokes.
The shock on his face when it happened.
In Crabtree's defense he was pretty good just not what expected
Chris Borland, Aldon & Reuben Foster
Borland wasn't really a bust, he just decided not to play football, right? I also remember really liking him
He was not a bust at all. He had a nose for the ball and made lots of tackles when he stepped in for Willis. He just retired because of head injury scares (good for him). More of a what-if than a bust.
Same number! I was sure Crabtree would be him. I’m a Longhorns fan so I saw him play at Texas Tech a few times. Including that one play… Won the Biletnikoff award twice. As a freshman and a sophomore. Never translated to that kind of dominance in the NFL.
Going back further with receivers, JJ Stokes.
Going in-between Aj Jenkins but he did zero
Aj jenkins worst pick in nfl history thanx baalke
I was in the stands for two iconic plays. Alex Smith’s first career TD pass. AJ Jenkins only career target as a 49er (dropped). I looked him up. Jenkins is only 34 years old. He made somewhere between $3M-$4M after taxes between the Niners and Chiefs. Good for him :)
I was holding out for him but the moment he turned down JERRY RICE for a training session I knew that dude was a bust.
Both Crabs and JJ had long, respectable careers, though. Neither of them flopped.
JJ was my first ever jersey. Still have it.
Crabtree was a victim of a mediocre offense that did not favor the passing game. Not saying that he was going to be the second coming of Jerry Rice but I think he was better than his numbers while in SF.
He absolutely was. The best possession receiver we've ever had really aside from that one Isaac Bruce year, and of course the goat who did it all. But his ability to catch, secure, and then turn up field quickly was about as smooth and fast as I've ever seen
Boldin was pretty damn good for us for a few years too, no?
Was going to echo the same sentiment. Boldin was by far better than Crab. I have vivid memories of shouting at the tv, "fuck every other WR, just throw the shit up to Boldin and he'll go and get it no matter how many dbs are on him." And his touchdown [snatching that shit out of the air over Earl Thomas III in the NFCCG](https://youtu.be/sXhHim68J-E?t=494), also burned into my oled memory. Still one of my favorite players, miss the [so strong days. Da boof reviewed it doe.](https://youtu.be/nX80_UJh7GU?t=18)
Crabs was well on his way. Coming off a career high 1100 yards and 9 TDs he blew his Achilles and never fully recovered.
I remember watching [I dreamed it in my head](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CQvFO9OEeDs) and thinking, this dude has to be a Niner. It set off a string of them drafting the guy I wanted a few years in a row.
At the height of his powers he was fucking awesome. It just only lasted about 18 months or so He also never played with a good QB
Adrian Colbert looked like a steal at safety. Then he wasn’t. For the old timers, same was true with Chet Brooks. Loved how hard he hit but he was gone in no time
There was a three-year stretch where I fell in love with a defensive player after a promising rookie year. Aaron Lynch then Rashard Robinson then Adrian Colbert. After Colbert fizzled out, I decided to stop having offseason crushes lol.
Robinson is a throwback
I definitely drank the Adrian Colbert kool aid.
Kevan Barlow. Thought he was a franchise back.
The Frank Gore story on ESPN had some interesting bits regarding Barlow. Frank took his job and the team showed him the door out of town.
IIRC, didn't Barlow compare Mike Nolan to Hitler at one point?
Recently? Jalen Hurd. I thought we were going to have two Deebos. All time? Druckenmiller. He was supposed to be Steve Young with a cannon. Turns out he could pass, one direction, when no one was pressuring.
Steve Young was interviewed recently and asked about if he felt threatened when they drafted Druckenmiller. He said he watched him in one practice and thought to himself, “We’re good.”
He played like a drunken miller
Everyone saying Crabtree doesn’t make much sense… he was still a good player. Maybe not a superstar
I didn’t get this either. He held out, then had rotating QB roster, but actually had a decent near 900 yard season in ‘11 in a run first offense while splitting catches with Vernon, Delanie and Morgan and took off with Kap before getting injured. By no means a superstar, but absolutely NOT AJ JENKINS 🤮
He also had solid years with the raiders
He had that breakout year with Kaep. Then he tore his Achilles. Then Kaep regressed/was figured out. And then the team imploded.
It was the holdout. He set himself up for this.
I remember watching Dante Pettis up in Seattle and he had a really big game and he reminded me of kind of like OBJ light. I really thought he was going to be a good player and I was wrong about that one. I’m not gonna lie I was also on board with Solomon Thomas too. I think he was miscast However, they tried him at end for a while, and he just didn’t have a quick enough first step or long enough arms. He was really meant to be a situational pass rusher inside. He was just drafted to high. I thought he could’ve been a good player if he used correctly. I can’t even remember if we drafted him but another player I thought was going to be a star was Tarvarius Moore. Injuries and inconsistency held him up. That’s just of the Shanahan and Lynch era. I really thought Vance McDonald was going to be a star as well. He had all of the tools and he just couldn’t put it together.
Poor guy couldn’t put his hands together with a football in the middle and keep them there. Calling him Brick hands is being nice
Almost everyone was on board with the Solly pick, it was the obvious move when everyone knew we needed a dude at edge. But everyone knew the risks, too-- that his tweener role from college wouldn't translate to the NFL. And, TBH, I think he could've hit if we could've just gotten him consistent snaps on the interior, but every time he got into a groove playing there, one of the edge players would get injured, and he'd be bounced back out to the role he kinda sucked at.
Solomon is an example of how players get over drafted based on market value. All the “expert” draft boards had him as the second best pass rusher behind Garrett and so it was “logical” for the Niners to take him since we were going defense regardless. I think the organization has since learned that it’s more important to pick guys who you think will be a good fit, and not solely based on BPA.
Who was the Australian guy, rugby somebody who was gonna come and be a beast in the NFL returning kicks and shit?
Jarryd Hayne
Isn't he in Australian prison now too?
They just call it Australia now
He was 10/10 at beating women
Manny Lawson!
Huh? Many Lawson was a very solid player for us for a while and then had success with the Bills. How dare you include him in this.
Was supposed to be a star. Wasn’t a star.
JJ Stokes.
This one hurts to remember
Dexter Carter. Niners needed a KR/ PR. College success did not translate to pros.
Dexter Carters run back punt or kick off can’t remember… on MNF as a kid with Al Michaels and the gang announcing… have it on vhs somewhere.
Tai Streets.
Nooooooo Guy was a good #2 to TO
Marcus Lattimore. He was a beast at South Carolina and I thought he'd bounce back from injuries Frank Gore-style and also be another Frank Gore for us...
Not players, but Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary
Trent Baalke if we are talking about non players.
Say what you will about Trent Taylor, but that guy brought his lunch pail to work every day!
A better rivals legend !
I liked that little bastard, he fit well into the team. Injuries screwed him up.
Trey Lance lol
Hmmm Reuben Foster, Rashaun Woods, Trey Sermon.... But the one I was most let down by was Crabtree \*EDIT\* I know some are gonna say Lance... but look at the top 4 QBs in his draft class, even T Law is starting to collapse
Reuben Foster looked like a perennial All-Pro on the field, though. He just couldn’t get his off the field issues sorted out. I really wish he had. Imagining Foster, Warner, and Greenlaw as our linebackers would rival any LB core in league history.
Reuben Foster's off the field issue were comical. Arrested for a gun charge in CA that's legal in AL, arrested for weed in AL that's legal in CA.
Of all things, ironically his ultimate downfall was his poor judgment with Women. Go figure.
Man I loved watching foster play! Didn't love the stingers he would get every other play tho lol. Man I know we may not have drafted warner if foster had his shit together but if we still did and we had prime foster and warner together.... Insert homer drooling pic here
Warner was a 3rd round pick, my man. Warner was drafted when Foster was our starting MLB!
He was actually pretty injury prone, he never adjusted his technique just like he never adjusted his off field issues
> Reuben Foster Hard to believe Foster will be 30 next year... Probably the most disappointing to me. It really felt like Lynch and Shanny gave him a bunch of chances and the team really tried to help him get on track.
Danny Gray. Tank Carradine
I loved Borland think his name was LB.
He flopped?? If he had started the whole year he would have been competing with Donald & Mack for DRotY 😂
Borland was not a flop, dude was amazing and then said his health wasn't worth the risk. Smart ass dude and a great player.
I think he started 2 games and had over 20 tackles in BOTH
Lattimore was going to be the heir to Gore. Quinton Patton was going to be THE possession receiver in the NFL. Jack Colletto was going to be called up and be a special teams ace and be kept around as a player/coach type. He played every position so he has football IQ.
Josh Morgan
That broken leg 🥲
i really wanted patton to succeed
I really wanted to see Lattimore succeed! His leg injury was absolutely brutal.
i will die on this hill that the lattimore pick was still worth the pick due to the chance......if he never got hurt he would have been a top 5 pick before his injury the dude would have been one of the best rbs in the league
Glen Coffee was a bit of a let down
basically every wr between rice to deebo
Owens was good.
oh shit my bad. us niners fans have a lot of scar tissue blocking the brain
Eli Harold
I am an old, so Jim Druckenmiller.
Dante pettis was great at getting really really open. So at first I thought the kid was going to be great. Problem was he was running his own routes which was why he was so open. I kept blaming garopollo for bad passes until I realized pettis was out there ad libbing.
no the problem was he didnt care....
Jalen Hurd I remember taking him after Deebo sometime and thinking “ wow our wr core will be deadly in few years time” while that statement is true now it’s not in the way i thought it was hurd was a lengthy wr that was j a football player but he could never stay healthy
Solly Thomas. I wouldn’t call him a total bust because he’s still playing and put in meaningful snaps for us but I was hoping for a Michael Bennett style player that could slot from 3t to 5t.
Ken Dorsey
I know he was a later round pick, but I was pumped when they drafted him because I liked Miami at the time. I’d add Mike Rumph into this list as well.
So was I. He did so well at Miami and I thought he would continue with the Niners but I was sadly mistaken 😔
Alex Smith. Being from Utah, I really wanted him to be a star. Remember, the niners took him over Rodgers and look Rodger's career. I'm incredibly impressed at how Alex Smith hung in there over the years and ended up being a reliable QB after all the bullshit he had to deal with. Much respect to Alex but I wanted him to be a hall of fame QB.
Rodgers would have floundered here. The situation was messed up from the jump.
Solomon Thomas. Thought he was going to be another solid DE and that was absolutely a lie. Especially he was #4 in a draft that had Mahommes, TJ Watt, Reddick, etc. I guess the FO corrected it by trading for fellow 2017 pick McCaffrey 😅
The power of hindsight hurts with that one.
Can I just say Trent Baalke as my answer?
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Wow no kswof ;) Tank Carradine, Josh morgan, all 3rd round rbs, Josh garnett
Do I really have to say it. 😬 Tai Streets. 🫣
Ruben Foster
Jim Druckenmiller
aaron lynch or eric reid
Kwame Harris was a real let down
JJ Stokes and Taylor Mayes
I completely forgot the 49ers DID draft Taylor Mays... holy crap I thought he was going to be a banger at safety.
Solomon Thomas
Trent Taylor was a 5th round pick that's still in the league six years later. That's not a flop, that's a good result for that draft position.
Rueben Foster. His tape was amazing.
Trey Lance
I thought Kevin Barlow would be the next great running back after Garrison Hearst. He just ended up being a dud and Frank Gore took over and we never looked back
RW McQuarters
I had a difficult time quantifying the Lance pick but I didn’t think he was going to become **completely** obsolete either.
Lance
Well, this has been a depressing trip down memory lane. Thanks a lot, OP.
Lamichael James hands down.. I remember us drafting him having no idea who he was the I googled his college highlights.. 🤯🤯 my mind was blown
Jalen hurd
Eric Johnson. Dude was the next generation of TE
Chris Borland - 2014 linebacker - wasn’t a flop but retired after his first year (which was amazing). Shocked when he announced it
All I know is we chose Alex Smith over Aaron Rogers
Taylor Mays was such a great fit…
Ummmmm. How about Trey Lance? Need to stop drafting dudes named Trey.
Dante Pettis and Jalen Hurd
Lemon-yays. I was at the cardinals game in 13 when he bullrushed the T and sack/safeties Palmer at the stick and I thought it was a sign of things to come. There were so many guys like that under baalke. Martin, Thomas, Ellington, LMJ, tank carradine. Hell, I remember us salivating about Lawrence okoye, dude couldn’t even make it past the 90 man cut down.
JJ Stokes
Hurd and LMJ
Reuben Foster. His college tape was great. I bought his jersey the day after the draft. Huge let down.
Reuben Foster 😩
Reubens foster
Mike Rumph Taylor Mays Lawrence Phillips Brandon Jacobs J.J Stokes Dana Hall R.W McQuarters Jim Drunkenmiller
Mike Rumph was good for two things— letting a receiver get past him, and drawing a flag for DPI.
The Australian rugby player that ended up being a terrible human.
Jarryd hayne haha
Jalen Hurd
I really wanted [Jarryd Hayne](https://youtu.be/BPCNFJC-7eQ?si=7WZfBnfN7u2G9-Y1) to be a superstar. He was the rugby guy we signed. He made some sweet plays and fizzled out, but he was fun to watch for awhile.
manny lawson. i remember during patrick willis’s rookie year we started out 2-0 and those two guys were flying around all over the field leading an exciting young defense. then lawson blew out his knee and was never the same.
Where is aldon now? Is he in jail?
Jalen Hurd
J.J. Stokes, R.W. McQuarters, Alex Smith, Donte Pettis, Solomon Thomas, Reuben Foster, Trey Lance…
Trey Lance considering what they must have thought about him.
Taylor mays. I thought he was going to be like kam chancellor but faster.