Every year around draft time we like to look at the ghosts of drafts past with the San Francisco 49ers and reflect on the players allocated from the draft. We luckily have video of each draft thanks to YouTube poster and 49ers fan Marvin49. We’ll be looking at every year up to 2017. Today it’s 2011.
So the 2011 draft. This is what was the first draft of 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke. The 49ers were considered to be rebuilding with the hire but that assumption lasted for only a few games. For many years, this draft was considered the ultimate building piece of the 49ers, with the draft of Aldon Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Kendall Hunter, and others all considered to one day be starters.
Now, a majority of them are out of the league entirely. Whether it’s legal issues, political reasons, or something else entirely, several players drafted couldn’t keep themselves on the roster for whatever the reason.
The one shining light, center Daniel Kilgore, was recently traded to the Miami Dolphins. That trade removes this entire draft class from the 49ers entirely. None of these players remain with the team.
It feels like yesterday when this rebuilding process began; Aldon Smith’s infancy, Colin Kaepernick’s profile in the NCAA, Bruce Miller being taken in the 7th round and becoming one of the best fullbacks in the league. The rebuild only lasted a few months, because the 49ers found themselves in the NFC Championship game in Harbaugh’s first year.
As per usual, the DMCA biscuits have this thing on lockdown in some regions, so if you’d like to view the video, make sure to click the link to go to YouTube directly to see it. Or you can go here via this link to see the analysis of the draft.
Picks:
1. Aldon Smith, OLB, Missouri
2. Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada
3. Chris Culliver, CB, South Carolina
4. Kendall Hunter, RB, Oklahoma State
5. Daniel Kilgore, OL, Appalachian State
6. Ronald Johnson, WR, USC
7. Colin Jones, S, TCU
8. Bruce Miller, DL/FB, Central Florida
9. Michael Person, OL, Montana State
10. Curtis Holcomb, CB, Florida A&M