We’ve got a few days until the San Francisco 49ers take on the Seattle Seahawks, but there was something I realized from a bad FS1 segment a year ago. Something about skill position players. The 49ers right now have a shot at the first seed and winning the division, not to mention a possible Super Bowl run in 2019. And that is this:
#49ers offensive rankings:
— FOOTBALL ADDICT (@PigskinJunkie91) December 24, 2019
☆DVOA- 9th
☆PPG- 2nd
☆Points Per Drive- 6th
☆Yards Per Play- 4th
SF is the ONLY team in the playoffs that DOES NOT have a SINGLE skill position player (QB, RB, WR, TE) on their roster that was drafted in the 1st round.
SHANAHAN IS THE TRUTH. pic.twitter.com/AlqPKgNMd5
There have been debates on how valuable a first-round pick at a skill position is. I usually point to Frank Gore and say bullstuff. Yet, the debate continues. The 49ers themselves were criticized in 2018 for not having skill position players ceremoniously in 2018 by Nick Wright for not investing a first-round pick in a skill position player. Because a first-round pick in a skill position player always makes you a better team.
The point of this is the 49ers have later picks invested and are getting quite a bit of production out of them in spite of that. That should be going to Kyle Shanahan’s coaching and their scouting department in their drafting. Are the 49ers going to hit on every pick? No, but they definitely can find starters and get them up to speed sooner rather than later (another side effect of Trent Baalke’s picks...well, the ones that had a chance).
You don’t need first-round picks on skill position players. The 49ers proved it.