49ers' first-round draft record ranks among the NFL's worst

It's pretty well documented that the San Francisco 49ers' recent first-round draft history isn't good. But a recent ranking by CBS Sports showcased just how awful the picks under John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have been since 2000.

Mike Renner ranked all 191 first-round picks over the past six years, factoring in draft capital and the players available rather than pure talent evaluation. San Francisco's five picks over that span landed at No. 43 (Brandon Aiyuk, 2020), No. 95 (Ricky Pearsall, 2024), No. 133 (Javon Kinlaw, 2020), No. 135 (Mykel Williams, 2025) and dead last at No. 191 (Trey Lance, 2021). That works out to one top-third pick, one middle-third pick and three in the bottom third — including the single worst decision of the entire six-year sample.

Renner didn't hold back on the Lance pick, which cost the 49ers a 2021 first-rounder, 2022 first- and third-round picks and a 2023 first-rounder to move up for:

There's no telling what a team that went to the NFC Championship Game in 2022 and the Super Bowl in 2023 could have done if it had used its 2021 first-round pick, 2022 first- and third-round picks and 2023 first-round pick differently.

What's worse is the 49ers' "best" first-round pick is Aiyuk, who could be done in the NFL after his recent offseason social media firestorm. Pearsall has been injury-prone over his two seasons, Williams is coming off an ACL injury and Kinlaw hasn't been on the team since 2024

The picture looks starkly different elsewhere in the NFC. The Seahawks' six first-rounders since 2020 — headlined by Jaxon Smith-Njigba (No. 4 overall in the rankings) and Devon Witherspoon (No. 45) — were the only haul from a team with multiple picks in which none finished outside the top 90. The Ravens went eight-for-eight without a single bottom-third selection, and the Eagles landed four of their seven picks in the top third, including Jalen Carter and Quinyon Mitchell.

San Francisco's saving grace, as Renner noted, has been what happens after the first round. Lynch's later-round hits and Shanahan's scheme have papered over the shortfall — the 49ers still reached back-to-back conference title games and a Super Bowl earlier this decade. Brock Purdy, who was the final pick in 2022, helped, as well as the major trades for players like Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams.

But with Aiyuk and Kinlaw both gone from the roster and Lance long since flamed out, San Francisco enters 2026 hoping recent first-rounders Pearsall and Williams buck the trend before the front office's margin for error runs out.

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers' first-round draft record ranks among the NFL's worst