Can the 49ers be Trusted to hit on Their First Round Draft Pick?

For the first time since 2021, the San Francisco 49ers will have a first round pick in the NFL draft.

It is tough to envision what the 49ers will do since they are picking at No. 31 at the end of the round. Who knows what prospects will be there, and that is assuming the 49ers will stay put at No. 31.

However, predicting who will be there feels irrelevant for the 49ers. That is because ever since Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch took over in 2017 they have failed to hit on their first round pick the majority of the time.

So, can the 49ers be trusted to hit on their first round draft pick?

They cannot. The only player the 49ers have successfully hit on in the first round is Brandon Aiyuk. And no, I do not give the 49ers credit for drafting Nick Bosa. People who don't even watch football would've known to take him at No. 2 overall in 2019. That was a layup for the 49ers.

Outside of that, they have failed miserably to find someone in the first round. It started with their first year when they took Solomon Thomas and Rueben Foster. Those were two picks that were complete whiffs and busts for them.

The following year they drafted Mike McGlinchey. And while he wasn't a bust, he certainly was a whiff. A player who is drafted No. 10 overall needs to be a cornerstone for a franchise and McGlinchey was not good enough to stay on with the 49ers beyond his rookie contract.

Speaking of whiffs, Javon Kinlaw was a massive one for the 49ers. He was meant to be the replacement for DeForest Buckner and never came close to being an impact player. It wasn't until this past season where he finally was able to find luck with his health where he found some effectiveness.

Kinlaw was a wasted pick for the 49ers, but no other pick was more wasteful than the selection of Trey Lance. The 49ers mortgaged the future on Lance and he couldn't even crack more than a few starts for them. Unfortunate circumstances with health played a part, but all of that aside, Lance was the worst pick in 49ers history.

This regime has no clue what to do in the first round. That is because Shanahan is hands on in that round as opposed to the later rounds, which happens to be where the 49ers find their successful draft picks. When it comes to selecting a player in the first round, it doesn't matter what position the 49ers go.

They just need to get it right, even if it is a position they are fine at. They need to finally break their horrendous first round draft pick streak and find someone who can be an impact starter for years to come.