The aftermath of Trey Lance led to the 2022 draft, where Brock Purdy rose to fame, while a couple of 49ers’ picks found themselves on the Eagles’ roster and earned a Super Bowl ring.
It’s time to reflect on the San Francisco 49ers’ previous drafts again. Thanks to YouTube poster and 49ers fan Marvin49, we have videos of each draft. We’ll look at every year during the Kyle Shanahan era up to 2024. Today, it’s 2022.
Thanks to the Trey Lance trade, the 2022 NFL Draft marked the start of a slump for the 49ers—their first year without a first-round pick. For many fans, Thursday night was suddenly open for something else. Sure, rumors about a potential trade back into the first round floated around, but ultimately, the night passed without much action.
As expected, Lance was named the starter, with Jimmy Garoppolo now an afterthought—until an injury derailed the trade hopes for Garoppolo and cemented his place on the roster.
So, what did the 49ers do with their nine picks? Well, they certainly had their work cut out for them, but by the end of the process, many were left feeling underwhelmed. Let’s break it down.
So, first- or second-round, if you want to get technical, it is Drake Jackson, a linebacker out of USC. Jackson was brought in as a potential edge rusher to complement Nick Bosa. Though he showed promise, he struggled with consistency and fluctuating weight issues. After some decent flashes in his first couple of years, Jackson ended up on injured reserve in 2024, and his future is quite uncertain.
Round 3 has the annual running back pick with Tyrion Davis-Price Davis-Price out of LSU, a player whose selection was perplexing for several reasons—chief among them his gap-scheme experience at LSU, which didn’t seem to mesh with the 49ers’ outside-zone scheme. Davis-Price debuted in Week 2 against Seattle, and that was about it. He was waived to the practice squad in 2023, and a year later, he was with the Philadelphia Eagles on a futures contract. Price got the last laugh in all this, winning a Super Bowl with the Eagles in 2025.
The 49ers also tried the speed game in the third round with SMU wide receiver Danny Gray. Unfortunately, that speed in college didn’t translate to production in the NFL. He caught only one pass in 2022, and 2023 didn’t provide much improvement, as injuries sidelined him for most of the year. His situation recalls the AJ Jenkins pick from 2012, where a first-round pick underperformed, and Gray is on a similar trajectory, with just one more reception than Jenkins had at this point in his career. Gray was waived in 2024 during final roster cuts and went to the Philadelphia Eagles. Like Price, he has one more Super Bowl ring than the current 49ers roster.
Speaking of Super Bowls, the fourth round brought us UTSA offensive tackle Spencer Burford, who showed some early promise but was passed over in favor of Jon Feliciano for the starting role in 2023. While he still has potential, his development has stalled, and it’s unclear if he can regain momentum in 2024. His future with the team is uncertain, and the hope of him becoming a cornerstone player seems to be fading. Burford’s legacy might be the day after the 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in some internet drama.
The fifth round brought us toledo cornerback Samuel Womack. Womack’s rookie season showed promise, but injuries derailed his second year. In 2023, he spent time on IR and played in just seven games, registering only six tackles. The hope that he could develop into a solid contributor has yet to materialize, leaving some disappointed. I was hoping to make some Sean Connery impressions by calling his name on the field, but alas, that will never happen because Womack was waived by the 49ers en route to the final roster in 2024.
We have more picks here. Into the sixth round, we go to where the 49ers take Fordham offensive tackle Nick Zakelj. Zakelj never saw the field much, spending time on IR in his first two being drafted. In 2024, he had a pair of starts towards the end of the season. And that’s pretty much it. Considering this draft was splurged on offensive line depth, that’s a bit disappointing.
Back to the defensive side of the ball, the 49ers went for UCF defensive tackle Kalia Davis. Davis was a classic “injured player flyer.” Recovering from an ACL injury, he didn’t play in 2022 but saw action in three games during the 2023 season. He managed an interception in 2024…after spending the first half of the season on injured reserve. While Davis might have been a third-round talent if healthy, his knee injury left the 49ers with an uncertain asset.
We’re still in the sixth round. The 49ers burned another pick on Tariq-Castro-Fields. So, how did this one turn out? Castro-Fields didn’t even make it through training camp before being cut. After bouncing around the league, he followed others in this draft class to the Philadelphia Eagles, who won a Super Bowl while on the practice squad.
And then, of course, came the final pick in the draft, Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy. Drafted as a long shot, the 49ers took a flyer on Purdy, with most fans (myself included) laughing at the thought of him even making the team. But in a year of disappointing picks, Purdy single-handedly redeemed the entire draft.
After Trey Lance’s foot injury in Week 2 and Garoppolo’s return to the starting role—only to go down with an injury himself—Purdy was thrust into the starting QB spot. What followed was nothing short of legendary. Purdy displayed incredible poise and ability, leading the 49ers to the NFC Championship. Though an elbow injury cut his Super Bowl dreams short, his performance through the season was enough to make him the clear starter in 2023.
In 2023, Purdy shattered team records, surpassing legends like Jeff Garcia, Joe Montana, and Steve Young for yards passing. He secured a Super Bowl appearance for the 49ers and became the leader of a team that was looking for consistency at the quarterback position. His 2024 was, by far, his worst season—by Brock Purdy standards. If you compare his stats to the rest of the league, Purdy gets into the top half in several categories despite his roster being on the injured reserve list.
In hindsight, the 2022 draft might be one of the most disappointing years for the 49ers in recent memory—at least in terms of value from their early picks.
However, the draft will always have a silver lining, thanks to Brock Purdy. A seventh-rounder turned franchise quarterback makes you forget about the other whiffs in the draft. Almost.
Pick Breakdown
Round 2 – Pick 61 – Drake Jackson, LB, USC
Round 3 – No. 93 – Tyrion Davis-Price, RB, LSU
Round 3 – No. 105 – Danny Gray, WR, SMU
Round 4 – No. 134 – Spencer Burford, OT, UTSA
Round 5 – No. 172 – Samuel Womack, CB, Toledo
Round 6 – No. 187 – Nick Zakelj, OT, Fordham
Round 6 – No. 220 – Kalia Davis, DT, UCF
Round 6 – No. 221 – Tariq Castro-Fields, CB, Penn State
Round 7 – No. 262 – Brock Purdy, QB, Iowa State