It’s often said that the true grade of an NFL draft class doesn’t really present itself until years in the future, once a group of players has acclimated (or not) to the league and the team.
As such, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco went through all 32 teams from 2023 to give each draft class a new grade. The San Francisco 49ers didn’t earn a good grade, as Prisco gave the team a “D” for their group of players. Prisco called the class “even worse now than I originally thought” because of how bad the picks were initially, how they turned out and how few are even on the team anymore.
For those that don’t remember, here is that draft class:
- Round 3, Pick 87: Ji’Ayir Brown, S, Penn State
- Round 3, Pick 99: Jake Moody, K, Michigan
- Round 3, Pick 101: Cameron Latu, TE, Alabama
- Round 5, Pick 155: Darrell Luter Jr., CB, South Alabama
- Round 5, Pick 173: Robert Beal Jr., DE, Georgia
- Round 6, Pick 216: Dee Winters, LB, TCU
- Round 7, Pick 247: Brayden Willis, TE, Oklahoma
- Round 7, Pick 253: Ronnie Bell, WR, Michigan
- Round 7, Pick 255: Jalen Graham, LB, Purdue
Now, it’s worth noting that the 49ers didn’t have any picks in the first two rounds because of trades. They sent a 2023 first-rounder to the Miami Dolphins in 2021 to move up for Trey Lance (which was clearly a mistake) and then traded second-, third-, and fourth-round selections to the Carolina Panthers for Christian McCaffrey (which was a good trade).
But of this group, the only quality player left on the team is Brown, who started 26 games over the past two seasons for San Francisco. The only other players on this list still with the team are Luter Jr., Willis, and Graham — but they’re all backups buried on the depth chart who aren’t guaranteed to make the roster in 2026.
The rest are elsewhere in the NFL, at least. Moody was released in 2025 and is now with the Washington Commanders. Latu missed the 2023 season with a knee injury and was cut before the 2024 season. Winters was solid but traded to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. Beal Jr. signed with the Miami Dolphins this offseason. Bell was last with the Saints.
This wasn’t a good showing by the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch contingent, but the team was still able to perform well despite not seeing a lot of success from its draft class.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers eviscerated in 2023 draft regrade