I was given a great idea from a good friend of mine, to look at the trend for the current 49ers\u2019 regime, from 2017-2022, to see how they\u2019ve changed what they\u2019ve done, free agent wise, & draft wise, so let\u2019s begin.<\/p>\n
First off, we\u2019ll begin with 2017, when the 49ers hired Kyle Shanahan as head coach, & John Lynch as general manager.<\/p>\n
The 49ers began the 2017 offseason off by signing a bunch of free agents, with the more notable signees listed below, from first to last signee.<\/p>\n
NT Earl Mitchell \u2013 4-year, $16 million<\/p>\n
CB K\u2019Waun Williams \u2013 1-year, $750,000<\/p>\n
QB Brian Hoyer \u2013 2-year, $18.5 million, $9.85 million fully guaranteed<\/p>\n
FB Kyle Juszczyk \u2013 4-year, $21 million, $7 million fully guaranteed<\/p>\n
WR Pierre Garcon \u2013 5-year, $47.5 million, $17 million fully guaranteed<\/p>\n
WR Marquise Goodwin \u2013 2-year, $6 million, $4.45 million fully guaranteed<\/p>\n
TE Logan Paulsen \u2013 1-year, $1 million<\/p>\n
LB Malcolm Smith \u2013 5-year, $26.5 million, $12 million guaranteed<\/p>\n
PK Robbie Gould \u2013 2-year, $4 million<\/p>\n
QB Matt Barkley \u2013 2-year, $4 million<\/p>\n
WR Aldrick Robinson \u2013 2-year, $4 million<\/p>\n
LB Brock Coyle \u2013 2-year deal<\/p>\n
DB Don Jones \u2013 2-year, $2.2 million<\/p>\n
LB Dekoda Watson \u2013 3-year deal<\/p>\n
RB Tim Hightower \u2013 1-year deal<\/p>\n
OT Garry Gilliam \u2013 1-year, $2.2 million, $1.25 million guaranteed<\/p>\n
DE Elvis Dumervil \u2013 2-year, $8 million, $1.5 million guaranteed<\/p>\n
As you can see the 49ers went very free agent happy in 2017, John Lynch even said that they signed more free agents in 2017 than Trent Baalke did in his entire tenure as the 49ers GM.<\/p>\n
Also, you can see that the 49ers gave out some really questionable contracts, both at the time, and in the long run, but thanks to Paraag Marathe\u2019s structuring of the contracts, these deals had little to no effect on the 49ers salary cap moving forward.<\/p>\n
The best pickups in my eye were Juice, Dumvervil, Garcon, & Goodwin, while they whiffed on Malcolm Smith, Brian Hoyer, but that\u2019s really the only bad signings from 2017.<\/p>\n
Next up is the draft class, which consisted of the following 10 players.<\/p>\n
1st<\/sup>-Round: DL Solomon Thomas<\/p>\n 1st<\/sup>-Round: LB Reuben Foster<\/p>\n 3rd<\/sup>-Round: CB Ahkello Witherspoon<\/p>\n 3rd<\/sup>-Round: QB C.J. Beathard<\/p>\n 4th<\/sup>-Round: RB Joe Williams<\/p>\n 5th<\/sup>-Round: TE George Kittle<\/p>\n 5th<\/sup>-Round: WR Trent Taylor<\/p>\n 6th<\/sup>-Round: NT D.J. Jones<\/p>\n 6th<\/sup>-Round: LB Pita Taumoepenu<\/p>\n 7th<\/sup>-Round: DB Adrian Colbert<\/p>\n Well, this draft class wasn\u2019t the best, as Thomas has since moved on, proving he was the wrong pick as #3 overall, Foster completely went idiot with his off the field issues, the Joe Williams pick was horrendous, a pick that Lynch was against, and only was made due to Kyle Shanahan pounding the table for him, but they had some good picks, as Witherspoon played well, & is now a starter with the Steelers, George Kittle is, well, the best all-around TE in the NFL, D.J. Jones just got a nice payday from the Broncos, while Trent Taylor, & C.J. Beathard played well, and are still in the NFL.<\/p>\n 2017 Offseason Verdict<\/strong>: Very Aggressive<\/p>\n Next up of course is 2018.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll begin with the free agents that the 49ers signed that year.<\/p>\n CB Richard Sherman \u2013 3-year, $27.15 million<\/p>\n OG Jonathan Cooper \u2013 1-year deal<\/p>\n EDGE Jerry Attaochu \u2013 1-year, $5.125 million, $2.5 million fully guaranteed<\/p>\n RB Jerick McKinnon \u2013 4-year, $30 million<\/p>\n C Weston Richburg \u2013 5-year, $47.5 million<\/p>\n The 49ers didn\u2019t sign as many free agents as the previous year, but they did manage to get Richard Sherman on a very team friendly deal, that worked out, helping the 49ers get to the 2020 Super Bowl, the Richburg signing was a good signing, his career ending injury wasn\u2019t avoidable, but the Cooper, Attaochu, & McKinnon signings were bad deals, as Cooper, & Attaochu were released at final cuts, costing the 49ers some significant cap room, while McKinnon suffered a torn ACL before the season, thus missing the first 2 years of his 49ers career.<\/p>\n Next up is the 49ers 2018 draft class.<\/p>\n 1st<\/sup>-Round: RT Mike McGlinchey<\/p>\n 2nd<\/sup>-Round: WR Dante Pettis<\/p>\n 3rd<\/sup>-Round: MLB Fred Warner<\/p>\n 4th<\/sup>-Round: DT Kentavius Street<\/p>\n 5th<\/sup>-Round: CB D.J. Reed Jr.<\/p>\n 6th<\/sup>-Round: SS Marcell Harris<\/p>\n 7th<\/sup>-Round: NT Jullian Taylor<\/p>\n 7th<\/sup>-Round: WR Richie James Jr.<\/p>\n Now this was a productive draft class for the most part, as the 49ers got their RT at the time, who is now coming off a serious injury, while Warner has become one of the top 2 pure linebackers in the NFL, and Moore has a chance to be the teams\u2019 starting strong safety, but, Dante Pettis proved to be a bust, Street was a bad pick, coming off a Torn ACL during pre-draft workouts, they let D.J. Reed go, who got a nice payday from the Jets, and Taylor(Vikings), & James(Giants) are still in the league.<\/p>\n 2018 Offseason Verdict<\/strong>: Aggressive<\/p>\n Next up is the 2019 offseason.<\/p>\n The 49ers signed the following free agents in 2019.<\/p>\n RB Tevin Coleman \u2013 2-year, $10 million<\/p>\n LB Kwon Alexander \u2013 4-year, $54 million, $27 million guaranteed<\/p>\n DE Dee Ford(via trade) \u2013 5-year, $85 million<\/p>\n The 49ers were aggressive on day 1 when it came to getting Kwon Alexander, but thew drafting of Greenlaw, and his play, made Alexander expendable, which is what happened, as the 49ers traded him to the Saints in 2020, and we all know how the Dee Ford sign\/trade went, badly, plus this is the year the 49ers extended Jimmy Garoppolo on a 5-year, $137.5 million deal, which wasn\u2019t bad, as it didn\u2019t hurt the teams\u2019 cap long term.<\/p>\n Next up is the 49ers 2018 draft class.<\/p>\n 1st<\/sup>-Round: EDGE Nick Bosa<\/p>\n 2nd<\/sup>-Round: WR Deebo Samuel<\/p>\n 3rd<\/sup>-Round: WR Jalen Hurd<\/p>\n 4th<\/sup>-Round: P Mitch Wishnowsky<\/p>\n 5th<\/sup>-Round: LB Dre Greenlaw<\/p>\n 6th<\/sup>-Round: TE Kaden Smith<\/p>\n 6th<\/sup>-Round: RT Justin Skule<\/p>\n 6th<\/sup>-Round: CB Tim Harris Jr.<\/p>\n This has probably been the 49ers most productive draft class as a whole, as Bosa has become a beast, with 2 great years, he did suffer a torn ACL in year 2, but he\u2019s clearly back, Deebo, as well, had an injury in year 2, but he\u2019s had 2 very good-great years, & he will be a 49er for a long time, Wishnowsky isn\u2019t the best, but he surely isn\u2019t the worst punter, & Dre Greenlaw has become a mainstay at the weakside linebacker spot, while Smith was waived due to them needing to sign a RB, hoping he\u2019d clear, but he didn\u2019t, getting claimed off waiver by the Giants, Skule is still with the 49ers, but not for much longer, and I really don\u2019t know where Harris is.<\/p>\n 2019 Offseason Verdict<\/strong>: Mildly Aggressive<\/p>\n Next, we have the 2020 offseason.<\/p>\n First up are the free agent signings.<\/p>\n OG Tom Compton \u2013 1-year, $3 million<\/p>\n DE Kerry Hyder Jr. \u2013 1-year, $1.5 million<\/p>\n As you can see the 49ers didn\u2019t really participate in free agency, just signing really 2 key free agents in Compton, & Hyder, who both helped the 49ers, with Hyder now back on a similar 1-year deal, but this was the offseason where the 49ers re-signed the likes of Jimmie Ward to a 3-year deal, averaging $9.5 million, Arik Armstead to a 5-year deal, averaging $17 million a year, and extended Fred Warner to a deal worth $19.045 million a year on average, so while they weren\u2019t aggressive as far as outside free agents like in past years, they still gave out some good money, with all 3 of these deals being very good-great re-signings, but we have to mention the trade of DeForest Buckner to the Colts, which wasn\u2019t received well by 49ers fans, and most still hate it till this day, but understand that it was a business decision, but they did make a huge draft day trade to get former Washington left tackle Trent Williams for a 5th<\/sup> in 2020, & a 3rd<\/sup> in 2021.<\/p>\n Next up is the 49ers 2020 draft class.<\/p>\n 1st<\/sup>-Round: DT Javon Kinlaw<\/p>\n 1st<\/sup>-Round: WR Brandon Aiyuk<\/p>\n 5th<\/sup>-Round: OL Colton McKivitz<\/p>\n 6th<\/sup>-Round: TE Charlie Woerner<\/p>\n 7th<\/sup>-Round: WR Jauan Jennings<\/p>\n So far this draft class has been a good one for the most part, Aiyuk has had two good seasons to begin his career, McKivitz & Woerner have gotten better, still with the team, & Jauan Jennings has looked great, becoming a guy you can rely on for clutch 3rd<\/sup> down catches, while Kinlaw still needs to stay healthy, & be dominant, or else the trade of Buckner for the 13th<\/sup>-pick will end up being a bad one.<\/p>\n 2020 Offseason Verdict<\/strong>: Conservative-Ish<\/p>\n Next up is the 2021 offseason.<\/p>\n First up are the 49ers free agent signings.<\/p>\n C Alex Mack \u2013 3-year, $14.85 million<\/p>\n DE Samson Ebukam \u2013 2-year, $12 million<\/p>\n Now, the 49ers didn\u2019t add many players via free agency, with Mack, & Ebukam being the two big ones, if you can call them big, but, they did make their splash by re-signing Trent Williams to a 6-year deal, averaging $23.01 million a year, Kyle Juszcyzk to a 5-year deal, averaging $5.4 million a year, they brough Jason Verrett, D.J. Jones, K\u2019Waun Williams, & Jaquiski Tartt all back for the chance to run it back, they also re-signed Emmanuel Moseley to a 2-year deal, & extended George Kittle on a 5-year deal, averaging $15 million a year, so all in all, they were aggressive in free agency, namely when it came to retaining their own.<\/p>\n Next is the draft, and we can\u2019t talk the offseason without the big trade up from 12 to 3, giving up a 2022 1st<\/sup>-rounder, a 2023 1st<\/sup>-rounder, & a 2022 compensatory 3rd<\/sup>-rounder, all to the Dolphins, to get the right to choose Trey Lance, who I believe will be a very good to great player in the NFL in due time.<\/p>\n 1st<\/sup>-Round: QB Trey Lance<\/p>\n 2nd<\/sup>-Round: LG Aaron Banks<\/p>\n 3rd<\/sup>-Round: RB Trey Sermon<\/p>\n 3rd<\/sup>-Round: CB Ambry Thomas<\/p>\n 5th<\/sup>-Round: RG Jaylon Moore<\/p>\n 5th<\/sup>-Round: CB Deommodore Lenoir<\/p>\n 5th<\/sup>-Round: SS Talanoa Hufanga<\/p>\n 6th<\/sup>-Round: RB Elijah Mitchell<\/p>\n Man, this draft has been good in my opinion, yes it\u2019s been 1 year, but Mitchell became a steal of the 6th<\/sup> round, maybe of the entire draft, we saw contributions from Ambry Thomas, Deommodore Lenoir, & Talanoa Hufanga, while Aaron Banks, & Jaylon Moore are my favorites to be the teams\u2019 new LG & RG, respecitively.<\/p>\n 2021 Offseason Verdict<\/strong>: Aggressive<\/p>\n Lastly we have the 2022 offseason, and we begin with the free agent signings.<\/p>\n CB Charvarius Ward \u2013 3-year, $40.5 million, $26.62 million guaranteed<\/p>\n NT Hassan Ridgeway \u2013 1-year, $1.8 million, $1 million guaranteed<\/p>\n SS George Odum \u2013 3-year, $5.7 million, $3.035 million guaranteed<\/p>\n WR\/KR\/PR Ray-Ray McCloud III \u2013 2-year, $4 million<\/p>\n MLB Oren Burks \u2013 2-year, $5 million, $1.365 million guaranteed<\/p>\n DE Kerry Hyder Jr. \u2013 1-year, $1.5 million, $750,000 guaranteed<\/p>\n DE Kemoko Turay \u2013 1-year, $1.7 million, $1 million guaranteed<\/p>\n WR Malik Turner \u2013 1-year, $1.11 million, $300,000 guaranteed<\/p>\n WR Marcus Johnson \u2013 1-year, $1.035 million, $250,000 guaranteed.<\/p>\n As you can see the 49ers made a splash with Charvarius Ward, they added great special teams\u2019 pieces with McCloud, Odum, & Burks, they added a good NT in Ridgeway, so I\u2019d say they did a good job with such little cap room that they had\/have.<\/p>\n Next, we have the teams\u2019 draft picks.<\/p>\n 2nd<\/sup>-Round: DE Drake Jackson<\/p>\n 3rd<\/sup>-Round: RB Tyrion Davis-Price<\/p>\n 3rd<\/sup>-Round: WR Danny Gray<\/p>\n 4th<\/sup>-Round: RT Spencer Burford<\/p>\n 5th<\/sup>-Round: CB Samuel Womack<\/p>\n 6th<\/sup>-Round: LG Nick Zakelj<\/p>\n 6th<\/sup>-Round: NT Kalia Davis<\/p>\n 6th<\/sup>-Round: CB Tariq Castro-Fields<\/p>\n 7th<\/sup>-Round: QB Brock Purdy<\/p>\n Now, of course we really can\u2019t grade this class, as they haven\u2019t even hit the field yet, but I have confidence that the 49ers found Nick Bosa\u2019s long term partner in Drake Jackson, and I love them adding so many OL, & CBs.<\/p>\n 2022 Offseason Verdict<\/strong>: A bit conservative<\/p>\n Ok, so as you can see, yes the 49ers under John Lynch as GM, & Kyle Shanahan as HC, have become more conservative, but this is due to them having built up such a deep roster, so much that there aren\u2019t many holes on the team, yes the safety spot, & interior OL are weak points, but this team has a chance to be there at the end.<\/p>\n