It’s only been 25 years since the turn of the millennium in 2000, but in a quarter century, the NFL has seen some of the best football players ever pass through the illustrious league.
Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tyreek Hill, Rob Gronkowski, Troy Polamalu, and Ed Reed are just some of the many legendary players that NFL fans have been treated to watching in the last 25 years.
All of those names appeared in an article from Bleacher Report called “Ranking the Top 25 NFL Draft Picks from 1st Quarter of 21st Century” by NFL expert Brad Gagnon.
But much to the delight of San Francisco 49ers fans, two current Niners also appeared on the illustrious list, ranked amongst the best players drafted in the 2000s.
The first 49er to appear on the list was QB Brock Purdy. The inclusion of Purdy on the list was likely due to his meteoric rise to stardom despite being selected with the very last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.
“The jury is still out on Mr. Irrelevant, of course, but the fact is he’s the highest-rated passer in NFL history among those with at least 1,000 career attempts,” Gagnon wrote about Purdy.
In addition to Purdy, TE George Kittle made the list at No. 18. Kittle was selected by the 49ers in the fifth round, 146th overall in the 2017 NFL draft, and he has turned out to be one of the greatest tight ends of all time.
As a four-time 1,000-yard receiver who continues to make a huge impact, Kittle has helped get the 49ers to two Super Bowls in the last six years,” Gagnon wrote about Kittle. “Not bad for the sixth player taken by the team in the ‘17 draft.”
Kittle and Purdy’s Connection
George Kittle and Brock Purdy have been great individual players thus far in their NFL careers. But how have they been together?
It turns out that they have a pretty great connection. In 38 games with Brock Purdy as his quarterback, George Kittle has accumulated 174 catches for 2,561 yards and 23 touchdowns.
They were Pro Bowlers together in 2023, and Purdy helped Kittle to another Pro Bowl in 2024.
They have a long way to go to reach still-active Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes II’s 8,126 yards together or Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski’s 90 touchdowns together (the most TDs by a QB/TE duo in NFL history).
But they have formed one of the most lethal connections in the league and one of the most beloved duos in 49ers history.
Deommodore Lenoir Also Called Elite Draft Pick
Just a few days prior on Monday June 23, 2025, Bleacher Report released a different article calling CB Deommodore Lenoir one of the biggest draft steals in the 2021 draft.
49ers insider Grant Cohn had even higher praise for Lenoir, calling him the best pick at his position in over 30 years.
“Deommodore Lenoir is the best cornerback the 49ers have drafted since Eric Davis in 1990,” Cohn wrote in a post on X.
Eric Davis was a two-time Pro Bowler, an All-Pro, and a Super Bowl champion with the 49ers, so that comparison should please Lenoir, who is still seeking to accomplish all of those things in his career.
But what do 49ers fans think? Will Purdy and Kittle go down as all-time greats – and can Lenoir join them as one of the best draft picks of the 2000s?
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