When you hit on a seventh-round pick at, of all positions, quarterback the way the 49ers did with Brock Purdy, you earn yourself a bit of wiggle room when it comes to how your drafts are sized up. The 49ers found a franchise quarterback with the final pick of the 2022 NFL draft, and that may well be the sole reason they’re still in line for a return to the Super Bowl next year.
But all in all, the team has simply not done well when making its picks in recent years, especially when Day 2 rolls around. Sure, the 2021 pick of Trey Lance with the third overall pick was a disaster, especially because the 49ers had to give up their own pick in that draft, plus first-rounders in 2022 and 2023, and a third-rounder in 2022 to get him. The 49ers’ woes in the draft go deeper than that, though.
Their third-rounder form 2021, Ambry Thomas, might not make the upcoming team. Drake Jackson, the 49ers’ second-rounder in 2022 might not make it, either, and one third-rounder from that year (Tyrion Price-Davis) is already gone. Kicker Jake Moody—a third-round pick in 2023—was an iffy proposition all along.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, one of the more promising draftees that 49ers have had—wide receiver Danny Gray—is likely to be out, too.
Danny Gray Unlikely to Land Among 6 Final WRs
All in all, Gray has never really caught on with the 49ers, unable to stay healthy enough to get on the field, let alone good enough to remain there.
Asked about Gray in his 49ers mailbag, beat writer Eric Branch quipped: “Journalists might have better job security.”
He went on to suggest the 49ers will keep six receivers on the active roster, with Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel joined by veterans Jauan Jennings and Ronnie Bell. Rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing would round out the unit.
Health has been Gray’s chief obstacle. He has just one catch on seven targets in two years, none of which came in 2023.
“As a rookie, despite playing just 87 snaps, he appeared on the injury report with hamstring, hip and ankle issues after missing time with a hamstring injury shortly after he was drafted. Last year, he suffered a sprained shoulder in August and the 49ers didn’t take him off injured reserve,” Branch wrote.
49ers ‘Wasted’ Another 3rd-Round Pick
As one headline about the 49ers read, “Was Danny Gray a Wasted Pick?” It’s a fair question, but also a surprising one given the fact that Gray was seen as a speedster with a serious chance to contribute when he was coming out of college.
The Athletic gave the pick of Gray a B-plus grade, after Gray ran a 4.33 40-yard dash at the combine, seventh among all wide receivers.
The site’s draft analyst, Dane Brugler, wrote, “Gray requires more polish with his routes and drops, but with his field speed and playmaking potential, he is just scratching the surface of his ability. He has the skills to develop into a weapon as a team’s WR3.”
Now, though, Gray appears to be on the outs in San Francisco. According to Branch, even the practice squad would not have room for the oft-injured pass-catcher. Veterans Chris Conley and Trent Taylor are the favorites for those spots, he wrote.
Around the NFL, the meat of many rosters come from Day 2 of the draft. That’s just not he case with the 49ers, though.
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