Ten-best draft choices by the 49ers since 2000

After looking at the Cardinals’ best choices in the draft since 2000 (they select first in the NFL Draft), we now move on to the 49ers. They will be selecting second in April’s draft. Bleacher Report’s most recent mock draft has them selecting DE/LB Josh Allen out of Kentucky.

San Francisco has drafted a good amount of quality players in the past nearly two decades. Many of those players were at their peak when playing for the 49ers. Here are their ten-best selections since 2000.

Note: Only their time with the 49ers was considered for this list. While players such as Alex Smith and Delanie Walker have made multiple Pro Bowls, they all came after leaving San Francisco. Where someone was drafted also played a role. If someone had close to equal value, but they were drafted in the third round rather than the first, they would get the edge on the list. DeForest Buckner and Mike McGlinchey are two players who could easily crack the list a few years from now. Some later-round players who found success with the 49ers but didn’t quite make the list include Eric Johnson (seventh round, 2001), Eric Heitmann (seventh round, 2002), Isaac Sopoaga (fourth round, 2004), Andy Lee (sixth round, 2004), Tarell Brown (fifth round, 2007), and Trent Brown (seventh round, 2015).