That's where they got George Kittle, Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, Deommodore Lenoir, Jauan Jennings and Colton McKivitz. But the past two years, with the exception of Brock Purdy, the 49ers have completely struck out on Day 3. And that's because the talent pool for the draft is getting thinner and thinner every year.writes Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer
."That’s three years after the number hit an all-time high , and capped a five-year run where the number was in triple digits annually. The NIL era in college sports began in 2021, and changed everything about major college football. At a baseline, the combination of NIL and the portal has set off bidding wars for players and, in turn, created options for guys looking to get paid for their services.
This year, the 49ers have a whopping seven draft picks on Day 3. That's seven picks on players who might not be good enough to make the 53-man roster. The 49ers need to find a way to package those picks together and trade into Day 2 so they can get some actually impact players for a change.