2020 NFL Draft: 5 Worst picks from the first round
San Francisco 49ers: DT Javon Kinlaw, No. 14 overall
This isn’t a knock on Javon Kinlaw; he is a phenomenal player who has received nothing but high praise from every draft expert under the sun. That said, he is going to a team that already has a defensive line comprised of Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Dee Ford, Solomon Thomas and even Kentavius Street with the San Francisco 49ers. This team has invested heavily already in the D-line.
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Moreover, the 49ers traded away defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Colts for the 13th overall pick, which San Francisco used to swap spots with the Buccaneers to move back to No. 14 and ultimately select Kinlaw. If the plan was drafting a defensive tackle, why not just hold onto Buckner — even if it meant paying him?
Additionally, the 49ers badly needed a wide receiver with this pick. Emmanuel Sanders left via free agency and is now in New Orleans, which left Deboo Samuel as the No. 1 receiver on the roster when they made the No. 14 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Mind you, two of the elite prospects in the class at the position were on the board at the time.
While the 49ers ended up drafting Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk with the No. 25 pick — which required a trade up from No. 31 — Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb and Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy were the better players and would have been a huge pickup for Kyle Shanahan and his offense. They had a lay-up sitting there and the put up a brick.