The initial seeds of demise of the 49ers this year can be traced back to the 2012 and 2013 draft classes.
The 49ers' 2012 draft was arguably the worst in the history of the team. General manager Trent Baalke selected seven players, including A.J. Jenkins, a wide receiver selected in the first round. In addition, the 49ers' next pick, LaMichael James, selected in the second round, also did not pan out.
Both Jenkins and James never quite fit in to the 49ers offense, and both are no longer with the team.
Only reserve offensive lineman Joe Looney is still with the team, but he rarely plays. Looney was selected in the fourth round.
Baalke also selected four other players in the later rounds. Linebacker Darius Fleming, safety Trent Robinson, tackle Jason Slowey and linebacker Cam Johnson, none of whom panned out. All four players are no longer with the 49ers.
This would be the third year in the league for the 2012 draft class. It is in this third year that many players typically show that they truly belong in the NFL and also are ready to make a bigger impact. They typically assume a more vital role on the team.
Unfortunately for the 49ers, with only Looney remaining, this draft class was a bust.
Getting valuable players in 2012 would also have helped the 49ers' salary-cap situation. These players would still be on relatively inexpensive contracts and would be much more cost effective than acquiring expensive free agents to fill your needs.
The 2013 draft was better than 2012, but it still lacks starting-caliber players.
Only safety Eric Reid is a regular starter. The 49ers traded up to get him, but that was a wise move. Reid is a good, young player and should be patrolling the San Francisco secondary for many years to come. He earned his first Pro Bowl selection in his rookie year.
After Reid, however, the list becomes far less exciting. After selecting Reid, Baalke and the 49ers made 10 more picks. At this point, none have the look of a quality starting player.
The 49ers made two Round 2 selections: Cornellius "Tank" Carradine, with the 40th overall pick, and Vance McDonald, with the 55th.
Carradine, sustained a torn ACL in November of his senior season at Florida State. The injury pushed his draft status down. Prior to getting hurt, Carradine, a defensive end, showed good pass-rushing skills, and with the advancing age of Justin Smith and Ray McDonald, the hope was that Carradine would be ready to assume one of those two spots.
Carradine missed all of the 2013 season and has rarely been seen on the field in 2014. He has played sparingly in six of the 49ers' 13 games, thus far. Whether he can emerge as a force on the defensive line remains a mystery.
The early returns on Vance McDonald is also one of underachievement. Expected to give the 49ers a strong, dual-tight end threat with Vernon Davis, McDonald has been far from reliable.
In his rookie season, McDonald dropped several passes and appeared to lose the confidence of his quarterback, Colin Kaepernick. He also looked slow and somewhat out of shape in 2013.
The hope was that McDonald would have a breakout year in 2014, but that has not occurred. McDonald is a good blocker but has not been able to stay on the field. Injuries have impeded his progress, and he caught only two passes this year, after having eight receptions in 2013.
After appearing in only four of the 49ers' first 13 games, McDonald was just placed on season-ending IR. He is the heir apparent to the tight end position, as Davis is aging, and his production is also way down. However, McDonald has not shown that he can stay healthy and produce at a level that warrants any confidence in him.
Baalke then selected linebacker Corey Lemonier in the third round. After showing promise in 2013 as a replacement for Aldon Smith, Lemonier had an excellent chance to make an impact this year, as Smith served his nine-game suspension.
Unfortunately, Lemonier was ineffective and lost playing time to Dan Skuta and Aaron Lynch. With Smith back, Lemonier had largely been relegated to special teams.
The 49ers' other pick in the fourth round was wide receiver Quinton Patton. In two seasons at Louisiana Tech, Patton was one of the top receivers in the country. He caught 183 passes for 2,594 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Unfortunately for Patton and the 49ers, the success he had in college has yet to translate to success in the NFL. Patton looked very good in the preseason in 2013, but he battled injuries throughout the season and ended up playing in only six games with three receptions for 34 yards.
2014 has been even more dismal for Patton, as he has been inactive for all but one game and has yet to catch a pass.
With the uncertainty surrounding Michael Crabtree's return to the 49ers after the 2014 season and Brandon Lloyd likely gone, Patton will have another opportunity next year to prove he belongs in the NFL. That proof has not materialized as of yet.
The second of two picks in the fourth round, Marcus Lattimore has retired, as he was never able to return from a serious knee injury sustained in his senior season at South Caroline.
Fifth-round selection Quinton Dial provides depth along the defensive line, but there is no star quality here.
Nick Moody, taken in the sixth round, has played in only two games this year and is a special teams player only.
The final three picks in the 2013 draft, B.J. Daniels, Carter Bykowski and Marcus Cooper, are no longer with the team.
The lack of highly productive or impact players coming out of these two drafts is now exposed and hurting the 49ers immeasurably. It is at this time now, two or three years into their careers, that the players from these two drafts should be emerging as quality NFL players.
These younger and cheaper players would also help the 49ers' very tight salary-cap situation. The 2012 and 2013 drafts have only produced one player, Reid, who looks like a quality NFL starter. This degree of ineptitude falls right on the shoulders of Trent Baalke.
