There’s a rush after an NFL draft to issue grades immediately after a pick is made. It’s understandable and a fun exercise, but a better way to give a draft grade is to wait three seasons to give that group time to find its footing in the NFL.

The San Francisco 49ers‘ 2022 draft class finished up its third season in 2024, which means it’s time to re-grade the class. It wasn’t hard to discern that the 2022 class wasn’t very productive top-to-bottom. It’s a big reason the 49ers struggled with depth last season.

In fact, the 49ers’ 2022 class was so bad it might have led to the firing of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. Fortunately for that duo and the 49ers their final pick, quarterback Brock Purdy, put the team in a spot to continue being productive even after a mostly non-impactful draft class.

Round 2, Pick 61: DE Drake Jackson

Injuries have cost Jackson any chance of finding his footing as a pro. He stepped into the NFL after making multiple position changes in college. His first season provided a good foundation after he notched 3.0 sacks, one interception and eight pass breakups in 15 games. Year 2 is where things went perhaps irreversibly off the rails. Jackson had three sacks in the team’s season-opener. That was it for his production and he wound up suffering an injury in Week 8 that cost him the rest of the 2023 season and all of 2024. Jackson was a great athlete with really good size who looked the part of a game-wrecking edge defender. Now after missing a season-and-a-half, it appears he’s on the outside looking in at a roster spot entering the final year of his rookie contract.

Grade: F

Round 3, Pick 93: RB Tyrion Davis-Price

There are many reasons 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt when selecting running backs on Day 2. Davis-Price is one of the primary ones. The LSU alum ran 40 times for 120 yards in seven games for San Francisco. Of those 40 carries, only six went for first downs.

Grade: F

Round 3, Pick 105: WR Danny Gray

Shanahan asks a lot from his wide receivers, and it doesn’t appear Gray was capable of rising to the occasion. He played in 13 games as a rookie and caught one of seven targets for 10 yards. He also notched one carry for nine yards. The 49ers stashed him on IR in 2023 and he was let go before the 2024 season.

Grade: F-

Round 4, Pick 134: OL Spencer Burford

Burford is the first player on this list who has made any kind of significant impact. He started at right guard for two seasons before being relegated to reserve duties last year. Burford found some success at left guard and left tackle. He’ll enter training camp this year with a chance to compete for the starting left guard job or the open swing tackle spot. Ideally he’d have been a starter his whole career, but he’s a viable NFL offensive lineman which isn’t a terrible outcome for the 134th overall selection.

Grade: C+

Round 5, Pick 172: CB Samuel Womack

It looked out of the gate like the 49ers might have a fifth-round home run with Womack. He had two interceptions in his preseason debut and won the starting nickel cornerback job out of training camp. By Week 3 he’d been benched and he never made his way back into the starting lineup before being cut at the end of last year’s training camp. Womack posted four interceptions in eight starts across 17 games with the Indianapolis Colts last season. With San Francisco in two years he played in 23 games primarily as a special teams contributor.

Grade: D

Round 6, Pick 187: OL Nick Zakelj

It hasn’t been an easy path forward in the NFL for Zakelj, who was an offensive tackle in college. The 49ers moved him to the interior where he’s competed at guard and center. Learning new positions on the fly isn’t easy. He’s played in 26 games with two starts across his three seasons. There are worse outcomes for a sixth-round offensive line pick.

Grade: C

Round 6, Pick 220: DT Kalia Davis

A knee injury he suffered in college kept Davis from contributing as a rookie. He played in three games in 2023 and then 13 last year. In 16 games as a pro he has 13 tackles and 1.0 sacks. Davis’ roster spot is in jeopardy heading into his fourth season after the 49ers injected youth into their defensive line via the draft.

Grade: D+

Round 6, Pick 221: CB Tariq Castro-Fields

There was a lot to like about Castro-Fields from a physical standpoint. He didn’t make the cut for the 49ers and wound up in Washington where he played 10 games across two seasons. Last year for the Carolina Panthers he played in two games. He has yet to record a pass breakup or interception as a pro. Typically missing on the 221st pick can be forgiven, but that player not even making the roster is a tough beat.

Grade: D-

Round 7, Pick 262: QB Brock Purdy

Ever heard of him?

Grade: A+