Part of the reason the 49ers have managed to find so much success under head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch is their penchant for identifying quality players late in the draft. It’s no surprise that a trio of 49ers landed on ESPN’s list of the 50-biggest draft steals of the last decade. It’s an even smaller surprise that none of them are from the pre-ShanaLynch era.
Finding top talent in the early portion of the draft is essential. Nick Bosa is not on the list because he went No. 2 overall, and the list excludes first-rounders. Even a late Day 1 pick like Brandon Aiyuk, who might feel like a steal, isn’t on the list.
