Grading the 49ers 2020 Draft Class

With the Super Bowl completed, the 2020 NFL season can officially be put to the bed.

With the Super Bowl completed, the 2020 NFL season can officially be put to the bed.

What better way to flip the page than by grading how the 2020 draft class of the San Francisco 49ers performed. 

Javon Kinlaw: B-

Javon Kinlaw progressed through the season exactly as I expected he would. He started out the first half of the season slow, then was able to turn it up in the second half. If you simply look at his sack numbers, you would say he was mediocre considering he was a top-15 pick in the first-round. But Kinlaw was never going to dominant right out of the gate.

That became even more true the moment Dee Ford and Nick Bosa were ruled out for the season. Kinlaw became more of a player of interest for opposing offensive linemen, so he had the kitchen sink thrown at him at times. With Bosa and potentially more edge help on the way in 2021, Kinlaw will have a much easier time being able to win his matchups. 

Brandon Aiyuk: B+

I don't care how the production looks. Brandon Aiyuk was a top-3 rookie wide receiver in 2020. In a year where the 49ers offense saw almost all of their top skill players sustain injuries, Aiyuk stepped up to lead the way. The fact that he was able to perform so profoundly with a revolving door at quarterback is a testament to his skill. Watching Aiyuk in 2020 was exciting. He just might be a better wide receiver than Deebo Samuel.

Much like with Kinlaw, Aiyuk had to perform without surrounding talent. Everything was on his shoulders. Now just imagine once Aiyuk is there with Samuel, George Kittle, and a two-headed monster at running back. He will suddenly see the difference it is with how the opposition is playing him. Aiyuk is going to be the best Year 2 player for the 49ers.

Colton McKivitz: D

Despite his grade, Colton McKivitz was arguably the 49ers' best right guard of the season. Now I know Daniel Brunskill started hitting his stride once he got consecutive starts there, but he was essentially a center all of 2020. McKivitz deserves some praise because he was an offensive tackle converted guard. And without any offseason reps, learning on the fly intensifies.

McKivitz is a project player for the 49ers and anytime a project player gets the amount of playing time that he did always bodes well. Now he will know what it is going to take to at least reach a serviceable level at guard. Don't expect him to be a starter in 2021, but I can see him reaching a point where he becomes a swing offensive lineman.

Charlie Woerner: D

Look, I am not going to say I had much, if any, expectations for tight end Charlie Woerner. When he was drafted, his strength was known to be blocking. And with Levine Toilolo New York bound, the 49ers needed that extra beef for when they wanted to run the rock down a defense's throat. But Woerner struggled to see the field. It took until Week 12 for him to see double digit snaps. A lot of that has to do with his inability to act as a receiver.

Woerner as a receiver is a stiff. He can't move. I remember watching him in training camp and thinking to myself that there is no way he was going to get his number called for a route until late in the season. Woerner is a project that the 49ers are going to have polish. Perhaps a move to fullback is line for him with Kyle Juszczyk scheduled to be a free agent. 

Jauan Jennings: INC

An incomplete grade is all you can say about Jauan Jennings. Injuries, like with the rest of the 49ers, just wouldn't allow him to ever find success. Even if he was healthy, I am not too sure how good he would have looked. He struggled immensely in training camp, but in a season where the 49ers were rolling out players from the street, he probably would have had some sweet plays.