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It’s that time again, when we look at the previous drafts of the San Francisco 49ers and reflect. We’re lucky to have video of each draft, thanks to YouTube poster and 49ers fan Marvin49. We’ll look at every year of the Kyle Shanahan era through 2025. Today it’s 2018.
It’s wild to remember just how optimistic things felt in 2018.
The San Francisco 49ers finished 2017 on a five-game winning streak after Jimmy Garoppolo took over. Overnight, they were “media darlings.” The rebuild looked ahead of schedule. The arrow was pointing up.
So did the 2018 draft match the hype?
Short answer: It produced one franchise pillar. And that’s it.
Let’s start at the top.
The 49ers held the ninth pick and selected offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey out of Notre Dame. A historic reminder that Kyle Shanahan does, in fact, take offensive linemen early.
And it made perfect sense. Notre Dame’s offensive line was a unit in 2018. The 49ers’ run game needed juice, and McGlinchey brought that immediately. His run blocking was awesome. His pass protection? Solid, but never dominant — especially compared to Trent Brown, whom the 49ers traded to the New England Patriots the following day.
There was speculation that McGlinchey might eventually slide to left tackle after Joe Staley retired. That never materialized. Instead, the 49ers traded for Trent Williams a couple of years later and reshuffled the future.
McGlinchey’s time in San Francisco aged better than some fans remember. Since leaving in 2023, the right tackle position hasn’t exactly stabilized. Colton McKivitz recently signed an extension, and with his development, might have the position locked down.
In 2025, McGlinchey started all 17 games for the Denver Broncos on a 14–3 team, playing 98.9% of the offensive snaps and every playoff snap. He had four false starts and two holding penalties — hardly the “Mike McFlinchey” chaos years 49ers fans would joke about. He’s under contract through 2027.
Not elite. Not a bust. A durable, steady starting tackle in Year 8. That’s a fine outcome for Pick No. 9.
Then there’s Dante Pettis.
The trade-up still stings. The 49ers sent picks No. 59 and No. 74 to Washington to move up to No. 44. If you watched his tape at Washington, you liked the idea of a punt returner with that kind of film — but that is still a steep price. Pettis had flashes — route craft, punt return potential — but every time momentum built, it stalled. I’ll always remember him for our discussion on his touchdown celebration. Was that really a hadoken or a kame hame ha?
In 2025, Pettis re-signed with the New Orleans Saints, was cut in August, re-signed to the practice squad in October, elevated in December, and finished with nine receptions for 127 yards and one fumble lost in eight games.
The career arc never changed: moments, but no consistency.
Then came the gem.
Fred Warner.
What can I say about this one? What can I say that hasn’t already been said? Third-round pick. Immediate green dot. Defensive quarterback. Just watching his film upon being picked, I said, “How is this guy still available? He’s going to be a stud.” And you know what? For once, I was right.
Warner has now signed two contracts that made him the highest-paid linebacker in football. In the 2025 offseason, the 49ers extended him three years for $63 million, with $56.7 million guaranteed, tying him to the franchise through 2029.
Through six games in 2025, he was on another Defensive Player of the Year trajectory:
- 51 tackles
- 2 tackles for loss
- 3 passes defended
- 1 forced fumble
- 1 fumble recovery
Week 5 against a superior Los Angeles Rams team was a reminder of who he is. Warner was central to two crucial defensive stops, including the final overtime sequence, where Deommodore Lenoir and Marques Sigle were credited with the stop. Without Warner’s run fits and communication, that ending likely looks different.
Then Week 6 happened.
Carted off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a dislocated ankle. Immediate season-ending injury. The 49ers opened his practice window late in the playoffs, but he never returned. The defense never fully recovered without him.
Eight years later, this is still “the Fred Warner draft.”
From there, it trends downward.
Tarvarius Moore never fully recovered from his Achilles rupture. Released by the Chicago Bears in July 2025 to make room for Tre Flowers, he hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game since 2022.
Kentavius Street carved out a rotational role. In 2025 with the Atlanta Falcons, he played seven games (two starts), recording 21 tackles and two sacks. Solid depth. Nothing more.
D.J. Reed is the one who makes you shake your head.
The 49ers tried to sneak him onto the practice squad in 2020. The Seattle Seahawks claimed him. He turned into a legitimate starter, signed a multi-year deal with the New York Jets, and in 2025 was starting for the Detroit Lions after signing a three-year contract. Despite a hamstring strain that landed him on injured reserve from October 1 to November 22, he finished with 46 tackles, two interceptions, and seven passes defended in 11 games.
If that same IR stint had happened this year, except wearing red and gold, the discourse would have been unbearable.
Marcell Harris hasn’t played since 2023. Jullian Taylor hasn’t seen the field since 2022.
But you know who did see the field? Richie James.
James was never going to be a No. 1 wide receiver, but he had value as a returner when healthy. He was waived in 2021, signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023, and was on the roster that defeated the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
In July 2025, James officially announced his retirement, citing knee issues that never properly healed. Seventh-round pick out of Middle Tennessee. Super Bowl ring. Not bad.
So what is 2018, eight years later?
- A solid starting tackle — just not on this team.
- A painful trade-up miss is still fighting for a role.
- A franchise-defining linebacker who can play here as long as he wants.
- A handful of rotational pieces and short careers.
This was the Fred Warner draft.
Pick Breakdown
Round 1 – Pick 9 – Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
Round 2 – Pick 44 – Dante Pettis, WR, Washington
Round 3 – Pick 70 – Fred Warner, LB, BYU
Round 3 – Pick 95 – Tarvarius Moore, S, Southern Miss
Round 4 – Pick 128 – Kentavius Street, DT, North Carolina State
Round 5 – Pick 142 – D.J. Reed, CB, Kansas State
Round 6 – Pick 184 – Marcell Harris, S, Florida
Round 7 – Pick 233 – Jullian Taylor, DT, Temple
Round 7 – Pick 240- Richie James, WR, Middle Tennessee