Aldon Smith, Defensive End
During the 2011 NFL Draft, some experts thought the 49ers may have “reached” when they took Aldon Smith with the 7th overall pick. From a talent standpoint, they were dead wrong. Smith finished with 13 sacks his rookie year, breaking Hall of Famer Charles Haley’s team record for most sacks by a rookie. In his second season (2012), he had 17.5 sacks, and was named to both the Pro Bowl and the All Pro First Team. After that? It all went downhill. Three games into the 2013 season, Smith was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana, and subsequently entered a rehabilitation facility. He ended up missing much of the 2013 season, and was then suspended for nine more games in 2014 (for violating the NFL’s substance abuse and personal conduct policies). In 2015, after another DUI arrest, the 49ers were forced to release Smith — arguably their best player. To make matters worse, he was suspended for another year by the NFL in November of 2015. Once seen as the NFL’s next elite pass rusher, Smith is now an afterthought in NFL circles.