Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

49ers showing a loyalty to their draftees

Though it’s the other NFL team in the Bay Area that boasts of a certain "commitment," the San Francisco 49ers have actually shown more of a pledge to the players they have drafted in recent years.

An ESPN Inside Slant article Insider broke down the number of "original draftees" still with the teams that selected them, as of last week, and the 49ers ranked tied for fourth with 29 such players.

As Kevin Siefert wrote, the list is "not a perfect judge of draft performance. As you’ll see, in many cases it mirrors continuity in the front office. A general manager is more likely to retain a player he drafted than one his predecessor selected."

The top five teams -- Cincinnati (37), Green Bay (32), Minnesota (31), New England (29) and the 49ers (29) -- all had their "top decision-maker in place for at least five years" with an average of 11.6 years.

Trent Baalke has technically been the 49ers' GM since 2011, though he has been in player personnel since 2008.

The bottom five teams?

New Orleans (15), Cleveland (16), Tampa Bay (17), Chicago (17) and Indianapolis (18).

As Seifert explained, the Saints have had the fewest draft picks, 31, over the past five years, partly because of being stripped of picks in light of the Bountygate scandal.

But going back to Oakland and its "Commitment" to Excellence, the Raiders' 22 original draft picks still on the roster ranks tied for 21st in the league, along with Dallas and Philadelphia.

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