San Francisco 49ers: The all-bad team

Quarterback

Jim Druckenmiller (1997-1998)

The 49ers are known for great quarterbacking. And the Niners’ first-round selection of the 1997 draft was supposed to be the next in line of San Francisco greats behind Joe Montana and Steve Young.

Yes, Jim Druckenmiller was destined to be the heir apparent to Young when his career in San Francisco was starting to wind down. And Druckenmiller came with plenty of hype too.

Former head coach Steve Mariucci even made some noteworthy comments about the quarterback:

"He brings so much to the table. He was the highest rated player left on the draft board, which is in keeping with 49ers philosophy to pick the best player on the board We want to draft tough players at every position. I believe a quarterback has to be a tough guy physically and mentally. When you get to know Jim, he’s as tough as they come. He fills a need. We need a young quarterback for the future to come in and compete for the backup spot that we can groom and develop. We feel his tools will allow us to groom him like a 49ers quarterback. He is a perfect fit. We’re anxious to get him in here."

The 49ers experimented with Druckenmiller during his rookie season. And the trial didn’t last very long.

His career stat line with the 49ers: 21 completions out of 52 attempts for 239 yards. He had one touchdown against four interceptions and was sacked four times. In all, Druckenmiller played only six games with the 49ers and lasted only two seasons before being traded to the Miami Dolphins, who cut him a year later.

An 2008 ESPN ranking listed Druckenmiller as the 11th-highest all-time bust in NFL history during the modern era.

So Druckenmiller may also be regarded as, perhaps, the worst 49ers player in franchise history.

Backup: Jim Plunkett (1976-1977)

Quarterback Jim Plunkett’s career was bookended by tremendous tenures with the New England Patriots and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. In between, Plunkett’s two-year stint with the 49ers was terrible.

Next: San Francisco 49ers: The All-Time Super Bowl Team

Making things worse, the 49ers sent off a lot of draft picks to acquire him in 1976.