Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: The worst 15 NFL draft picks in franchise history

By Jeremy Wohlfart

"THE PICK IS IN" for the San Francisco 49ers during the 2018 NFL Draft (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
"THE PICK IS IN" for the San Francisco 49ers during the 2018 NFL Draft (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 16
Next
CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 28: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell annonces DeForest Buckner of Oregon as the #7 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 28: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell annonces DeForest Buckner of Oregon as the #7 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /

15. Todd Kelly, Linebacker, Tennessee

I couldn’t find a video or acceptable photo of Todd Kelly, so enjoy some extra Roger Goodell.

Kelly was a highly touted prospect coming out of Tennessee, and the 49ers must have been ecstatic in the 1993 NFL Draft when he fell to their 27th pick.

Unfortunately, he was a bit too small to be the EDGE he was with the Volunteers, so the 49ers moved him to outside linebacker in an attempt to find him a role in the offense.

He never became the sack artist the 49ers hoped, notching 4.5 sacks in just two seasons before mediocre stints with the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons ended his career after only his fourth season.

He ranks fairly low, given he was a late first-round pick and had to learn a new position, but he was a bust nonetheless.