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) /
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – FEBRUARY 04: A San Francisco 49ers logo remains in front of an empty section of seating inside Candlestick Park on February 4, 2015 in San Francisco, California. The demolition of Candlestick Park, the former home of the San Francisco Giants and San Francisco 49ers, is underway and is expected to take 3 months to complete. A development with a mall and housing is planned for the site. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – FEBRUARY 04: A San Francisco 49ers logo remains in front of an empty section of seating inside Candlestick Park on February 4, 2015 in San Francisco, California. The demolition of Candlestick Park, the former home of the San Francisco Giants and San Francisco 49ers, is underway and is expected to take 3 months to complete. A development with a mall and housing is planned for the site. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) /

11. Ken MacAfee, Tight End, Notre Dame

There was a time, unlike a lot of people on this list, that tight end Ken MacAfee looked like he could turn into a good player for the 49ers when he was drafted seventh overall in 1978.

He had 46 catches for 471 yards and five touchdowns in his first two seasons. Not eye-opening numbers by any means, but considering the team then-head coach Bill Walsh inherited wasn’t exactly competing for rings, it was nowhere near awful.

However, the 49ers would ask him to move to guard, and MacAfee refused and left the team to start dental school, missing the Niners’ historic dynasty created by Walsh and led by one of the greatest ever to put on a helmet in Joe Montana.

It may be the 49ers’ second greatest case of “what could have been” after linebacker Aldon Smith, who missed out being on this list, due to his insane production despite the almost irresistible urge to put him there anyway.