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San Francisco 49ers: Top 10 defensive pairings of all time

By Peter Panacy

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 27: #89 Marcedes Lewis of the Jacksonville Jaguars is tackled by #52 Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers during the NFL International Series game between San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on October 27, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 27: #89 Marcedes Lewis of the Jacksonville Jaguars is tackled by #52 Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers during the NFL International Series game between San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on October 27, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images) /
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No. 6: Cornerbacks Jimmy Johnson and Bruce Taylor

Let’s get this out of the way first: Jimmy Johnson was, without doubt, the 49ers’ top cornerback of all time.

It’s unfortunate most younger fans of the Niners never got to watch him play, and his era of dominance came long before the dynasty years of the 1980s. Still, that fact doesn’t change just how big a playmaker he was.

During Johnson’s tenure, which stretched from 1961 all the way through 1976, he managed five Pro Bowls and four first-team All-Pro nods, recording a whopping 47 interceptions during that span, which ranks second on the franchise’s all-time list.

His counterpart for much of that time wasn’t quite as heralded. But fellow corner Bruce Taylor was also a player worth mentioning here.

Taylor spent his entire NFL career in San Francisco, which spanned from 1970 through 1976 — a period where he recorded 18 interceptions of his own, including six during 1973.

In 1971, both he and Johnson were selected to the Pro Bowl, which marked Taylor’s lone trip.

Still, it’s hard to fathom a secondary boasting two Pro Bowl cornerbacks the same year. But the 49ers had one and never have truly locked down that same kind of consistency on a year-to-year basis ever since.

Yes, fellow Niners cornerback Kermit Alexander (he ranks third on the team’s all-time interceptions leaders with 36) should get a partial nod here. But Johnson’s rise came mostly after Alexander’s presence during the mid 1960s.