Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: 10 most underrated players in franchise history

By Peter Panacy

January 14, 1990: Wide receiver John Taylor of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball during a playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won the game, 30-3. Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule /Allsport
January 14, 1990: Wide receiver John Taylor of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball during a playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won the game, 30-3. Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule /Allsport /
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John Taylor, 49ers
Wide receiver John Taylor #82 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) /

42. . Wide Receiver. 49ers Tenure: 1987-1995. John Taylor. 1. player

And the No. 1 player on Niner Noise’s all-time underrated list? None other than wide receiver John Taylor.

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Had Jerry Nice not been in the picture during Taylor’s tenure in San Francisco, the latter would have been a well-known and well-respected player, whose accolades are easily remembered to this day. After all, it was Taylor who caught Joe Montana’s touchdown pass in Super Bowl XXIII, capping off “The Drive” against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Taylor wasn’t the fastest or most imposing. At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, he was a bit undersized. But he surely took advantage of teams locking down on Rice as best they could.

And all to the tune of 5,598 receiving yards (seventh best in franchise history) and 43 touchdowns.

Taylor only had two seasons in which he eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards (1989 and 1991) but remained as consistent a No. 2 option as possible. Better yet, he also doubled in the return game and even led the league with 556 punt-return yards and two touchdowns back in 1988 — the first of two Pro Bowl campaigns.

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Rice and Terrell Owens easily stand as the franchise’s best two receivers. Dwight Clark gets on the list right behind these two.

But if you had to factor in some underrated players at the position, not mentioning Taylor would be criminal.