San Francisco 49ers: 20 worst NFL Draft picks in franchise history
By Peter Panacy
No. 11: Quarterback Gio Carmazzi
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round (65th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft
In 2000, the cap-concerned 49ers weren’t entirely sold on quarterback Jeff Garcia and were looking to find someone who could be a long-term signal-caller for the franchise in the wake of quarterbacking greats Joe Montana and Steve Young.
So the Niners selected Hofstra quarterback Gio Carmazzi with a third-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.
And that idea proved to be a flop in quick order, as Marcas Grant of NFL.com explained:
"The 2000 NFL Draft wasn’t overflowing with quarterback talent — Chad Pennington was the first QB taken that year. Still, it seemed like a reach for the 49ers to select Hofstra signal-caller Gio Carmazzi in the third round. Carmazzi never played a regular-season snap for the 49ers; by contrast, the team’s seventh-round pick from that year, Tim Rattay, made 16 starts over six seasons in San Francisco. While hindsight has never had a need for corrective lenses, the pick looks even worse when you realize San Francisco passed on Bay Area native (and lifelong Niners fan) Tom Brady. Sigh."
Who knows if New England Patriots quarterbacking great Tom Brady would have had the same success in San Francisco.
But, needless to say, Carmazzi never even came close.
He remains one of the worst draft-day decisions the 49ers have ever made.