San Francisco 49ers: 20 worst NFL Draft picks in franchise history
By Peter Panacy
No. 7: Linebacker Saleem Rasheed
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round (69th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft
The early 2000s marked a transition from an era of 49ers greatness to one of destitution. And Alabama linebacker Saleem Rasheed was a part of that unfortunate transition.
Rasheed was picked up in Round 3 of the 2002 NFL Draft and was supposed to be part of a crop of defenders around which San Francisco would build to usher in the next great phase of Niners football.
But Rasheed ended up being an utter disappointment for the red and gold.
The third-round pick did manage to appear in all 16 regular-season games his second season at the pro level. But he never materialized into anything more than a backup linebacker.
His stat line boasts just 38 tackles and one sack over four seasons.
Rasheed spent four seasons with the 49ers before being out of football in 2006. And that’s when the 49ers were really bad. He couldn’t even stay on the team long term during one of its darkest periods in franchise history, which puts him solidly at No. 7 on this list.