San Francisco 49ers: 20 worst NFL Draft picks in franchise history
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Quarterback Jim Druckenmiller
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (26th overall) of the 1997 NFL Draft
The 49ers were hoping to get another quarterback in the line of Hall of Fame greats Joe Montana and Steve Young when they selected quarterback Jim Druckenmiller in Round 1 of the 1997 NFL Draft.
Druckenmiller was highly touted out of Virginia Tech. And 49ers former head coach Steve Mariucci was one who felt extremely excited about Druckenmiller being the next great Niner quarterback.
The problem with Druckenmiller was his inability to learn the playbook and to deliver accurate passes from the pocket.
San Francisco experimented with Druckenmiller for four games and one start during the 1997 season. Over that brief stretch, the young quarterback tossed for just 239 yards on 21 completions (an accuracy rating of 40.4 percent) and posted just one touchdown against four interceptions.
He was also sacked four times.
The Niners held onto Druckenmiller the subsequent season. But by that point, the team had realized its mistake, and Druckenmiller would be off the team and eventually out of the NFL in 1999.