With the 2020 NFL Draft not far away, the San Francisco 49ers hope to avoid many of the draft-day pitfalls they’ve had in previous years. Niner Noise breaks down the top 20 worst draft picks the team has had in its history.
The NFL Draft is a craps shoot, and franchises around the league are all too aware of this. And this includes the San Francisco 49ers.
The Niners have plenty of noteworthy picks throughout their storied history. The team took a chance on a less-than-heralded quarterbacking prospect out of Notre Dame named Joe Montana. San Francisco also struck gold with linebacker Patrick Willis in 2007 and injury-concern running back Frank Gore two years before.
But on the flip side, the 49ers have also gone through their fair share of draft gaffes.
Look no further than the 2012 first-round selection of wide receiver A.J. Jenkins as a perfect example. He and plenty of other Niners not-so greats don the list of draft mistakes San Francisco has made.
And there are more than enough to compile a list of 20 players who never lived up to expectations.
So in order to create this list, we need to set some criteria. First, draft selections will need to have taken place since 1970. Far more draft information exists from that date forward. Additionally, players needed to have been selected between Rounds 1 through 3. There were plenty of bad players selected in subsequent rounds, but these first three generally are considered target areas for above-average NFL talent.
Lastly, and most importantly, the drafted player actually had to go “bust” or fall way short of expectations, not merely be an OK player who never lived up to what the team had hoped.
Although there may be some exceptions to the final criteria.
So look no further as Niner Noise breaks down the 20 worst draft picks in franchise history dating back to 1970.
No. 20: Quarterback Alex Smith
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (1st overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft
OK, so quarterback Alex Smith doesn’t necessarily meet all the criteria on our list. He did wind up having a solid career with the 49ers, and afterwards with the Kansas City Chiefs after the 2011 season.
The problem was it took over five years to reach that point, which is why he lands at No. 20 on Niner Noise’s list of all-time worst draft picks by San Francisco.
Coming off a 2-14 season in 2004, the Niners selected Smith with the first-overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft. Then-head coach Mike Nolan elected to pass on Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers and felt Smith would be the better fit.
Smith’s first season with the 49ers was a disaster as he threw just one touchdown against 11 interceptions and finished his rookie year with an abysmal 40.8 passer rating. The quarterback then suffered through a carousel of offensive coordinators as well as injuries — all the while being rotated with other 49ers signal-callers like Ken Dorsey and Tim Rattay.
Eventually, Smith found success in San Francisco once head coach Jim Harbaugh took over the team in 2011. But the former first-round pick didn’t exactly live up to any expectations for his first five years with the team.
Not exactly how one would hope a first-overall pick would go.
No. 19: Defensive End Todd Kelly
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (27th overall) of the 1993 NFL Draft
The 49ers were needing some pass-rushing help to supplement the defense during the 1993 NFL Draft, and the team hoped it had found gold when it selected defensive end Todd Kelly out of Tennessee in the first round.
At 6-foot-2 and 259 pounds, Kelly was likely too small to be an effective defensive end and a little too large to be an outside linebacker. His stats at the pro level suffered as a result.
Over just two years with the Niners, Kelly registered just 4.5 sacks and 22 tackles — hardly the investment for a first-round pick.
What makes this even worse was the fact future New York Giants defensive tackle Michael Strahan was still available when the 49ers picked Kelly.
At least San Francisco made up for with with the first-round selection of defensive end Bryant Young the following year.
No. 18: Offensive Guard Chilo Rachal
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round (39th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft
Second-round offensive lineman Chilo Rachal was supposed to be the next great 49ers O-lineman after being taken in Round 2 of the 2008 NFL Draft.
The problem was he never materialized into anything of the sort.
Rachal’s pass-blocking efforts were extremely problematic as the 49ers continued to give up sacks to their quarterback. Despite the former USC product starting 15 games in 2009 and 14 the subsequent year, San Francisco started experimenting with other options to replace a player who had emerged as a problematic piece to the offensive line.
Fellow guard Adam Snyder eventually took over the role after three games in 2011, and the 49ers never looked back.
Rachal would be dismissed from the 49ers in 2012 and was out of the NFL the following year.
No. 17: Defensive Tackle Reggie McGrew
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (24th overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft
The 49ers of the late 1990s were looking to get better, defensively, and Florida defensive tackle Reggie McGrew was supposed to be that critical piece after he posted a strong career at the collegiate level at Florida.
San Francisco drafted McGrew in Round 1 of the 1999 NFL Draft, and the 49ers moved up three spots in the round to grab him.
Almost instantly, McGrew ran into issues with the Niners. Injuries derailed his rookie campaign, and McGrew never saw the field until 2000. And he was limited to 22 games between 2000 and 2001 and never started any of them.
And it didn’t help he showed up out of shape for his first training camp.
During that brief stretch in San Francisco, McGrew registered only nine tackles and one sack — certainly not the stat line for which the 49ers hoped.
McGrew was out of the NFL by 2003.
No. 16: Wide Receiver J.J. Stokes
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (10th overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft
Granted, it isn’t entirely fair to list former 49ers first-round selection J.J. Stokes as a complete bust given the Niners hoped he would be the heir apparent to legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice.
But that’s what the 49ers were hoping for when they traded up in Round 1 of the 1995 NFL Draft to select Stokes with the 10th pick overall.
And he never turned into the type of receiver San Francisco needed.
If there is a bit of a positive, Stokes had a decent, if not stellar, pro career with the 49ers which came to an end in 2002. But he never managed more than 770 receiving yards or 63 catches in a season, and Stokes averaged less than four touchdowns per year and only 12.7 yards per catch.
Quite a disappointment.
On top of that, Stokes had problematic hands, yet frequently complained about not getting the ball enough.
No. 15: Safety Taylor Mays
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round (49th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft
Former USC safety Taylor Mays was another early rounder who went bust quickly in San Francisco.
The 49ers were hoping for, what former head coach Mike Singletary said about Mays, “he leads,” when they took the defensive back in Round 2 of the 2010 NFL Draft.
At 6-foot-3 and 231 pounds, Mays had the speed and size ideal for the position. But the problem with Mays resided in his coverage skills and instincts. And these problems were on display during his first and only season with San Francisco.
Mays appeared in all 16 regular-season games in 2010 but started only six of them. During that span, he registered just two passes defended and 26 tackles.
The 49ers traded Mays to the Cincinnati Bengals following the season in exchange for a seventh-round pick.
Hardly a worthy investment.
No. 14: Defensive Tackle Kentwan Balmer
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (29th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft
San Francisco’s 2008 selection of defensive tackle Kentwan Balmer was horrific. It’s strange to consider he remained with the team for two seasons despite being taken 29th overall in 2008.
Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area wrote:
"First-round draft pick Kentwan Balmer, chosen by then-general manager Scot McCloughan at No. 29 overall, was a disaster. He managed to slide down the depth chart a little further every year. Balmer did not demonstrate the talent nor the mindset to be a competent player. He ended up quitting the team after a couple weeks of training camp in 2010. He forced a trade to the Seattle Seahawks, where he was not much better."
Yeah, Balmer quit in advance of the 2010 season. And his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks didn’t go much better. After a one-year stint with the Seahawks, Balmer rounded out his pro career with a less-than-productive two-year term with the Washington Redskins.
Balmer was more of an embarrassment to the 49ers organization than anything else.
San Francisco got a total of 11 tackles out of its former first-round investment.
No. 13: Defensive End Israel Ifeanyi
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round (46th overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft
The 49ers in 1996were desperately trying to reinvigorate a pass rush that hadn’t been the same since the departure of the defensive force and eventual Hall of Famer, Charles Hayley.
Former defensive coordinator and then-head coach George Seifert bought into USC prospect Israel Ifeanyi to reinforce this unit as the 49ers defense struggled to maintain prowess against the Dallas Cowboys teams of the 1990s.
Marcas Grant of NFL.com described how it went:
"After trading away Charles Haley at the end of the 1991 season, San Francisco struggled to find a consistent edge pass rusher. Head coach George Seifert tried to convince the masses that the team had found a diamond in the rough with the virtually unknown Ifeanyi out of USC. The masses weren’t buying it. The masses were right. Ifeanyi played in just three games in 1996 and didn’t record a single tackle or sack. Sometimes groupthink actually does work."
Ifeanyi was a complete bust from the start and was out of football the subsequent season.
No. 12: Defensive Back Mike Rumph
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (27th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft
Cornerback Mike Rumph was supposed to be the type of defensive force in the secondary which would help the 49ers match up well against the St. Louis Rams of the early 2000s.
At 6-foot-2″ and 205 pounds, Rumph had the intangibles to look the part of a solid defensive back.
The only problem was his coverage skills and instincts were terrible.
Like Taylor Mays, the Niners didn’t have to wait long to learn they had made a huge mistake after taking Rumph in Round 1 of the 2002 NFL Draft. But San Francisco didn’t exactly have a lot of talent in subsequent years, so Rumph stayed with the 49ers for a total of four seasons.
The Niners experimented with Rumph at safety, but that didn’t work out well, either.
Rumph suffered a number of injuries in 2004 and 2005 and finished off his NFL career with the Washington Redskins the subsequent year.
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.
No. 10: Linebacker Reuben Foster
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (31st overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft
The 49ers were ushering in a new era in 2017, giving first-year general manager John Lynch and first-year head coach Kyle Shanahan the chance to turn what had been a scuffling franchise around.
San Francisco looked done in Round 1 of that year’s draft, having selected Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas at No. 3 overall. But as the round came to a close, the Niners moved back into it and grabbed Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster at No. 31 overall.
It looked like a steal at the time. Foster had top-10 talent and was widely seen as one of the best players in that year’s draft class. But he also had red flags, which included run-ins during the NFL Combine, which ultimately forced his draft stock to fall.
Foster’s rookie season was impressive, yes, suggesting San Francisco had itself a gem of a find. But Foster then ran into legal troubles the following year, resulting in multiple arrests.
Lynch and Shanahan tried to counsel their troubled protege, but the run-ins continued. Foster was eventually waived by the team in November of 2018.
San Francisco took the risk and looked smart at the time, only to see Foster burn the bridge too quickly.
No. 9: Tight End Ken MacAfee
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (seventh overall) of the 1978 NFL Draft
The 49ers of the late 1970s were bad. And the team needed playmakers to impact the offense.
This is what San Francisco was hoping for when the team selected Notre Dame tight end Ken MacAfee seventh overall in the 1978 NFL Draft.
The problem was MacAfee wasn’t able to contribute much offensively.
Over his first two seasons with the Niners, MacAfee managed just 46 catches for 471 yards and five touchdowns — hardly the stat line for an offensive player from a top-10 selection.
San Francisco suggested to MacAfee he move to the guard position.
But MacAfee refused and elected to retire from football in 1980. He later went on to pursue a life in dentistry. So kudos to him for helping there, but to lose out on a top-10 selection like that sure hurt.
Fortunately, it was overlooked by the Niners’ eventual success only a few short years later.
No. 8: Running Back Terrence Flagler
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (25th overall) of the 1987 NFL Draft
The 49ers were looking for an eventual long-term replacement for running back Roger Craig and thought they found it when they selected Clemson runner Terrence Flagler in Round 1 of the 1987 NFL Draft.
Flagler had a noteworthy collegiate career but never came close to translating that over to the pro level.
For his first two seasons with the 49ers, Flagler amassed a mere 16 yards on nine carries. He did see some moderate use in the 1989 season and rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown. But that year would mark the end of his San Francisco career as he would join the Phoenix Cardinals for the next two seasons.
If there’s any consolation for Flagler, he does own two Super Bowl rings.
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.
No. 6: Defensive End Solomon Thomas
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (third overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft
In fairness, the Niners managed to find some gems in the 2017 NFL Draft, particularly All-Pro tight end George Kittle in Round 5.
But their two first-round picks that year ended up being a total disappointment.
Reuben Foster already makes the list, but John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan’s first ever pick upon taking over the team that year was Solomon Thomas, who was generally viewed as one of the safest picks in that year’s draft.
Yet the 49ers played Thomas out of position his rookie season, hoping to get him to capitalize on an outside pass rush, which never materialized. Thomas then had to deal with the tragic passing of his sister the following season, which cut into his production.
In 2019, Thomas was then relegated to rotational duties, appearing on just over 40 percent of the defense’s snaps that year.
Granted, Thomas emerged as a good depth piece for San Francisco. But considering top-five selections are expected to be perennial Pro Bowlers and anchor points for any franchise, Thomas’ underachievements have to be considered a massive disappointment.
No. 5: Safety Dana Hall
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (18th overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft
The 49ers were trying to make a transition from Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott in 1992 and elected to draft Washington safety Dana Hall with the 18th overall pick in the 1992 NFL Draft.
At 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds, Hall looked every part the hard-hitting, physical defensive back the Niners knew they would be losing in Lott. And Hall’s rookie season pointed in the direction of him being a solid player in Lott’s stead. During 1992, Hall posted 48 tackles, two interceptions and one sack.
And he never had that kind of season again.
Hall began to fall out of favor in 1993 and started just seven games for the 49ers. That number dropped to four the next year.
San Francisco eventually parted ways with Hall before the 1995 season. And the defensive back went on to play three more years with the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars before his career ended in 1998.
For such a high pick, Hall never came close to living up to expectations.
No. 4: Offensive Tackle Kwame Harris
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (26th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft
The pro tenure of former Stanford standout tackle Kwame Harris was supposed to be one of the stalwart pieces of the 49ers offensive line after the team drafted him 26th overall in the 2003 NFL Draft.
Harris was highly regarded out of Stanford, and the 6-foot-7, 310-pound tackle looked the part for the position.
But his on-field efforts never translated into his physique.
The Niners’ first-round selection of the 2003 draft went bust quickly. According to STATS, Inc. (h/t USA Today), Harris allowed 8.5 sacks in 2006 with four holding penalties and one false start. The season before, Harris allowed 9.5 sacks and committed 15 penalties, seven of them false starts.
Harris lost his starting job during the 2007 season and was off the team the subsequent year. He signed with the Oakland Raiders the following season, but that stint only lasted through 2008.
He’s been out of football ever since.
No. 3: Wide Receiver A.J. Jenkins
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (30th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft
Recent 49ers draft history easily points to the 2012 first-round selection of wide receiver A.J. Jenkins.
Jenkins struggled to get on the field his first, and only, season in San Francisco and ended up appearing in just three regular-season games and registered zero catches on just one target — a pass he dropped.
Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area wrote:
"First-round draft pick A.J. Jenkins probably would not have made the team if he had not been a high draft pick. He made no impact despite season-ending injuries to Kyle Williams and Mario Manningham. Jenkins dropped the only pass thrown his way during the season."
In reality, the entire 2012 Niners draft class went bust. Jenkins merely highlighted what has been considered general manager Trent Baalke’s worst class in his turbulent tenure with San Francisco.
At least Jenkins went on in an attempt to revive his career with the Kansas City Chiefs after being dealt by the 49ers in a 2013 trade. But even that effort flamed out, and Jenkins was out of football following the 2014 season.
Few names define San Francisco draft busts more than Jenkins, aside from the next name on this list.
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.
No. 1: Wide Receiver Rashaun Woods
Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (31st overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 season was an absolute disaster for the 49ers as the team would go 2-14 under the tutelage of head coach Dennis Erickson.
San Francisco 49ers
Their first pick of that year’s draft was Oklahoma State wide receiver Rashaun Woods, who at 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds, looked every bit the playmaking wide receiver the Niners were so desperately seeking after they had to part ways with wideout Terrell Owens, previously.
Woods was stellar at Oklahoma State. But he was nothing of the sort in just one season with the 49ers.
Marcas Grant of NFL.com explained further:
"By the end of the 2003 season, the 49ers were in full rebuilding mode. Garrison Hearst was headed to Denver, Jeff Garcia was on his way to Cleveland and Terrell Owens would fly the coop for Philadelphia. To ease the pain, San Francisco targeted Woods, a playmaking wideout from Oklahoma State. You can’t miss with a player who caught seven touchdown passes in a single game, right? Seven would turn out to be Woods’ magic number: It was the total number of balls he caught in four career NFL games with the Niners."
Yeah, that was the statistical impact of Woods’ career. And, according to Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area, Woods “never gave coaches the impression that the game was important to him.”
Needless to say, the 49ers were finished with Woods after just one season — his only one at the NFL level.
Woods may be considered the worst draft pick in Niners history. And, when taken into context with the 49ers being so bad during that stretch, it makes sense to label him in such a way.
San Francisco would hurt for playmakers for a number of years. Woods’ seemingly nonexistent standing on the field certainly hurt the 49ers efforts not only in 2004 but for years to follow.