Niner Noise
FanSided

Ranking 49ers 10 best second-round NFL Draft picks of all time

By Robert Morrison

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 28: Roger Craig #33 of the San Francisco 49ers carries the ball against the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl XXIV on January 28, 1990 at the Super Dome in New Orleans, LA. The 49ers won the Super Bowl 55-10. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 28: Roger Craig #33 of the San Francisco 49ers carries the ball against the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl XXIV on January 28, 1990 at the Super Dome in New Orleans, LA. The 49ers won the Super Bowl 55-10. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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Roger Craig, 49ers
Running back Roger Craig #33 San Francisco 49ers (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Running back Roger Craig

The top spot on this list should come as no surprise, as he is one of the most prolific (and under-appreciated) running backs, not only in 49er history, but in the history of the NFL.

The 49ers took running back Roger Craig with the 49th overall selection of the 1983 NFL Draft out of Nebraska, two years after the franchise’s first Super Bowl championship, but coming off a 3-6 campaign during a strike-shortened season.

Craig was a solid player at Nebraska, finishing his college career with 2,446 yards on 407 carries (6.0 YPC) and 26 touchdowns, along with 16 receptions for 102 yards (6.4 YPR). And while he flashed some of the skills that would make him a top NFL back, there was little to indicate exactly what was to come.

The former Cornhusker would go on to play all but three of his 11 NFL seasons as part of the 49ers, ending his tenure as franchise’s second all-time leading rusher (now third since Frank Gore passed Joe Perry). Craig gained 7,064 yards on 1,686 carries (4.2 YPC) and 50 touchdowns while adding  508 receptions for 4,442 yards (8.7 YPR) and 16 touchdowns.

Craig also became the first player to compile 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in one season, which he did in 1985 when he ran for 1,050 yards on 214 carries (4.9 YPC) and caught 92 passes for 1,016 yards (11.04 YPR) and scored 15 total touchdowns. That season, Craig was named to one of his four career Pro Bowls.

So far, Marshall Faulk in 1999 and Christian McCaffery last year are the only others to do so.

Craig was also named 1988 AP Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-Pro, as he set his career-high for rushing yards (1,502) in a Super Bowl championship season, one of three he won as a member of the organization.

In addition to all this, Craig had three seasons in the top 10 in NFL in rushing and attempts and all-purpose yards, four seasons in the top 10 in the NFL in receptions, five seasons in the top 10 in the NFL in yards from scrimmage and two seasons in the top 10 in the NFL in total touchdowns.

Prolific seems like a bit of an understatement.

And yet Craig has yet to be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in spite of his incredible career and record-setting seasons. He was a finalist this past season, but missed the cut again, having been named a finalist just one other time during his traditional eligibility period, which ended in 2018.

Related Story. San Francisco 49ers: Ranking 5 best fifth-round NFL Draft picks of all time. light

No matter what the Hall of Fame committee says, it’s clear Craig is one of the best running backs in NFL history, and he’s certainly the best taken by San Franciso in the second round of the NFL Draft.