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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Pierce Holt, 49ers
Defensive lineman Pierce Holt San Francisco 49ers (Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule /Allsport) /

No. 8: Defensive lineman Pierce Holt

Coming in at No. 8 is former Angelo State (TX) defensive lineman Pierce Holt, whom the 49ers took with the 39th overall selection in the 1988 NFL Draft.

Holt was a key member of a 49ers defensive line in the late 1980s and early 1990s that also featured players like defensive end Kevin Fagan, pass rusher Charles Haley, nose tackle Michael Carter, defensive end Larry Roberts and pass-rusher Tim Harris during Holt’s tenure.

He was also on teams that were part of an absolutely fantastic run of success in 49ers history. Holt was in San Francisco for five seasons, all of which were winning seasons, including four division titles and a bizarre 10-6 year in 1991 where the Niners finished third in the NFC West.

Holt was a two-time Super Bowl champion (1988 and 1989), a member of the 1988 All-Rookie Team and a 1992 Pro Bowl selection while racking up 213 tackles, 29.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in his five years.

The defensive lineman also remains the second-highest player drafted out of Angelo State, just behind Charlie West, a defensive back taken by the Vikings at pick No. 33 in 1968.

Holt would go on to play three more seasons in Atlanta after his Pro Bowl year in San Francisco in 1992 before retiring after the 1995 campaign.

He wasn’t a part of the Niners long enough to be any higher on this list, but he was a key contributor to two of the team’s five Super Bowl championships, allowing him to make this list at No. 8 without any question.