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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Ricky Watters, 49ers
Ricky Watters San Francisco 49ers (Mandatory Credit: Getty Images) /

No. 6: Running back Ricky Watters

Rounding out the bottom half of the list is another dynamic offensive weapon who was an integral part of a 49ers Super Bowl run, albeit this time on a team that took home the Lombardi Trophy.

The Niners selected running back Ricky Watters with the 45th overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame, and the former Golden Domer stepped in to have an immediate impact on the team. He ran for over 1,000 yards as a rookie, making the Pro Bowl and helping the 49ers to a 14-2 record, a division title and a trip to the NFC Championship game (a game the Niners would lose to the Dallas Cowboys).

As a member of the 49ers, Watters would go on to rush for 2,840 yards on 653 carries (4.3 yards per carry) and 25 touchdowns, adding 140 receptions for 1,450 yards (10.4 yards per reception) and eight touchdowns through the air, all in just three seasons.

In the playoffs, Watters added 481 yards on 105 carries (4.6 YPC) and seven touchdowns on the ground, along with 27 catches for 275 yards (10.2 YPR) and three more touchdowns through the air. This included a three-touchdown performance in the 49ers’ Super Bowl win over the San Diego Chargers.

But ultimately, in spite of all his success during his 49ers tenure, Watters just wasn’t a member of the team long enough to push himself higher on the list.

After three straight Pro Bowl nods in San Francisco and the Super Bowl championship, Watters signed a free-agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he played three more years. He’d go on to finish his career with three solid years in Seattle before a final, unproductive year before his retirement in 2001.

His career numbers (10,643 rushing yards, 4,248 receiving yards, 91 total touchdowns) and impact on the team would have been enough to catapult him higher had it not been for playing only three years in San Francisco.

But that lack of longevity allows him to make the list here at No. 6.