49ers NFL Draft history: Top 5 defensive backs drafted in the 2000s

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Dashon Goldson #38 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Safety Dashon Goldson

It should come as no surprise Dashon Goldson is No. 1 on this list.

As was referenced on the previous slide, Goldson leaving for Tampa Bay in free agency in 2013 was a huge loss. He was an integral part of the 49ers making it to Super Bowl XLVII.

Goldson was selected by the 49ers in the fourth round (126th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft out of Washington. He played minimally in his first two seasons but became a starter in 2009. He really got going, though, in 2011. That season he had six interceptions, nine passes defended, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Those numbers earned him his first Pro Bowl selection and helped the 49ers into the playoffs. He followed up with an even more efficient 2012, starting all 16 games and earning a Pro Bowl and a first-team All-Pro selection. Outside of the numbers and accolades, though, he will always be fondly remembered for the punishing hits he laid on his opponents.

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Goldson comes in at No. 1 on this list because, to date, he is the only defensive back drafted by the 49ers in the last two decades to earn a first-team All-Pro selection.

And that’s saying a lot.