Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Best late-round NFL Draft picks in franchise history

By Brandon Powell

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SEPTEMBER 9: Dwight Clark #87 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball after a catch against the Dallas Cowboys during an NFL football game at Candlestick Park September 9, 1979 in San Francisco, California. Clark played for the 49ers from 1979-87. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SEPTEMBER 9: Dwight Clark #87 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball after a catch against the Dallas Cowboys during an NFL football game at Candlestick Park September 9, 1979 in San Francisco, California. Clark played for the 49ers from 1979-87. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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884. . Defensive Tackle. Mustangs . Michael Carter. 5. player

1984 NFL Draft: Round 5, Pick No. 121 Overall

Following the 1983 season, in which the 49ers went 10-6 and eventually lost to the Washington Redskins in the NFC Championship game, head coach Bill Walsh and Co. sought to bolster an already potent defense for another title run. In the first round, the 49ers selected linebacker Todd Snell, who started 13 games in his sophomore campaign, but was otherwise a non-factor for the Niners and was out of the league in 1987. In the fifth round, the team selected a much more impactful player in nose tackle Michael Carter.

Carter played all 16 games in his rookie campaign, notching four sacks in a backup role and helping the 49ers earn the No. 1 scoring defense in the league (14.2 points allowed per game).

With the league’s best defense and the second best scoring offense (29.7 points per game), the Niners rolled to a 15-1 regular-season record and Super Bowl Championship against the Miami Dolphins.

Carter would earn a second-team All-Pro nomination for his efforts that year.

The following season, Carter increased his sack production to seven and earn his first Pro Bowl nod. Throughout his eight-year NFL career, all spent with the 49ers, Carter earned three Pro Bowl appearances, three first-team All-Pro nominations and three Super Bowl Rings. If that wasn’t enough to earn a spot on this list, he also won a silver medal in the shot put in the 1984 Summer Olympics, becoming the first person to win an Olympic medal and Super Bowl right in the same season.

Carter was an unsung hero at an unseen position in the NFL; he was the very definition of a “hidden gem.”