49ers NFL Draft history: Ranking 10 best late-round picks
By Peter Panacy
No. 7: 49ers EDGE Tommy Hart
Round 10, No. 261 Overall in the 1968 NFL Draft
It’s time to go way back into the 49ers history books to look at the No. 7 late-round NFL Draft pick, EDGE Tommy Hart, out of Morris Brown.
Perhaps the reason why Hart pops onto this list is the fact the draft no longer goes beyond seven rounds now, so it’s almost tough to imagine someone selected in Round 10 making much of an impact.
Except Hart did.
Hart spent 10 years with the Niners, and perhaps no other unit was formidable in 1976 than the team’s defensive line, nicknamed the “Gold Rush,” which featured both Hart and the late great defensive end, Cedric Hardman.
That year, Hart recorded six sacks in one game against the Los Angeles Rams, even though sacks weren’t an official stat just yet.
Regardless, Hart was a big reason why San Francisco unofficially credited its D-line with 61 sacks in 1976.
Just imagine that kind of production in today’s NFL.