5 most successful general managers in 49ers history

49ers top general manager No. 4: Scot McCloughan (2005-2009)

On the surface, former general manager Scot McCloughan doesn’t appear to be one of those who should qualify for a top spot among the Niners’ best executives over the years.

And most fans would recall the dark years the team experienced between 2004 and 2010 anyway.

Yes, McCloughan’s 31-49 record with San Francisco doesn’t look good. But his team-building efforts amid still-worse years of 2003 and 2004 helped build up the squad Trent Baalke inherited in 2010, and a massive chunk of that talent helped turn the 49ers into the powerhouse squad of the former head coach Jim Harbaugh years between 2011 and 2014.

Sure, there were some bad NFL Draft selections, and we probably won’t want to look at the 2008 class. However, going back to many of McCloughan’s hits, it’s not hard to see how that success for the following decade was set up.

Running back Frank Gore in Round 3 of the 2005 draft was a gamble that paid off in a franchise-changing way, while quarterback Alex Smith finally turned things around when Harbaugh arrived. 2006 was good with tight end Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker, too.

McCloughan’s 2007 draft, consisting of first-rounders like linebacker Patrick Willis and tackle Joe Staley, was maximized even further by the additions of defensive end Ray McDonald and then defensive backs like Dashon Goldson and Tarell Brown, and that class might be considered among the greatest drafts in the organization’s history.

Every one of those players was vital in the Niners’ subsequent success. Too bad McCloughan’s departure from the franchise happened before his efforts were realized.