Alex Smith’s career after joining the 49ers’ as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft couldn’t have gotten off to a much worse start. He went 19-31 as a starter through his first six seasons, and missed all of his third year with an injury. He was on track to go down as one of the worst No. 1 overall picks in NFL history, but he salvaged his career and wound up landing at No. 21 in Draft Wire’s ranking of No. 1 overall picks since 1970.
Jim Harbaugh’s arrival in San Francisco was the start of Smith’s renaissance. He’s gone 75-35-1 as a starter since the 2011 season, made three Pro Bowls and took five teams to the playoffs.
His turnaround is a prime example of how the situation a player gets drafted into plays such a significant role in their development. Smith joined a disaster in San Francisco with bad coaching, poor talent and a disorganized front office. Once the situation around him improved, so did Smith.
He didn’t develop into a Hall-of-Fame caliber player, and he probably isn’t going to win a Super Bowl in his career, though he got close. Smith was also not the type of player who would elevate the talent around him, which is why he’s not higher on the rankings despite a very solid NFL career. Still, it’s a testament to Smith’s toughness that he came out the other side of a brutal start to his career to land in the top half of the 50 No. 1 overall picks since 1970.
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