The 49ers enter the 2020 NFL draft with two first-round picks. If they wind up using two selections on the first day of the draft, it’ll be the 15th time since the AFL-NFL merger that the organization has used a pair of first-round selections in one draft.
Some of those turned out well, others did not. We went back through all the team’s first-round duos since the 1967 draft and ranked them in order from worst to best.
No. 14 | 2017 draft
Pick 3: DL Solomon Thomas
Pick 31: LB Reuben Foster
Thomas hasn’t been a necessarily bad player, but he was selected to be a dominant force on the edge for the 49ers. He’s fallen into a more rotational defensive tackle role. Thomas has just 6.0 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in his three NFL seasons.
The 49ers traded back into the first round to take Foster with the 31st pick. He is no longer with the 49ers after being accused of multiple domestic violence incidents, including one at the team hotel in Tampa Bay that led to his release. His rookie season was marred by injury, and his second year was derailed by his legal issues. Foster had 101 tackles in 16 games across two seasons.
No. 13 | 1978 draft
Pick 7: TE Ken MacAfee
Pick 24: LB Dan Bunz
MacAfee’s short career pushed this one way down the list. He was a three-time All-American at Notre Dame, but lasted only two seasons in the NFL. He caught 46 passes for 471 yards and five touchdowns, but opted to quit football when the 49ers requested a position change. Getting only two seasons out of the No. 7 pick is less than ideal.
Bunz had a longer career that included a huge stop at the goal line against the Bengals in Super Bowl XVI. However, he never made a Pro Bowl and started 62 of his 82 games across seven years in San Francisco. He was a fine player who’s tackle in the Super Bowl made him worth the first-round investment.
No. 12 | 1974 draft
Pick 9: RB Wilbur Jackson
Pick 10: DL Bill Sandifer
Jackson was consistently productive in five seasons with the 49ers. He started 59 of his 72 games, and averaged 591 rushing yards with 247 receiving yards per season. The only real dips in production came in Years 2 and 5 where he had 303 and 375 rushing yards, respectively.
The second of their back-to-back picks didn’t turn out nearly as successfully. Sandifer started 13 of the 30 games he played for San Francisco during his three seasons with the club. Only getting 13 starts and 30 games of less-than-stellar production out of the No. 10 overall pick is pretty close to a disaster.
No. 11 | 1967 draft
Pick 3: QB Steve Spurrier
Pick 11: OL Cas Banaszek
Most of Spurrier’s value as a player came as a punter for the 49ers. He started 26 games at quarterback and went 13-12-1 with 33 touchdowns and 48 interceptions with just a 52.5 percent completion rate. That is suboptimal for a quarterback who goes No. 3 overall.
Banaszek put together a nice career as an offensive tackle. He spent 10 years with the organization and started all but two games through his first nine years, and 112 of his 120 games overall. A Pro Bowl or two might’ve helped this pair’s chances to climb higher on the list, but Banaszek was never voted to the NFL’s all-star game.
No. 10 | 1980 draft
Pick 13: RB Earl Cooper
Pick 20: DE Jim Stuckey
Cooper’s rookie season was outstanding. He posted 720 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 171 carries. That was coupled with 83 catches, 567 yards and four touchdowns through the air. Cooper’s production took a steady decline after that though, and he finished his six-year career with the 49ers with 1,152 rushing yards, six rushing, touchdowns, 1,908 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns.
Stuckey was only a full-time starter in his second season when he started all 15 games he played. For his career he started 43 of his 88 contests and a recorded 7.5 sacks (the stat wasn’t official until his third season).
The relative longevity for both players helps them slide up the list some, and both were fairly effective even if they fell short of first-round expectations.
No. 9 | 1987 draft
Pick 22: OL Harris Barton
Pick 25: RB Terrence Flagler
Barton is keeping this pair afloat on the strength of his 10 seasons as a starter. He started all but four of the 138 games he played and earned one Pro Bowl selection and two All-Pro nod. Barton is the first player on this list with either a Pro Bowl or All-Pro on his resumé, and that’s what teams are looking for from their first-round picks.
The same can’t be said for Flagler. He carried the ball just 42 times and caught 12 passes in 21 games across three seasons. His 54 touches went for 296 yards and one touchdown. He also returned kicks with only limited success. Swinging and missing on the second of two first-round picks is somewhat forgivable, so this pairing lands inside the top 10 despite Flagler’s very minimal production.
No. 8 | 2016 draft
Pick 7: DL DeForest Buckner
Pick 28: OL Joshua Garnett
It took a couple years for Buckner to garner recognition as a dominant force at defensive tackle, but he was superb in four years with the 49ers. His 12 sacks in 2018 earned him a Pro Bowl nod, and he was a Second-Team All-Pro in 2019 after putting up 7.5 sacks and spearheading a very good 49ers defensive line. San Francisco traded Buckner for the No. 13 overall pick in the 2020 draft when he was due to enter the final year of his rookie deal, but his production was excellent when he was in red and gold.
Trading up to select Garnett was former general manager Trent Baalke’s final huge misstep. Garnett was either not in playing shape or injured during most of his 49ers tenure. He got 11 starts in 15 games as a rookie, missed all of his second year, and played in seven games with no starts while battling injuries in his third season. Garnett was cut heading into his fourth year.
Buckner was good enough to make up for the Garnett miss, but moving back into the first round needs to come with at least a little more success than 11 starts in three years.
No. 7 | 2000 draft
Pick 16: LB Julian Peterson
Pick 24: CB Ahmed Plummer
Peterson was a little bit ahead of his time at linebacker and put together a very nice six years with the 49ers. He made two Pro Bowls and earned First-Team and Second-Team All-Pro selections. His six years in San Francisco included 402 tackles, 21.5 sacks, 35 tackles for loss, five interceptions and seven forced fumbles. That’s excellent production from a mid-first-round choice.
Plummer wasn’t as good as Peterson, but he had some decent years. He was a full-time starter his first four years before playing in just nine games during his final two seasons. Plummer intercepted 12 passes and racked up 317 tackles. Getting a full-time starter, even if he’s not playing at a Pro Bowl level, isn’t bad for the second of two first-round picks. Peterson’s high-level play helps these two inch toward the top five.
No. 6 | 1970 draft
Pick 9: DE Cedrick Hardman
Pick 17: DB Bruce Taylor
It probably wasn’t perfect for a top-10 pick, but Hardman had a very solid 12-year NFL career that included two Pro Bowl appearances. He was with San Francisco for his first decade in the league and got 121 starts in 139 games. The NFL didn’t track sacks during Hardman’s career, but getting a consistent 10-year starter in the first round isn’t the worst outcome.
Taylor was a two-way contributor as a starting cornerback and punt returner. He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1970 when he intercepted three passes. That rookie year also saw Taylor lead the league in punt return yards. His lone Pro Bowl selection came the following year when he had another three interceptions. Taylor went on to record 18 interceptions during his eight-year career.
Two Pro Bowl starters who last 10 and eight years, respectively, is a pretty good first-round haul. If the 49ers do that in 2020, they’ll be set up nicely for the future.
No. 5 | 2006 draft
Pick 6: TE Vernon Davis
Pick 22: DE Manny Lawson
Davis was one of the NFL’s best tight ends for a mulit-year period in the late 2000s and early 2010s. His combination of size and speed made him a matchup nightmare. He led the NFL in touchdown receptions with a career-high 13 in 2009. That was when he made the first of his two Pro Bowls. He also landed there in 2013 when he tied his career-high in touchdown catches. Davis spent 10 years in San Francisco and racked up 5,640 receiving yards and 55 touchdown catches. That’s not bad for the No. 6 overall choice.
Lawson wasn’t bad with the 49ers, but he definitely came up short of expectations. The 22nd pick had 14.5 sacks and 27 tackles for loss in five seasons. He wound up having a pretty nice career overall, but it was a touch underwhelming for a first-round selection with his physical tools.
No. 4 | 2010 draft
Pick 11: OL Anthony Davis
Pick 17: OL Mike Iupati
This pair wound up being a real turning point in the 49ers’ roster makeup. Davis and Iupati wound up playing key roles in the team’s run to the NFC championship game and to the Super Bowl in their second and third seasons.
Davis started all 64 games he played in his first four years, but concussion issues pushed him into retirement in 2015 and again in 2016 after he tried to make a return. Still, he was a vital piece of a very good 49ers’ offensive front that drove them to three consecutive NFC championship games.
Iupati was with the club for all five years of his rookie contract, and he landed three Pro Bowl selections along with a First-Team All-Pro honor. Getting that kind of output from the 17th overall selection is how teams build contenders as quickly as the 49ers did in the early part of last decade.
No. 3 | 1994 draft
Pick 7: DL Bryant Young
Pick 28: RB William Floyd
Of all the players on the list so far, Young had the best career by a relatively wide margin. The No. 7 overall pick out of Notre Dame won a Super Bowl as a rookie, then went on to play for 14 seasons with four Pro Bowls, a First-Team All-Pro selection, and 89.5 sacks as an interior defensive lineman. Young could wind up in Canton and was a finalist for the Hall of Fame in 2020. That’s the kind of career a team shoots for with a top-10 pick.
Floyd was less successful than Young, although he had an okay four-year career with the 49ers. He played fullback for four seasons and contributed 959 rushing yards, 1,011 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in 48 games. It’s a sign of how football has changed that a player primarily tabbed to play fullback was selected in the first round.
Finding a potential Hall of Famer and a four-year contributor isn’t a bad first-round haul, although a better 49ers tenure from Floyd could’ve pushed this duo into the top two.
No. 2 | 1969 draft
Pick 7: TE Ted Kwalick
Pick 16: WR Gene Washington
It took a couple seasons for Kwalick to get his NFL legs under him, but he put together a very good run once he did. In 1971, his third season, Kwalick far outdid his first two years combined with 52 catches, 664 yards and five touchdown receptions. He followed that up with 40 catches, 751 yards and nine touchdown catches. Then the next year he went for 729 yards and five touchdowns on 47 receptions. Kwalick was a Pro Bowler all three years and a First-Team All-Pro in 1972 when he had his career-high nine touchdowns.
Washington hit the ground running as a pro. The Stanford product caught 51 balls for 711 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie on his way to Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections. He repeated those postseason honors the next year when he led the NFL with 1,100 receiving yards. Washington was a Pro Bowler again in 1971, and again with an All-Pro nod in 1972 when he hauled in a league-best 12 touchdowns. Four Pro Bowls and three First-Team All-Pros is a nice career for the No. 16 pick, and Washington did it all in his first four seasons. He went on to catch 371 passes for 6,664 yards and 59 touchdowns in nine years for San Francisco.
This is pretty close to a dream scenario for a team with two first-round picks. If the 49ers replicate this in 2020, they’ll put themselves in a great position to be contenders for a long time.
No. 1 | 2007 draft
Pick 11: LB Patrick Willis
Pick 28: OL Joe Staley
It’s tough to have a better first round than this. Willis played just eight years, but he made the most of those seasons. He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2007 with Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors thanks to his league-high 174 tackles. He’d go on to make seven Pro Bowls and earn five First-Team All-Pro selections. Willis should wind up in Canton even without a ton of longevity. He was simply the most dominant linebacker in the league for most of his career, and is a home run No. 11 pick.
Staley doesn’t have the All-Pro accolades Willis does, but he’s been with the 49ers for 13 seasons with six Pro Bowls, including five consecutive trips from 2011-15. Finding a stalwart left tackle is exceptionally difficult to do, and Staley has consistently been one of the NFL’s best since San Francisco made him the 28th pick out of Central Michigan.
Two perennial Pro Bowlers and potential Hall of Famers is what every GM with multiple first-round picks is looking for, and the 49ers got that with their 2007 draft.
